About stormwater
Every year, large amounts of water enter our waterways and creeks through stormwater drains. This stormwater picks up pollutants on its way into our drains – some visible like floating rubbish and others invisible like phosphorus or nitrogen.
Stormwater does not get treated before it discharges into our waterways and ultimately ends up in Port Phillip Bay. Any pollutants can have negative impacts on the health of our waterways and the bay.
Water quality
There are different levels of water quality and different uses require different water quality levels. You can find more information on the:
Key sources of pollution
Some of the key sources that pose the most risks to Knox's waterways include:
- residential, industrial and commercial land uses
- sealed and unsealed roads
- land development
- building sites
- rural agricultural activities.
Protecting our waterways and creeks
To help protect and manage our waterways, we are:
- promoting the building of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) assets in new developments and incorporating WSUD into Council projects. WSUD improves the quality of water in waterways and helps protect the health of the bay.
- ensuring street sweeping practices that minimise the amount of litter which ends end up in our waterways.
- monitoring developers, auditing buildings and checking the Environmental Management Plans of construction sites to guarantee measures are in place to prevent mud, silt and construction materials washing into stormwater drains.
- maintaining nature strips and implementing vegetation management and weed management programs to help protect stormwater quality.
Integrated Water Management Framework
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning have created the Integrated Water Management Framework. This is designed to help the Government, the water sector and the community to better plan, manage and deliver water in Victoria’s towns and cities.
Conserving water
We are always trying to reduce how much high-quality drinking water we use. Here are some actions we have taken to conserve water:
- installing rainwater tanks for gardening and toilet flushing in:
- all our recreational facilities
- most kindergartens and community hubs.
- conducting audits on facilities and installing systems to reduce water consumption.
- upgrading to water efficient appliances in Council facilities.
- identifying alternative water sources for watering recreational facilities.
- harvesting stormwater to irrigate our sporting fields. This reduces the community’s dependence on drinking water by several megalitres each year.
Need help?
Contact us and we will get back to you.
Or call our Stormwater Unit on 9298 8000.
