Welcome
Stormwater Victoria provides its members with current information on policy and activity in our stormwater industry. We hope to bring an interactive approach to the way we communicate, generate discussions, as well as promote news, events and projects.
Please continue to give us your feedback... we love to hear from you!
Coming Events...
Working Towards Healthy Urban Waterways – Opportunities and Challenges in Stormwater Management
Date: 3rd Apr, 2025 - 3rd Apr, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Venue: Webinar
Address: Zoom
Organiser: Stormwater Victoria/ RBMS
Phone: 0297445252
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ticket URL: More Info
Description:
Urban waterways are essential to the health and vitality of cities, providing ecological, social, and economic benefits. However, these waterways often face significant challenges, including pollution and habitat destruction due to excess stormwater. There is no easy way to protect waterways and their values by maintaining the status quo, and therefore we need to think of new and innovative approaches to solve this problem. In this combined Stormwater Victoria and River Basin Management Society webinar we will consider what it means to have a healthy urban waterway and how can we achieve this. Our presenters will discuss emerging ideas for stormwater management and successful case studies that go beyond minimum requirements. The reality of how to protect and restore urban waterways will also be presented by asset managers, providing insights into the long-term benefits and challenges.
Participants will gain valuable knowledge on:
- Successful case studies of urban waterway protection projects.
- Using RBMS science to guide development.
- The benefits of healthy urban waterways.
- Practical tools and techniques for implementation.
Don't miss this opportunity to work together to transform urban waterways into thriving, sustainable assets for future generations.
Presenters:
Geoff Vietz
Founder and Senior Research Fellow - Streamology
Dr Geoff Vietz is the Founder, Director and Principal Scientist at Streamology, a consulting company focused on informed management of water and waterways. Previously a Senior Research Fellow with the University of Melbourne, Geoff specialised in urban waterways and stormwater runoff, and now puts that science into practice. His specialities are waterway geomorphology, urban stormwater, hydraulics, monitoring, waterway management and environmental flows in both rural and urban streams. More recently he was instrumental in the development of the award-winning methods, the Urban Streamflow Impact Assessment (USIA) and the Method for regional stormwater Prioritisation (MrsP). Geoff lives in Bright, Victoria.
Rhys Coleman
Waterways and Wetland Research Manager, Melbourne Water
For the past 29 years Rhys has worked at Melbourne Water with a focus on waterway and wetland research and strategic management planning. Early roles involved the coordination of waterways environmental monitoring and investigations programs for the Greater Melbourne area, followed by the development and implementation of river health management strategies and waterway restoration plans. In his current role, Rhys is the Waterways and Wetlands Research Manager. This involves the facilitation and co-ordination of waterway management research programs that address strategic research gaps across urban stormwater management, aquatic biodiversity conservation, environmental flows, streamside vegetation management, management of estuaries and bays and the protection of public health. He has participated in several collaborative research projects as an industry partner with various universities and government agencies, including Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage projects, Cooperative Research Centres, and is the co-research coordinator for two major research initiatives with The University of Melbourne – the Melbourne Waterway Research-Practice Partnership and RMIT University – the Aquatic Pollution Prevention Partnership (A3P). Rhys’ technical background is in freshwater ecology.
Al Danger
Senior Waterways Asset Manager – Service Enablement, Melbourne Water
Dr Al Danger is a Senior Waterways Asset Manager at Melbourne Water focussing on developing and delivering optimised programs for broad scale monitoring and evaluation of aquatic dependent life in Melbourne’s waterways and wetlands. Al works closely with Melbourne Waters’ research partners to translate the latest findings into meaningful improvement of waterway and wetland management, that ultimately benefits waterway health. He recently presented at the Australian Stream Management Conference on the application of eDNA to vertebrate biodiversity assessment.
2025 Stormwater Victoria Conference
Date: 2nd Jun, 2025 - 5th Jun, 2025
Time:
Venue: Wangaratta Performing Arts and Convention Centre
Address: 33-37 Ford St, Wangaratta VIC 3677
Organiser: GEMS Event Management
Phone: 02 9744 5252
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ticket URL: More Info
Description:
The Stormwater Victoria Conference Organising Committee invites you to join us at our 2025 Conference, themed 'More than the Sum of Our Parts: the Value of Collective Action.' Taking place at Wangaratta Performing Arts and Convention Centre, Wangaratta, VIC on Tuesday, 3 and Wednesday 4 June 2025.
This event offers an exciting opportunity for professionals across the stormwater sector to connect, learn, and share knowledge. Optional pre-conference workshops are scheduled for Monday 2 June, followed by a Technical Tour on Thursday 5 June.
As Victoria faces increasing challenges from climate change, rapid population growth, and the pressure of housing development, we find ourselves at a critical crossroads for urban water management. Thoughtfully managed stormwater holds great potential to transform our cities and towns, providing water security, reducing flood risk, enhancing biodiversity, and fostering resilient, cooler, and greener urban environments.
But we can't do it alone. The success of stormwater management relies on collaboration across every stage—from planning to long-term maintenance. Through collective action, we can make a meaningful difference.
Be part of the change, and join us at the Stormwater Victoria 2025 Conference to learn, contribute, and network with experts dedicated to a sustainable urban water future. We look forward to seeing you there!