Integrated Water Cycle Management – What is it?
Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM) aims to ensure safe and reliable water supplies without compromising the ecological function of the water catchment. It is based around a holistic approach to managing water supply, wastewater (sewage), stormwater and waterway health within long-term strategic planning goals.
By incorporating all the components of the natural and urban water cycles into a single management framework, opportunities are maximised and water resources are able to be managed as a whole.
What is an Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy?
An Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy has a long-term planning horizon. The first phase of the Strategy (the Concept Study) defines the key characteristics of the catchment, water resource and urban water system, and identifies key issues along with some preliminary improvement objectives, potential options and solutions.
Once the issues are broadly defined, studies are undertaken for the second phase to better define issues and look at ways of managing them. The studies estimate population and water demand projections, examine water supply and water extractions from the environment and increase the amount of water supplied from alternative sources such as reuse and rain water tanks. This process results in the adoption of long-term strategies for the integrated delivery of water supply, sewerage and stormwater services.
Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy - Tweed Shire Council
Tweed Shire is in a unique situation since the entire Tweed River catchment lies within the shire boundaries. This presents the Tweed community with a great opportunity to take into account a whole valley (or catchment) approach to IWCM decision making.
In 2006 Council prepared and exhibited the first phase: an Integrated Water Cycle Management Context and Strategy Report. A total of 38 submissions were received and incorporated in the final report adopted by Council. The report specified 26 future actions that should be undertaken to improve the way water is utilised within the Shire whilst the integrated water cycle management process continues to develop, review and implement the strategy.
To date, Council has undertaken many of the actions prescribed in the IWCM report and requested further community consultation at important stages in the process. The second phase is well under way and many of the studies it required have already been completed.
Council updated the original 26 actions in February 2009 by adopting a revised list of 18 Actions. This update came as a result of the progress made to date and the ongoing review of actions that is intrinsic in the IWCM process.
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