By: David Nixon, NSW SQID Taskforce Chair, Sydney
Date: October 11, 2025
Ask anyone in our industry for the “cost” of a stormwater asset, and they’ll likely give you a number based on its purchase and installation. But this figure represents only the tip of the iceberg. The true cost—the real, long-term financial and human price of that asset—lies hidden beneath the surface, accumulating over decades. 🧊
This hidden cost is what the NSW SQID Taskforce Report calls the Whole-of-Life cost, and we’ve developed a simple but powerful framework to measure it: LSCM.
Understanding LSCM—Lifecycle Costs, Safety, Constructability, and Maintainability—is the single most important shift our industry must make to move from short-term thinking to long-term sustainability. Let’s break down what each of these critical factors really means.
L is for Lifecycle Costs
This is the total cost of ownership from cradle to grave. It’s a transparent accounting of every dollar that will be spent on an asset throughout its operational life. This includes:
- Initial Capital Cost: The price to purchase and install the device.
- Operational Costs: Ongoing expenses like energy consumption for any powered components.
- Routine Maintenance: The predictable costs of regular servicing, inspections, and minor cleaning.
- Major Maintenance: The significant, less frequent costs like replacing filter media, rehabilitating components, or major structural repairs.
- Decommissioning: The final cost to remove and dispose of the asset at the end of its life.
Without a full lifecycle cost analysis, we are simply guessing. We are making multi-decade financial commitments based on day-one information.
S is for Safety
Safety isn’t just a compliance issue; it’s a fundamental design consideration with huge cost implications. An unsafe asset is an expensive asset. We must ask:
- Does maintenance require confined space entry? This immediately adds complexity, risk, and cost to every service.
- Are there fall hazards? Does the asset require working at heights or near open pits, necessitating guardrails or harnesses?
- What are the public safety risks? Is the device secure? Could it pose a hazard to children or animals?
A design that prioritises safety from the outset reduces risk, lowers insurance premiums, and simplifies maintenance procedures for decades to come.
C is for Constructability
A brilliant design on paper is worthless if it’s a nightmare to build in the real world. Constructability assesses the practicalities of installation.1 Key questions include:
- What is the site footprint? Does it require extensive excavation or earthworks?
- Is heavy machinery needed? Does the site access allow for cranes or large trucks?
- Are specialised contractors required? Or can the asset be installed using standard civil construction skills?
Poor constructability leads to budget overruns, construction delays, and, most critically, a high risk of installation errors that can cause the asset to fail before it ever begins operating.
M is for Maintainability
This is arguably the most neglected factor, yet it has the greatest impact on long-term performance. Maintainability is the simple, practical measure of how easy it is to keep the asset functioning as designed.2
- Access: Can maintenance crews easily and safely get to all necessary components?
- Proprietary Parts: Does servicing require special tools or parts available only from the original manufacturer?
- Frequency and Duration: How often does the asset need to be serviced, and how long does each service take?
An asset that is difficult to maintain will not be maintained properly. It’s that simple. Prioritising maintainability is the best guarantee we have that an asset will actually deliver its promised environmental benefits over the long term.
To make truly informed decisions, we must be able to calculate and compare the genuine, long-term cost of our infrastructure choices. The NSW SQID Taskforce Report is the industry’s first major step in defining and quantifying these crucial LSCM factors. We invite you to dive into the details, challenge our assumptions, and help us move toward a more holistic and honest approach to asset evaluation by providing your feedback.
We have commenced a broad consultation process across industry, government, councils and industries. We are aiming to prepare a feedback supplement at the conclusion of the consultation period.
Review the consultation draft, Volume One, outlining recommendations, available on the Stormwater 2030 website.
Submit feedback via the Taskforce Feedback Form by Monday, December 1, 2025.
