Environmental Sustainability Strategy - Warringah Council - NSW ...

Water Cycle Management
The way we manage urban water, particularly urban stormwater, influences almost
every aspect of our urban environment and quality of life. Water is essential for
maintaining and enhancing the environmental values of surrounding landscapes and in
the amenity and cultural connection of a place.
The pursuit of sustainable urban environments involves development that does not
deplete natural resources or degrade the health and amenity of land and water
environments. Rather, the aim is to replicate the natural water cycle by incorporating
design that is resilient to the impacts of climate change, particularly ensuring secure
water supplies and the protection of water environments.
The key, long-term challenges relate primarily to the anticipated population growth
and the economic, social and environmental issues that accompany that growth. We
must look to transform our traditional water management approach to ensure a safe,
reliable and diverse water supply future, improve water quality and protect the unique
waterways and lifestyle of the area. It is therefore essential that we embrace a ‘water
sensitive city’ methodology which maximises the integration of urban planning with
the management, protection and conservation of the urban water cycle.
Strategic Directions – Catchments, Creeks and Lagoons
The aspirations that directly relates to catchments, creeks and lagoons are:
• Maintain and enhance locally indigenous biodiversity in Warringah
• Maintain and enhance waterway function in Warringah
• Protect the natural and cultural values of Council-managed lands while ensuring
that visitor access and use is sustainable
The outcomes we seek, and the changes we will initiate are:
A community that values waterways
o
Work with the community to promote and support changes at a household
and individual level, such as consumption patterns, so that behaviours will be
consistent with action to enhance the condition of waterways and their
catchments
o
Identify opportunities for more effective land tenure and formalised
conservation agreements
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