Urban stormwater strategy

This Strategy has identified a range of goals and objectives. It also incorporates best practices to support the goals and how they can be achieved. We have identified the following long term aspirations for stormwater management:

1. Our urban streams, aquatic habitats and coastal marine environment are healthy and accessible
2. Stormwater discharges do not degrade water quality and the ecosystem health of our streams and estuaries
3. Stormwater flooding does not create a hazard to our community or cause damage to properties
4. We enable water sensitive growth for future generations
5. We manage stormwater in a holistic, efficient and cost effective manner

Our fresh water and marine waters are vital to the well-being of our communities and are one of the defining features of the Tasman District. They include streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers and springs; all discharging into the coastal marine areas of the Waimea Inlet, Tasman Bay, Golden Bay and the West Coast.

Together they form an important part of the unique culture and natural values of the district, shaping the landscape and our heritage. They are of fundamental importance to Tangata Whenua, highly valued by our residents and visitors and crucial to the health of the environment in which we live.

Our communities and the receiving environments are affected by stormwater discharges from our urban areas.

Urbanisation and other changes in land use have led to increased stormwater runoff that contribute to flooding, loss of aquatic habitat and water quality issues. It also impacts on the ability to use water for amenity purposes and food gathering.

The Council has a responsibility to manage stormwater in a way that supports the environmental, social, cultural and economic well-being of current and future generations.

The purpose of catchment management planning is to bring together the various values within a catchment to create a plan of action that is holistic and integrated.

There are three key parts to catchment management planning:

• Urban Stormwater Strategy
• Catchment Management Plans 
• Discharge resource consent

The framework map shows how they are connected.

Council's global stormwater discharge resource consents were granted by an independent commissioner on 26 May 2021. 

The consents cover:  

• the discharges of water and contaminants from the urban stormwater networks, 
• the management of stormwater and discharges of contaminants from extensions to the Urban Development Areas to service future urban growth as identified through individual catchment management plans (read more on these below), 
• the on-going use of existing physical Council stormwater infrastructure in zones where this is not a permitted activity, specifically the Open Space, Recreation, Conservation, Rural Industrial, and Papakāinga Zones, and
• the maintenance, repair, upgrade and renewal of the physical network, including any associated construction activities and temporary discharges of contaminants. 

There are 15 urban drainage areas across our district. We aim to produce catchment management plans for all of these areas over the next five years.

Urban catchment management planning is an effective way of co-ordinating efforts to address multiple stormwater issues i.e. flood management, freshwater management, aquatic habitat management and amenity values within urban stormwater catchments.

Catchment management plans will assist the Council and communities in identifying integrated solutions to resolve existing issues and the ability to avoid or minimise risk for future issues.

Once in place they will also assist in cross-Council alignment and efficiency improvements. Although the focus of this strategy and the catchment management plans will be on the urban areas, the catchments may have up and downstream rural areas that need to be taken into account.