Report 12 - Executive Summary

Consultation and Education

A key objective of the Comprehensive Urban Stormwater Management Action Strategy, is for the dissemination of Project outcomes through iwi consultation, community information initiatives and education programmes.

An important outcome is being able to demonstrate a stormwater management process which is relevant to other territorial authorities, and specifically for the development of catchment management objectives and the appropriate techniques to minimise flooding and ensure adequate water quality and environmental protection.

A community consultation process was considered to be important for testing the criteria, options and priorities established. Sharing outputs and results, was to be achieved through the guideline reports, exchanged through workshops and other public consultation mechanisms.

Three major workshops, involving stakeholder participation were held 1999. The first was the Comprehensive Urban Stormwater Management Catchment Prioritisation Workshop. The purpose of this workshop was to review the catchment priorities map prepared as part of the regional stormwater strategy using additional catchment information on ecology, flooding, roading and point source contamination. The workshop outcomes included additions/modifications to the methodology - e.g. weighting of parts of the prioritisation process and additional strategic criteria, other key strategic initiatives that might affect actual implementation programmes, priorities according to range of criteria and potential commonality and range of methods and timing of technology for coming on stream.

The second workshop Identifying Solutions for Catchments, considered possible methods and solutions for each stormwater management unit. The first session included discussion on and a presentation by the Auckland Regional Council on its 'Low Impact Design Guidelines'. The second session focussed on methods and solutions for catchments. The latter covered planning and design; source control; structural treatment measures (e.g. inline control devices, self-cleaning screens, floating traps, settling basins); secondary and tertiary treatment; flow management techniques; and education. The workshop outcomes included reviewing catchment issues and environmental condition maps, ensuring that the information used in determining catchment issues rankings and receiving environment condition were robust, defensible and well documented and reviewing the computerised catchment ranking model.

The third workshop Developing a Stormwater Strategy Statement, had as its main aim, encouraging stakeholder participation in developing the Waitakere City Stormwater Strategy Statement. The workshop outcomes included obtaining sign-off on the catchment issues ranking, receiving environment conditions, stormwater management options and the ranking process and model and developing solution options for the catchment issues, to be incorporated into the model.

In October 2000, a Comprehensive Urban Stormwater Management Strategy and Action Plan Seminar/Workshop was organised by EcoWater Solutions. Topics covered included Source Control Methods, Comprehensive Urban Stormwater Action Strategy and Implementation, Prioritisation Methodology, Beneficial Reuse of Stormwater, Performance Monitoring Standards, and the Paremuka Stream Catchment Management Plan.
To ensure effective communication with local iwi, Council will hold discussions with Ngati Whatua and Te Kawerau A Maki, as well as consulting with the Te Taumata Runanga and Maori Issues Unit.

Community Groups have been given the opportunity to invite a Council officer to speak at one of their meetings and additional workshops for local authorities and political representatives, have also been planned.

Regular updates on stormwater are to be circulated to all Waitakere households via Council's regular newsletter. A mobile display has been planned for showing at shopping malls in the City, presenting visual and written information about stormwater issues and options. Additional news and notices will be posted in local newspapers, to notify progress, meetings and activities.

In May 2000, primary and secondary school teachers, signed up for an Education Partnership Programme training and development day, organised by EcoWater Solutions. The aim of the Partnership was to improve their knowledge of stormwater and water issues. A field trip provided ideas on where to take students to see innovative stormwater treatment methods in action.

A two-way process between EcoWater Solutions and the teachers has continued beyond their initial training. This has included follow up visits by education and/or water quality testing staff to most of the schools. On organised field trips the senior students are shown the Best Practice Guidelines, where they can learn about technological advances and some of the methods and tools that it outlines.

A public education programme, which is based the three waters (water supply, stormwater and wastewater), commenced in June/July 2000, and was tailored to address growing concerns about rising costs, the environment and waste of a natural and valuable resource.

Report 12 - Full Version

Consultation and Education
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