Vehicles and industrial activities in urban areas deposit significant amounts of pollutants onto hard surfaces. When it rains, stormwater washes these contaminants into drains, ultimately carrying them to creeks and rivers.

Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) aims to address these impacts by integrating natural processes into urban water management.

Its objectives include:

• Improving water quality
• Reducing runoff and flooding
• Enhancing biodiversity
• Creating greener, more livable spaces

By incorporating features such as wetlands, bioretention systems, and vegetated swales, WSUD delivers both environmental benefits and social amenity, contributing to healthier waterways and resilient communities.

Forster wetlands and bioretention basins WSUD operational maintenance works project was completed in 2025. The basins were designed and constructed between 2002-2018 as part of the Great Lakes Council water quality program. This stormwater treatment system project area consists of 14 basins and wetland ponds, which receive stormwater runoff via urban catchments.

In partnership with Alliance Construction Group and MidCoast Council, Envite completed a program of improving biodiversity and implementing non-structural controls (ecosystem services), to reduce pollutants at the source by maintaining and enhancing the natural capacity of the urban environment which will maintain clean waterways draining to Pipers Bay.

Outcomes of this project include:

• The restoration of ecosystems services around 14 bioretention and wetland sediment ponds in various locations across the township of Forster, NSW.
• Removal of aquatic and land weeds around perimeter or throughout basins and wetlands totaling 7,560m2.
• Over 6,320 Macrophyte and 4,640 Lomandra species were planted in shallow benching zones and wetland edges. The selection of Macrophyte species was in consultation with Council and Envite Restoration Ecologist to support diverse habitats, and promote resilience by matching plants to site conditions such as soil, hydrology, and climate.
• Working alongside ACG for new filter media imported to site, a full replanting was completed within the biofilter over the reinstalled filter media at a density of 6/m2. Jute matting layed over the re-cut batter slope for erosion stability.
• 525m2 of Jute mesh installed a minimum of 2m from edge of wetland basin where Lomandra was planted densely to prevent mowing right up to the basin wall. Bush regeneration works of the riparian reserve around the wetland sites further improved WSUD by increasing biodiversity.

WSUD practices are detailed within the Guidelines for Water Sensitive Design Strategies (WSDS), which aligns with the National Strategies and Guidelines for water quality management.

Supported by MidCoast Council and Alliance Construction Group