Sydney Metro Central Station, Australia
Aurecon played a leading design role in the $955 million project to transform Sydney’s Central Station – Australia’s busiest rail interchange.
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Located in Sydney’s rapidly growing, dry and hot, Western Parkland City, the Mamre Road Precinct Integrated Stormwater and Recycled Water Scheme tackles the critical need to balance urban development with water security and waterway protection.
Developed by Aurecon and Sydney Water through their long-term planning partnership, this New South Wales first-of-its-kind scheme will capture stormwater, treat and store it using nature-based solutions, for use across the precinct in non-potable applications such as irrigation, laundry and bathroom facilities, and industrial processes.
This action will intercept up to 80 per cent of the urban stormwater runoff and prevent it from entering the nearby culturally significant Wianamatta-South Creek, reduce the reliance on drinking water for non-potable uses, and is estimated to reduce heat island effect in the precinct.
At the core of the scheme is an integrated system of naturalised wetlands and basins around the Wianamatta-South Creek catchment, and a new stormwater recycling plant to treat the captured stormwater. This water will then be drawn down for use within the precinct, proposed for industrial washdown and processes, non-potable needs, and landscaping.
It harvests stormwater when it’s available, then using the naturalised basins and dams, and nature-based infrastructure, treats and stores it, and integrates recycled wastewater (third pipe) as a backup during dry periods. This ensures non-potable water is available for irrigation and urban cooling during hot and dry times, providing a climate- independent water supply. Thermal modelling indicates this may reduce temperatures across the precinct by up to 5°C. The growing Western Parkland City is one of Sydney’s hottest and driest areas where the temperature has been previously recorded to spike above 36°C in the west when it’s a milder 26°C day in Sydney city.
Flowing through the precinct is the unique Wianamatta-South Creek. It is culturally significant, known as ‘the Mother Place’ in Dharug language, and is the longest freshwater watercourse in Greater Sydney. As the largest source of sediment in the downstream Hawkesbury River estuary, the Wianamatta-South Creek catchment plays a significant role in the health of regional waterways of Western Sydney.
Upon implementation of this scheme, stormwater runoff is estimated to remain below 2 ML/hectare/year, therefore protecting Wianamatta-South Creek’s biodiversity, remnant ecosystems and downstream water quality which many river-based recreation activities rely on.
New locally specific stormwater management targets were used in the modelling and analysis to design the scheme. These targets, identified by the NSW government, create a distinct linkage between waterway hydrology and the condition of waterway ecology and geomorphologic condition.
It was this data-specific approach that led to the design of the scheme to include stormwater retention features such as vegetated basins, constructed wetlands, and slow-release dams that mirror the behaviour of natural hydrology. These features not only detain and treat stormwater, but at the same time enhance biodiversity, protect waterways, and contribute to the precinct’s amenity.
A part of the modelling determined the total volume of harvested stormwater required for Mamre Road Precinct in both wet and dry years, and helped validate the scheme. Modelling also considered the governance, economic and financial funding mechanisms to support implementation of the scheme, formally approved by IPART (Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal NSW).
A precinct-wide approach to the scheme’s implementation was determined as far greater outcome economically than individual on-lot schemes.
The scheme demonstrates how engineering can lead to positive change and tackle some of today’s most pressing challenges, an example of excellence in engineering. The scheme will prepare the precinct for high performing nature-based infrastructure that shapes a resilient, inclusive, and functional place that supports Western Sydney. This is a legacy project that advances the profession, benefits the broader water industry, and will deliver excellence in outcomes for community and the environment for years to come.
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