The State Planning Policy for Healthy Waters aims to better manage stormwater and wastewater from urban development to protect environmental values of waterways by providing guidance for planning instruments, development applications, and design objectives for stormwater quality and flow as well as waste water management. It applies to planning and development involving 2500m2 or more of impervious surface or 6 or more dwellings and seeks to clean up and slow down urban stormwater runoff.

1. State Planning Policy
for Healthy Waters

2. SPP Cover and start details
The SPP:
Commences May
Reviewed in 5 years
Expires in 10 years

3. Why the SPP was developed
Problems - Drivers
• Poorly designed & managed urban
development – report card, SoE
• Rising cost to the community
• Greater development pressures
• Different rules - local government
• WQIPs – protect reef WQ

4. A big problem – poor erosion and sediment control …

5. … leading to downstream sediment impacts like these …

6. … or these

7. Background: The SPP and Qld water legislation
• The Environmental Protection Act 1994 requires
environmental values (EVs) to be identified and protected in
consultation with the community
• EVs for water:
– described in the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009 –
– part of water resource planning under the Water Act 2000
– supported by technical water quality guidelines

8. Environmental values
• EVs are the values or uses that are important for healthy ecosystems or for
public benefit, welfare, safety or health
• All waters (tidal and non-tidal, lakes, wetlands, groundwater) have EVs
• EVs include:
– aquatic ecosystem health (four levels of protection)
– aquaculture and human consumption of aquatic foods
– agricultural uses (e.g. stock watering and irrigation)
– recreational uses (e.g. swimming, wading, boating, fishing and aesthetic)
– drinking water (raw water supply)
– industrial uses (e.g. power generation, mining and manufacturing)
– cultural and spiritual values

9. High ecological value (HEV)
– maintain natural values/condition
(HEV WQ objectives
Aquatic Ecosystems
Slightly disturbed (SD)
value
– maintain current condition &
progressively improve towards
HEV 4 levels of
protection and
Moderately disturbed (MD)
– maintain WQ (where better than WQ
management intent
objectives, or improve WQ to
achieve WQ objectives for
moderately disturbed system
Highly disturbed (HD)
– halt decline & progressively improve
WQ over time

10. Environmental Values -
Environmental
Human values & uses
Values -
‘Human’ values & uses
Irrigation Farm Supply
Aquaculture
Stock Drinking Water Human consumption of wild/
stocked fish or crustaceans
Primary recreation: Visual recreation:
Swimming, Aesthetic appreciation
Windsurfing, Rafting
Secondary recreation:
Boating, Fishing, Wading
Cultural and
Cultural and
Spiritual Values
Spiritual Values
Drinking Water Industrial use

11. Role of the SPP HW
• Make clear State’s interest in land use planning for WQ
– Embed environmental values into land use planning
• Guide planning instruments and development decisions to
reduce impacts on water quality from urban development.
• Greater consistency throughout Queensland.
• Site WQ outcomes WQOs in the waterway
–Stormwater quality design objectives
–Erosion and sediment control WQ outcomes

12. Outcome sought by the SPP HW
Development is planned, designed,
constructed, and operated to manage
stormwater and waste water in ways that
protect the environmental values specified
in the EPP Water 2009.

13. The SPP in relation to water sensitive urban design (WSUD) and
total water cycle management (TWCM)
Total water cycle management
Water sensitive urban design
Water cycle
Potable water conservation Wastewater management Stormwater management Groundwater management
• Demand • Demand • Rain/stormwater • Groundwater
management management harvesting and quality management
• Stormwater reuse • Stormwater reuse reuse • Groundwater
• Water reuse • Water reuse • Stormwater quantity
oGreywater oGreywater quality management
improvement
oReclaimed oReclaimed
• Stormwater flow
• Infiltration inflow management
reduction
• Waste water flow
and quality

14. SPP HW does not
• apply to a single detached building or
• building works or plumbing and drainage works or
• apply to Environmentally Relevant Activities or
• deal in all aspects of TWCM or WSUD

15. WQ issues addressed?
urban stormwater quality and flow
• aim: clean up and slow down frequent small flows
small development with waste water
coastal algal blooms
development involving urban lakes
supported by:
Urban Stormwater Planning Guidelines
• construction (ESC) and operational (WSD) phase design
objectives to reduce sediment and nutrients loads
• local stormwater quality planning guidance

16. When does SPP HW apply?
• Making or amending planning instruments e.g. regional
Plans & local government plans
• Assessing development applications for urban purposes
if:
> 2500m2 or 6 dwellings
small-scale development is discharging waste water
• Designating land for community infrastructure.

17. What planning provisions apply?
• Zoning compatible with landscape/WQOs
• Planning instruments compatible with any Env
Plans - EPP Water
• Avoid draining directly to High Ecological Value
(HEV) areas – EPP maps
• Reflect DA Code provisions

18. What development assessment provisions apply?
• A development assessment code is included
• States performance outcome required
• A range of acceptable solutions is possible
• Covers
Stormwater quality and flow – design objectives
Waste water – hierarchy (avoid, minimise etc),
coastal algal blooms
Urban lakes – design and management