Integrated Water Management: Principles and Best Practice for Water Utilities

Australian and New Zealand water utilities have a long and successful history of providing safe, secure and affordable water, wastewater and drainage services to cities and regions.

Facing challenges including population growth, changing community expectations and climate change, traditional central planning and the delivery role of utilities is now being broadened to encompass improved community outcomes in three areas; optimising water cycle management, liveability and the circular economy and integrated water servicing.

Integrated Water Management is a process that brings together all stakeholders involved in the planning and management of all water across the entire water cycle, to ensure that the liveability, resilience and sustainability outcomes that the community is seeking are maximised across our cities and regions.

This paper provides a framework with a set of principles and agreed best practice outcomes supported by case studies, that allow water utilities to step through the IWM planning process in a way that suits their own particular circumstances.