Landcom Book 4 Maintenance - WSUD

Water Sensitive Urban Design
Watersteps | Victoria Park
Routine monitoring
checks the status
of key functional
elements to
ensure they meet
specified design
requirements and
include ensuring
that inlet and outlet
structures are free
of debris, and that
well distributed
vegetative cover
of the system is
maintained.
Unlike traditional engineered structures,
WSUD elements will only require minimal
routine maintenance and these are
generally of a landscape maintenance
nature. For example, regular weeding
should only be required during the
establishment phase of a well designed
and constructed system with appropriate
planting density limiting the ‘free’ area
available for weed growth. Removal of
debris and siltation is the most common
activity. Maintenance activities should
primarily be prompted through predictive
and routine monitoring. Predictive
monitoring activities occur following
significant storm events and are directed
at assessing the performance of the
system (for example, flow distribution
and ponding duration). These activities
help identify potential deviations in
performance and initiate corrective
maintenance actions.
Routine monitoring checks the status of
key functional elements to ensure they
meet specified design requirements and
include ensuring that inlet and outlet
structures are free of debris, and that well
distributed vegetative cover of the system
is maintained.
It is recommended that vegetated WSUD
elements are monitored by personnel
with bush regeneration qualifications (as
approved by Australian Association of
Bush Regenerators). Bush regenerators
are well equipped at identifying evasive
species within a native landscape
typical of vegetated WSUD systems.
Furthermore, personnel in charge of
monitoring should have a good idea and
understanding of the layout and functional
design of the treatment system. The
maintenance activities prompted through
monitoring activities will generally require
coordination between landscape and civil
services.
The following section documents
the monitoring and maintenance
requirements for bioretention basins,
constructed wetlands and sedimentation
basins/ponds. The information given can
be used to guide development of site
specific maintenance plans for WSUD
developments. The plans will be used
by maintenance personnel and asset
managers to ensure the bioretention
system functions as designed for its entire
life cycle.
Book 4 | MAINTENANCE 19