Stormwater Management Strategy review

A Stormwater Management Strategy (SWMS) demonstrates that stormwater management is integrated into the early stages of land development to meet or exceed regulatory requirements and best practice standards.

The SWMS aims to achieve effective drainage management by controlling surface and stormwater runoff, implementing stormwater quality treatments to reduce pollutants, and ensuring flood and erosion protection to safeguard property and infrastructure. Furthermore, the strategy seeks to protect and enhance waterways, promoting ecological health and prevent environmental degradation. By addressing these critical elements, the SWMS facilitates the sustainable design and resilience of developments while aligning with Melbourne Water’s guidelines and the Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR) framework.

Melbourne Water may require a SWMS to be submitted with a planning application. In some situations, Melbourne Water may require that a SWMS is submitted to its satisfaction.

Melbourne Water may provide engineering comments for consideration on a SWMS ahead of the lodgement of a planning application.

The SWMS must clearly describe:

What the drainage solution is for the site (conveyance, retardation, flood protection, outfall, and stormwater quality treatment).
How this solution will be implemented through the development (i.e., interim works, ultimate works, responsible parties, required approvals, etc.).

The SWMS must provide sufficient details to ensure that the strategy's implementation is within the control of the development.

Changes proposed to a Development Services Scheme (DSS) or its assets

Apply for review of a proposed Change to a DSS or its assets

A dedicated pathway for requests to review changes to a DSS or its assets is available via the DevConnect ‘Apply Online’ portal. This request may be processed separately to a SWMS review. This offers a more structured and efficient process for assessing proposals, provides transparency on Melbourne Water’s requirements and streamlines our internal procedures, to ensure timely allocations and response times.

An Industry Guidance Note is available to assist you in determining whether a proposed change requires an amendment to the DSS and identify the most appropriate application pathway.

Various options are available for a review of both a ‘Change to DSS’ and a subdivisional SWMS simultaneously, offering greater flexibility in how proposals are submitted.

Please select the appropriate application type at the top of this page.

For further information and for minimum submission requirements, please refer to both the Guidance Note – Changes to a DSS or its assets (183.96 KB, PDF) and the Development Application Requirements Guideline (478.38 KB, PDF) documents.

Documents required - Stormwater Management Strategy Review

A Stormwater Management Strategy (SWMS) submitted to Melbourne Water is to appropriately address and include:

a catchment plan: The outline of the broader area from which stormwater is directed to the subject site
a staging plan: For multi lot subdivisions, to indicate the phases of development and how it lines up to the delivery of drainage assets
information on the proposed drainage solution: that describes what the drainage solution is and how it will be implemented through the development
drainage outfall details: that demonstrates that you can discharge stormwater appropriately from your site
conveyance details: The proposed alignment for any 20%/10% AEP drainage infrastructure and any associated overland flow paths directions for the 1% AEP flood event
details of any interim outfalls: Interim drainage outfall arrangements and treatment details where the development is out of sequence
modelling information: Hydrologic modelling (RORB) and MUSIC modelling as applicable

If Development Services Scheme (DSS) assets are located within the subject site, the following information will also be required with the submission:

Concept Design for Proposed Assets: A concept design for any proposed Melbourne Water or DSS assets, developed to a level that can be assessed against the requirements of the Precinct Structure Plan and DSS intent/requirements.
Additional Modelling information: Relevant modelling to support the concept design such as RORB, MUSIC, HECRAS/TUFLOW modelling as applicable.
Supporting documents: Depending on the complexity of the site, we may request relevant investigations and studies to support your proposal. This may include but is not limited to: Preliminary Flora and Fauna investigation findings, Preliminary Cultural & Heritage values statement findings.

Further guidance on SWMS preparation for Greenfield areas can be found through: SWMS Template Guidance Document (672.86 KB, DOCX).

All applications must be submitted online via our website and ensure they are prepared in conjunction with the relevant section of the Developer Minimum Application Requirements Guideline.

Please note that applications that are related to changes to the Development Services Scheme (DSS) or the associated land configurations and budgets within a Precinct Structure Plan (PSP), currently received through the ‘Stormwater Management Strategy’ application type will have additional information requirements as outlined in the Developer Application Requirements Guideline (771.54 KB, PDF) document.

Approval process

Stormwater Management Strategies that are tied to an active planning permit are assessed through our statutory permit process. Alongside other required documentation, we receive Stormwater Management Strategies that are tied to permit applications via the Responsible Authority (e.g. Council).

We encourage pre-permit Stormwater Management Strategy submissions for our engineering comments through this webpage. Any Stormwater Management Strategies that sit outside of the Statutory process can also be submitted through this web page. We will review the submitted information and respond with our engineering response or request for further information where required.

Duration

You'll receive our response within 45 days for a standard Stormwater Management Strategy (SWMS) assessment and up to 90 days for a complex SWMS.

See our planning and development service standards for criteria we use to determine whether an assessment is complex. Incomplete applications may be delayed or returned requesting additional information.

Fees

There are no fees for this service.

Contact us

If you need any help to complete this application, contact us on 131 722.

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