Water Sensitive City Policy & Draft Water Sensitive City Strategy

No longer on display. Expired on 05 November 2021, 05:00 PM

The updated Water Sensitive City Policy (2021) and draft Ku-ring-gai Water Sensitive City Strategy (2021) are open for public comment until 5 November 2021.

Ku-ring-gai residents, businesses, environmental groups and stakeholders are invited to submit their feedback for consideration and incorporation into Council’s final Water Policy and Strategy.

About the Water Policy and Strategy

The Water Sensitive City Policy, first adopted in 2016 provides the framework for implementing the management principles of a water sensitive city, responding to the issues of water conservation and security, flooding, degradation of urban waterways, ecological health and rising temperatures in a way that enhances the liveability of Ku-ring-gai.

The draft Ku-ring-gai Water Sensitive City Strategy (2021) has been developed to support the Water Policy by providing further details of management actions, targets, funding and monitoring and evaluation requirements.

The Water Sensitive City Policy and Strategy provide numerous opportunities for the community to participate in a range of programs and initiatives, as well as work collaboratively with Council, to protect and enhance the natural environment.

Water Policy objectives

Council will monitor and report against the following objectives:

Protect, conserve and improve the condition of our waterways and riparian corridors to increase native biodiversity.
Manage the quantity, frequency and quality of stormwater runoff to improve ecological stream health.
Decrease Council and the community’s potable water use by diversifying water sources at different scales in fit-for-purpose applications.
Deliver programs that support and enable a continued shift in the community to more water sensitive practices.
Integrate water infrastructure within the urban landscape to enhance the liveability of Ku-ring-gai, including stormwater treatment, flood protection, heat mitigation, ecological health, microclimate and landscape amenity.

Water Strategy goals and actions

The draft Water Strategy proposes an action plan (Section 8) that details actions under each of the 7 water sensitive cities goals that will help transition Ku-ring-gai towards a water sensitive city:

Goal 1 - Ensure good water sensitive governance.

Goal 2 - Increase community capital.

Goal 3 – Ensure equity of essential services.

Goal 4 – Improve productivity and resource efficiency.

Goal 5 - Improve ecological health.

Goal 6 - Ensure quality urban space.

Goal 7 - Promote adaptive infrastructure.

View more information about water sensitive cities

Watch the video below about What is a water sensitive city?

Have your say

We want to hear your opinion about Council’s Water Policy and Strategy. Together we can tackle the issues of water conservation and water security, flooding risks, ecological health, degradation of urban waterways and rising temperatures so that Ku-ring-gai is a sustainable, resilient, productive and liveable area.