WATER RESOURCESUSTAINABILITY
Authored by Professor Tony Wong MIEAust CPEng
Prepared by Mr Barry Tonkin JP FIEAust CPEng
Presented by Mr Jeffrey Howard FIEAust CPEng

Scope• Introductory remarks• Author biography• Paper on Water Resource Sustainability• Closing remarks• Discussion

Introductory Remarks• Engineers Australia congratulates JSCE on its
centenary as a leading international engineeringorganization that echoes its mature engineering
outlook• ACECC organizations’ outlook, influence and civilengineering focus have changed over time towards amore outward humanitarian global perspective inpromoting a culture for sustainability

Introductory Remarks• Engineers Australia congratulates JSCE on itscentenary• The influence of the Jakarta Protocol• The growth of ACECC• The adoption of the theme of ‘Civil Engineering for a
Sustainable Future’ from an Engineers Australia
perspective

Author Biography• Professor Tony Wong MIEAust CPEng• Chief Executive Officer of the Cooperative
Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities• Received the prestigious Engineers Australia Sir John
Holland Civil Engineer of the Year award in 2010
• Highly experienced in national and international
consulting, research, and academia• Has led a large number of award winning national andinternational urban design projects

Creating sustainable, resilient andlivable cities and towns• Long term productivity, prosperity and livability of cities arefundamentally underpinned by the sustainability (carryingcapacity) and resilience (coping capacity) of these cities• The quality of living in these environments defines its
livability (comfort capacity)

The grand challenge in cities• Australian cities generate 80% of net national
income and they are also where most Australians
work and live. Their amenity/livability are important in
attracting the best people globally;• Cities that are resilient to climate change and able toaccommodate population growth will attract
economic development;• effective urban planning, design, implementation andmanagement are critical to economic performanceSustainable water management
in cities• managing urban water exemplifies many of thechallenges faced by cities as reflected in recent
episodes in Australia of:– reduced water supply security caused by droughts andincreasing demands attributed to increasing
population;– increased flood vulnerability; and– degrading environmental quality of urban waterways
attributed to urban pollution.

The water sensitive city approach• Australia is adopting a water sensitive approach
to water infrastructure planning and design in
response to recent occurrences of severe
droughts and floods in cities• The water sensitive cities approach to city
planning and design offer major direct andindirect economic benefits by adopting a mixtureof centralised and decentralised approaches
tailored to local circumstances.

Key outcomes of a water sensitive
city approach
1. Cost effective use of underused/wasted water sources,
tailored to end use to increase water supply security;
2. Greater productivity of use of existing infrastructure;
3. Avoided or delayed upgrade or expansion of watersupply/wastewater facilities and trunk drainage infrastructure;
4. Lower water charges through reduced input costs tobusinesses and utility charges to households
5. Reduced flood damage and insurance burdens
6. Reduced community morbidity and mortality from urban heat
7. Avoided or reduced restoration costs to urban waterways
and adjoining rivers and bays

The role of Green Infrastructure• A water sensitive approach includes the use of green
infrastructure• Increasing evidence that green infrastructure can deliver a net
positive economic benefit to urban communities• ‘Our cities can provide ecosystem services’• Network of blue-green corridors to provide supplementarydrainage systems for flood conveyance and biodiversity spaces• Urban heat issue is growing in significance• State of Australian Cities report predicts that heat wave related
deaths will more than double over the next 40 years• Evidence that green infrastructure can effectively influence themicro-climate in cities and reduce urban heat

The non-market economic benefits• The property values increases attributed to Water Sensitive
Urban Design (WSUD) and proximity to green spaces areless that the capital cost of WSUD assets• The health costs related to the effects of urban heat oncommunity morbidity and mortality can be broadly quantified• System resilience could be quantified• There are other economic benefits including increased
biodiversity of the aquatic ecosystem, and improved
physiological healthClosing Remarks••••

Engineers Australia congratulates JSCE on its centenary
The influence of the Jakarta Protocol
The growth of ACECC
The adoption of the theme of ‘Civil Engineering for a
Sustainable Future’ from an Engineers Australia
perspective– Paper by Professor Tony Wong MIEAust CPEng– Preparation by Mr Barry Tonkin JP FIEAust CPEng– Presented by Jeffrey Howard FIEAust, CPEng

Discussion