Our Vision

Sustainable Water,
Liveable Cities
& Engaged
Communities

Historic Challenges

As development has expanded across the country, our natural landscape has changed significantly, giving
way to housing, industry, agriculture and leisure pursuits. This has resulted in a range of challenges for
both the natural environment (e.g. rivers, creeks, bays, biodiversity, ecosystems) and the community
that now lives in those developed areas.

Water flowing off urban areas has led to pollution in local rivers and creeks. Development of floodplain areas
has led to flood prone homes and businesses.

Managing stormwater in these developed areas requires a systems-based approach, with an understanding
of both the catchment and local area contributing to the most effective design solution.

In the early 1990s, it became obvious that there was no coordination between the many and diverse organisations managing stormwater at either a local, state or national level. This was resulting in ineffective management of stormwater, inefficient use of resources and inequities between metropolitan areas. Lack of holistic
solutions was leading Problems in many towns were being exacerbated as the upstream towns and industries contributed to water quality and design solutions that did not consider impacts on downstream
neighbours and were not managed holistically.

Challenges
Ahead

Most recently, we have all felt the impact of climate change,
with record floods, droughts, bushfires, temperatures and
extremes. Our cities are facing temperature increases of up
to 6oC in some suburbs in the future and water supplies are
facing challenges with the extremes of weather.

Increasingly, stormwater is being seen as a critical resource,
to provide additional water supply during droughts,
offer cooling benefits to our suburbs, provide sustainable
flow for our local creeks to support biodiversity and
community recreation.

Creation of the Association

To address these challenges, the Stormwater Industry Association Lts (Stormwater Australia) was formed in 2001.
Since then, the State and National Associations have been promoting the use of more appropriate and effective
stormwater practices, such as Total Catchment Management, Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) and the
adoption of common standards, policies and guidelines.

The Association aims to create a co-ordinated approach in an ever-expanding stormwater industry, allowing all industry members to work together for efficient, effective and innovative stormwater outcomes. This helps to create resilience
in a changing climate, provides long-term sustainability for our communities and minimises the economic, social and
environmental impacts of ‘siloed’ stormwater solutions. It also enables industry partners to be accountable for the
challenges as a group, rather than limiting accountability to the boundaries of individual project areas.

Our Strategy

Our Stormwater Australia Strategy 2022-xxxx
provides a clear line of sight to the
long-term direction of the Board and
our Industry as a whole.

Sustainable Water. Liveable Cities. Engaged Communities.

We are one of the largest stormwater industry associations in Australia, with a national presence and state-based associations in Queensland, NSW, Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia.