Understanding socio-economic benefits of stormwater management system through urban lakes in Western Sydney, Australia

Increasingly, stormwater management systems such as urban lakes and wetlands are being implemented in developing urban areas. They are designed to serve multiple purposes. Urban stormwater management systems have environmental, economic, and social impacts. The main aim of this study was to explore the community values and social and economic benefits of urban lakes in the Western Sydney region of New South Wales, Australia. The study involved two case study sites and community surveys using the tailored design method. For this study, a combination of three methods of data collection was used; online, onsite and letterbox drop off surveys. The survey explored several aspects such as community wellbeing, environment and property value benefits. Responses from the community show that there is an overall positive perception of the lake and associated parkland. When asked, over 70% of the respondents stated that there is a positive impact of the lake on the property prices. Additionally, 50% of residents found that there was moderate to significant impact of the lake on both mental and physical wellbeing of people. Approximately 20% of respondents stated that they would not exercise if the local lake system did not exist. Also, 60% of the respondents stated that the lake improved their quality of life. Furthermore, a hedonic property price analysis was done to quantify the impact of the lake on the surrounding properties. A positive correlation was found between the lake and property prices of surrounding homes. The findings from this study provide evidence to policymakers and municipal councils to encourage investments to improve performance of existing lakes as well as develop new ones in the urban areas

Urban lakes for managing stormwater : understanding the impacts of water quality

The aim of this study is to understand how the management of stormwater through urban lakes can assist sustainability and liveability of urban and peri-urban landscapes. Two sites in the Western Sydney region of New South Wales, Australia were studied. One year of continuous monitoring of two urban lakes has been done to understand the variation and correlation between parameters. One site has a combined lake and wetland system whereas the other site is a standalone lake. Results show that constructed wetlands do improve stormwater quality and can be used as a pre-treatment system of stormwater before it is directed into an urban lake. However, even with the inclusion of this system, the nutrient levels are still higher than the allowable range

Constructed wetlands in improving stormwater quality and health of urban lakes

Urban lakes and wetlands are being more commonly used for the purpose of storing and treating stormwater. In some instances, a combination of both constructed wetlands and lakes are designed to further improve the efficiency of the system. The main aim of this paper was to compare the water quality between two stormwater urban lakes. A standalone lake system and a combined wetland/lake system were monitored for water quality. The results indicate that an integrated wetland and urban lake performs better than just the urban lake. The improved performance was particularly significant in terms of physical parameters such as turbidity, suspended solids, total solids (TS) and nutrients (particularly nitrogen). The significance of the wetland in the integrated system is highlighted as it helped, on an average, to reduce the concentration of TS, ammonium and phosphate by 50%, 62% and 53%, respectively

Using lakes in urban landscapes for stormwater management : a study of water quality of Wattle Grove Lake in western Sydney and an overiew of recreational and other value benefits to the local community

Lakes in urban landscapes are often constructed for the dual purpose of stormwater management and provision for non-contact recreational activities by local communities. Wattle Grove Lake, in the Liverpool City Council jurisdiction in Western Sydney, was studied to understand its effectiveness to manage stormwater; in particular, the study focused on water quality and the benefits it provides to local residents in terms of aesthetics and other values. The study involved water quality monitoring of the lake over a seven-month period to evaluate the changes in water quality, as well as assessing community understanding of the benefits it would provide to local residents. The study indicated that the water quality in terms of physical characteristics (turbidity, suspended solids and oxygen levels) generally meets ANZECC guidelines. However, the chemical characteristics of water quality, particularly the nutrient concentrations, did not meet recommended guideline values. Turbidity and nutrient levels indicated the presence of algal blooms in the lake during summer, which was the reason for high biological activity and lower dissolved oxygen levels. Monitoring also indicated that the summer months are the critical time period as far as the water quality of the lake is concerned. In a community survey most respondents indicated that the lake has provided substantial community benefits in terms of providing a place for mixed recreation. Evidence collected suggested that the value of properties adjacent to the lake was between 15% and 40% higher than for those located 100-300m away

Stormwater management through urban lakes

Across the globe, natural lakes and wetlands can store and improve water quality. Wetlands are a preliminary purifying system that cleans water before it enters rivers and other waterbodies. Wetlands improve water quality through filtration, sedimentation, and microbial processes

Creating livable subdivisions using stormwater, recycled water and groundwater

Integration of green infrastructure (comprising urban lakes, wetlands and parklands) within an urban centre subdivision can significantly improve its livability. Stormwater generated within the urban centre, which is often considered as water carrying significant amounts of pollutants, can be used to create green infrastructure within the subdivision. In addition, recently, “sewer mining” is being used to supplement the non-potable water for urban centres. This source of recycled water is primarily used to satisfy the water required to maintain healthy green infrastructure. Extensive research conducted in recent years have also led to the plan of utilizing constructed lakes and wetlands, as part of green infrastructures, for storing and improving stormwater quality. Furthermore, they serve as significant water features within an urban centre increasing property values. In this work, we present a case study of a local government area (LGA) in Western Sydney, to provide some insights on how using urban lakes (which besides serving as stormwater purifying system) can greatly add to recreational value to a subdivision. City Councils in Western Sydney have successfully created parklands and physical exercise amenities around these constructed wetlands and lakes. These areas attract a large number of visitors throughout the year. The beneficial value of the urban lakes is demonstrated by the increasing values of the properties which are located around these lakes. We conclude that by employing best practices for managing stormwater runoff provide both socioeconomic and environmental benefits to urban centres, and cansignificantly increase the economic value of the region