The level of the stormwater pipe under the road was quite shallow, so underground storage was not a viable option.

The available ground area on the site was restricted, as the project had been carefully planned to make the most of the space.

Council mandated 12,000L in total of stormwater detention and retention. The house sits on the back portion of a v shaped section which ruled out using a more traditional large in-ground tank solution.

The owners didn’t want to look at above ground options either due to limited options for placement. So what to use and where should it go.

Traditional stormwater management solutions in urban areas often require significant space, which is limited in inner-city environments. Additionally, existing impervious surfaces contribute to runoff pollution, inadequate tree irrigation, and excessive heat retention.

Finding a permeable pavement solution that could withstand high traffic loads, support passive tree irrigation, and provide long-term durability was a key challenge.

The site proved challenging, with three different types of buildings used across 14 lots, all with different roof sizes, and therefore different literage requirements for the tanks.

Utilising the flexibility of the Aquacomb system, Watersmart were able to provide solutions for each lot. For the four lots that had enough room in the slab footprint, we used our standard in-slab solution.

The core problem at this Belmont development was space and supply. The four lots across this Williamson Ave required 5,000L of stormwater detention per lot.

The developer visited our office to speak with one of our stormwater consultants and explained the issues he was facing, along with the time pressure he had. Within a couple of hours after looking at his plans and stormwater report, our team was able to create a solution.