28 February 2007
New urban stormwater guide
When NIWA scientists ran workshops for users of our urban stormwater research, they found a big need for simplified methods and guidelines on assessing the effects of urban development on stream flows and therefore on the habitat for creatures living in streams. This new guide helps stormwater engineers and planners do such assessments.
The guide includes:
- an introduction to what lives in urban streams and how flows can affect them
- a 3-tiered process for assessing the effects of urbanisation on flow-related aspects of stream habitat and the implications for stream biological communities
- tables which help the user predict the effects on various stream communities of changes in baseflow, channel width, and frequency of bed movement
- techniques for estimating changes in baseflow, channel widening, and the frequency of bed movement. These techniques are used in the tiered assessment process
- information on identifying potential stream communities, which is used in the tiered assessment process
- an introduction to detailed methods for modelling the physical habitat during baseflow
- a summary of mitigation measures that can be used to reduce the harmful effects of urbanisation on stream flows
An electronic version of the guide is available.
The research behind this guide was funded by the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology.