Raising The Bar
Moving Beyond Tick-the-Box Compliance.
Developers, civil engineers, and maintenance operators are often trapped in a fragmented system that rewards minimum compliance over true whole-of-life value. We are overhauling the industry by modernising maintenance manuals, establishing rigorous SQID lifecycle ratings, and building the national training frameworks you need to succeed.
Better asset performance
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Safer maintenance outcomes
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Stronger industry evidence
The Industry Challenge
The Operational Bottlenecks.
Maintenance guidance has fallen behind.
4 YEARS OUT OF DATE
The industry’s leading maintenance guide, the “Yellow Book”, has not been updated since 2022, leaving operators without modern safety KPIs, digital reporting templates and current field guidance.
Source: XXX
Whole-of-life costs are being overlooked.
UP TO 80% OF TOTAL COST
The historical focus on singular pollutant removal has caused the industry to ignore up to 80% of a system’s true whole-of-life cost, including construction, access, maintenance, replacement and worker safety.
Source: XXX
Construction runoff can overwhelm waterways.
UP TO 200× MORE POLLUTION
Evidence submitted to an Australian Senate inquiry reported that construction sites can produce 50 to 200 times the sediment and particulate pollution of completed urban areas.
Source: Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications
Stormwater performance is measured too narrowly.
4 CRITICAL DELIVERY FACTORS
Stormwater assets are still too often assessed using narrow performance metrics rather than balancing pollutant removal, lifecycle cost, constructability and long-term maintainability.
Source: State Of Stormwater In NSW 2025
Technical Initiatives
How We Help Industry Lead Better Delivery.
Lift Assessment Standards
Supporting improved SQID lifecycle ratings that consider cost, safety, constructability and long-term maintenance.
Modernise Maintenance Practice
Helping move maintenance guidance from static manuals to practical digital tools, reporting templates and field-ready standards.
Connect Industry Expertise
Bringing engineers, manufacturers, contractors, researchers and maintenance operators together to shape practical reform.
Where We Make An Impact
Active Taskforces & Projects.
Practical working groups delivering better standards, funding models, research and infrastructure outcomes.
Maintenance Working Group
Modernising national stormwater maintenance standards for safer, more consistent asset management.
SQID Lifecycle Rating Working Group
Developing clearer ways to assess stormwater infrastructure across cost, safety, performance and maintainability.
Sustainable Funding Working Group
Exploring long-term funding models to support better stormwater infrastructure and maintenance.
Academic Working Group
Connecting researchers, data and evidence to support better policy and industry decisions
Technical Hub
Engineering Guidelines & Data.
Cleaner Stormwater for Safer Swimming Now
Cleaner stormwater for safer swimming starts in our streets. Learn the simple actions that protect local beaches, creeks and family time this weekend, too.
What Pollutes Creeks After Rain? The Street Truth
What pollutes creeks after rain? Learn how rubbish, oil, soil and pet waste wash from our streets into waterways – and what neighbours can do locally.
Your Community Guide to Local Creek Care
Use this guide to local creek care to keep rubbish, soap and garden waste out of drains, protect wildlife, and make every weekend by the water better.
Get Involved
Turn Technical Expertise Into Industry Reform
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1. Join a Working Group
Contribute technical knowledge to help improve standards, maintenance practice and lifecycle assessment.
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2. Share Field Evidence
Help build the case for reform by sharing practical insights from design, construction, operations and maintenance.
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3. Pilot Better Practice
Work with Stormwater 2030 and industry partners to test practical tools, templates and delivery models.
Help shape the future of stormwater delivery.
Work with Stormwater 2030 to improve standards, strengthen industry practice and deliver better outcomes for waterways, communities and infrastructure.
