Our updated water sensitive urban design (WSUD) resources will provide:

• high-level design, maintenance and implementation advice for six emerging assets that deliver flow reduction benefits
• modelling approaches for assessing stormwater quantity
• clearer direction on how to model and report flow reductions, enhancing the quality and effectiveness of asset design.

This initiative is part of our broader stormwater program, which supports the industry in collectively achieving flow-based stormwater targets. As the state of knowledge evolves, guidance and resources will be updated to reflect new insights and best practices.

Emerging Assets State of Knowledge and MUSIC Guideline 2025

Melbourne Water is developing the Emerging Assets for stormwater flow management State of Knowledge (SoK) document and an updated MUSIC Guideline.

These documents have been developed to support the uptake of innovative stormwater assets that support flow reduction – a key component of sustainable stormwater management.

They aim to support the sector by:

• introducing innovative stormwater assets that slow runoff and reduce volume, through water harvesting, enhanced evaporation or infiltration.
• providing a shared understanding of how these assets function and how they should be modelled and assessed
• providing guidance for assessing the volumetric performance of both emerging and existing asset types.

The work is an early step in the transition to runoff reduction assets and does not provide detailed design advice. It sits within our broader stormwater program, which is designed to support industry in collectively achieving flow-based stormwater targets. They are expected to be updated as the state of knowledge evolves.

The draft documents are available for consultation on the Clearwater website.

Join the conversation: Emerging Assets Industry Panel

Melbourne Water and Clearwater will be hosting an industry panel, to provide a platform for open conversations about the future of stormwater management.

Held on Thursday 30 October, this event will feature professionals with hands-on experience implementing stormwater assets that go beyond traditional pollution and flood management to focus on volume reduction.

The panel will explore:

• experiences with specific emerging asset types
• what it takes to get innovative projects off the ground
• challenges of working in a space without established manuals or guidelines.

This knowledge-sharing session aims to inspire innovation and encourage industry professionals to contribute to the emerging assets state of knowledge – whether by trialling new approaches or helping shape future guidance.

Register for the free event and find out more information on the Clearwater website.