Managing impacts of urbanisation on receiving waters: a decision support framework

Managing the impacts of urbanisation on receiving waters involves a complex process of investigation, evaluation and prioritisation of proposed strategies. Urban waterway managers have been hindered in this task, by inadequate information about the likely water quality emanating from catchments under various development scenarios. Similarly, managers have had limited ability to predict the performance of stormwater treatment measures, either singularly, or as part of an integrated stormwater management strategy. In an attempt to address these limitations, the CRC for Catchment Hydrology has developed a computer based decision support system called MUSIC (Model for Urban Stormwater Improvement Conceptualisation). MUSIC provides a suite of tools that allow urban waterway managers to formulate and evaluate alternative waterway management strategies. Future refinements to MUSIC will enhance its utility, and ultimately allow for the prediction of ecosystem responses to varying stormwater management strategies.