Learn about our vision to be a clean, sustainable, water-wise city. We use water-sensitive urban design to manage rainwater, stormwater and drinking water.
Water is the essence of all life. Learn about how we use rainwater, stormwater and drinking water wisely and sustainably in Yarra.
We take climate action
We are working to protect our local community from the impact of climate change and extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, droughts, heavy rains and flooding. Managing our water supply plays a critical role.
Our vision
Our vision is to become a water-wise city in a healthy urban environment.
The vision reflects a recognition that all water - drinkable water, rainwater, stormwater, recycled water and groundwater - is a resource that can be managed sustainably to support the health of our community.
To achieve this, we've created a plan on how everyone in Yarra can work together to use water wisely, now and in the future.
Read the full Integrated Water Management Plan 2020-2030 [ PDF, 4.41 MB] .
Our Integrated Water Management Plan sets out our vision, targets, goals and opportunities for managing water sustainably.
The plan helps us to:
- protect our waterways and local habitat
- clean up stormwater
- reduce pollutants entering our rivers, creeks and waterways
- reduce damage from urban flooding
- make our community more liveable and resilient
- maintain and grow parks, trees and green spaces
- reduce heat trapped in the city, also known as 'heat island effect'
Integrated water management is a holistic approach to water management. The idea is for everyone to collaborate: Yarra City Council, the community, businesses, and external stakeholders.
The approach is called 'integrated' because it looks at all parts of the water cycle:
- drinkable water
- rainwater
- stormwater
- recycled water
- groundwater
The aim is to understand how the different water sources interact and how they can be managed to benefit our community, our economy and the environment.
Water-sensitive urban design uses better urban planning and design to reduce the harm stormwater can cause to our rivers and creeks. It means re-using stormwater and stopping it from reaching our waterways by mimicking the natural water cycle as closely as possible.
At Yarra Council, we encourage water-sensitive urban design at all levels - in your backyard, on the street and in parks.
Examples include:
- raingardens: to capture stormwater in backyards and street corners
- sediment ponds: to filter and slow down stormwater flows
- swales: to collect stormwater from driveways
The Integrated Water Management Plan has been a success so far. Since its launch we have:
- saved an extra 20 million litres of drinking water each year, thanks to an upgrade to our stormwater harvesting scheme at Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy North
- assessed more opportunities to use stormwater instead of drinking water, including to irrigate parks and sports fields
- showcased new, innovative ways to manage stormwater at
- launched a digital campaign to educate our community about water management
- encouraged developers in Yarra to manage stormwater sustainably
- built new street drainage system to water street trees