Benefits of integrated water management
What are the benefits?
Integrated water management at the home and neighbourhood scale and the associated low impact urban design has potential economic, social and environmental benefits over the current highly engineered approach to water management. The benefits include:
- Water supply reduction through the use of rain water which in turn reduces stormwater quantities, both which reduce infrastructure maintenance costs and potentially major capital cost.
- Less wastewater with consequent reduction in infrastructure capital and maintenance costs
- Less energy use required in water supply and wastewater disposal.
- More resilient homes and neighbourhoods, better able to withstand floods and droughts through the use of on-site stormwater management devices, ponds, wetlands and less reliance on mains water supply.
- An enhanced living environment built around the local ecology instead of the car
- Providing a focal point for communities eg the Twin Streams Project in Waitakere, adding value to our “Neighbourhoods” approaches.
Who will benefit?
Integrated water management holds value for a wide range of stakeholders involved in water management, including:
- Manufacturers could benefit from the opportunity for new products to support the new industry which will emerge around low impact integrated waters management.
- Developers may find that the low impact urban design may allow developers to build new neighbourhoods where they otherwise couldn’t develop, e.g. parts of the Addison development in Takanini and hence are increasingly aware of the benefits to them of these approaches.
- Councils / water supply authorities directly or through their appointed water managers, the costs of managing the three waters can equal 40% of their expenditure. Research in the established water demand project has strengthened relationships with many council representatives who have many questions and information gaps relating to integrated water management, especially in new subdivisions.
- Consumers who will benefit from lower water charges and energy costs associated with water services plus gain resilience from times of water shortage and potential site flooding.
- National policy agencies involved in the protection and management of New Zealand’s water
