Use of low quality water: an integrated approach to urban stormwater management (USM) in the Greater Metropolitan Region of Sydney (GMRS)

Cities, governments and communities worldwide must now confront the issue of urban stormwater management (USM). This paper discusses USM in regard to the Greater Metropolitan Region of Sydney (GMRS), State of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. In order to a) improve the water supply in the region and b) mitigate the impact of urban stormwater on Sydney’s coastal areas, there must be devised a regional urban stormwater management strategy. This will integrate urban development, coastal pollution control and water conservation. Government policy, water pricing reform, and public commitment are core components of the strategy. The paper reviews relevant practices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Adelaide, and Shanghai which could be of use to the GMRS.