ABSTRACT
Urban development within the Port Phillip Catchment (Melbourne and environs) continues unabated. The key water management authority, Melbourne Water wishes to incorporate the concept of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) into its stormwater management strategy for the planning of new urban developments. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) has been recognised as a desirable WSUD tool both to store stormwater resources before use and for the treatment of stormwater runoff. Three key components are required to assess the potential of MAR. They are (i), establishing the required data sets, (ii), identifying the availability of the relevant data and (iii), proposing a methodology for the assessment. Within the Port Phillip Catchment a GIS based methodology for identifying potential MAR sites has been established. It is concluded that a number of prospective MAR areas exist within the eastern regions of the catchment and it is recommended that a case study area be chosen for a MAR feasibility study.
