Aura Water Sensitive Urban Design

Background

Client: Stockland

Aura is a master-planned mixed use community of over 20,000 homes on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland extending over an area of approximately 2,400 hectares. Located upstream of internationally protected Pumicestone Passage, a holistic approach to water management is an essential element of the master-planned community to ensure that these environments are not negatively impacted. 

Following on from our role in assisting Stockland to carry out environmental assessments and obtain federal approval for the project, BMT has been responsible for the planning and design of the stormwater quality and flood risk management strategy for the Aura site.

Outcomes and Benefits

The stormwater quality strategy has been designed and assessed using a combination of catchment and receiving water quality modelling tools, supported by ecological analyses and an extensive surface and ground water quality monitoring program (designed and implemented by BMT) to ensure compliance with relevant water quality objectives. Our flood risk management strategy describes what areas of the site are susceptible to flooding and what strategies can be implemented to manage the flood risk of the proposed development, with BMT’s TUFLOW modelling software applied to augment the strategy.

Taken together, these elements form a ‘beyond best practice’ approach to water management for the site.

Services and Expertise Provided:

• Stormwater management;
• Water sensitive urban design;
• Flood management; and
• Water quality and groundwater data collection.