What is WSUD?
Water sensitive urban design (WSUD) is a contemporary approach to managing the urban water cycle through its integration into the natural and built landscape.
It is a planning and design approach that incorporates the sustainable management and integration of stormwater, groundwater, wastewater and water supply into our urban and built form to achieve water and environmental outcomes as well as urban amenity, liveability, and urban cooling outcomes.
The design principles and outcomes of WSUD are to:
- Enhance community and system resilience, amenity and liveability
- Mimic natural hydrological processes - design based on local site conditions and minimise changes to hydrology
- Enhance natural systems - manage, protect and restore wetlands, waterways and the groundwater
- Provide protection from flooding in 1% annual exceedance probability (AEP) flood event and surface or groundwater inundation/waterlogging
- Maximise water use efficiency and facilitate fit-for-purpose water sources including water reuse/recycling
- Minimise pollution inputs and outputs in flows and in receiving environments
- Create fit-for purpose, safe and sustainable water management systems that are integrated into the urban form
- Enhance economic, social and cultural values of water resources