Melbourne Water is the waterway, drainage and floodplain authority for the Port Phillip and Westernport region. We work with local councils and government to ensure appropriate drainage and water management infrastructure is in place to support increased demand, to protect people and property from flooding and protect our waterways.

The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) prepares Precinct Structure Plans (PSPs) which are land use and infrastructure plans that guide the development of an area over time. A PSP sets out the preferred locations of residential and employment land and infrastructure, and provides guidance for transport and parking, urban design, heritage and character, open spaces and integrated water management.

Alongside the VPA’s planning process, Melbourne Water prepares a concept drainage strategy for future urban development so that the environmental values of our waterways are protected and that new developments meet current standards for drainage and flood protection.

At the same time that the VPA is preparing a PSP, Melbourne Water prepares a concept drainage strategy. A concept drainage strategy is a drainage engineering design plan that:

• ensures environmental values of waterways are protected and that new developments meet current standards for drainage and flood protection;
• informs the locations and areas of the PSP that are required for waterways and drainage infrastructure; and,
• does not address financial contributions.

Once the PSP planning phase has concluded (i.e. the PSP has been gazetted and incorporated into the Planning Scheme), the concept drainage strategy is finalised into a Development Services Scheme (DSS).

A Development Services Scheme (DSS) is a drainage masterplan which identifies the proposed drainage infrastructure, including stormwater quality treatment facilities, that is required to service future urban developments. This ensures new developments meet standards for:

• flood protection
• water quality
• waterway health and amenity.

The information we obtain when preparing a DSS identifies if there are drainage requirements that proposed developments in the area must address. It therefore enables informed and responsible development to occur.

A DSS also determines what financial contribution developers must pay Melbourne Water to fund the necessary drainage and stormwater quality treatment works.

For more information on DSS, visit Drainage schemes explained.

The concept drainage strategy is an engineering design plan that informs the drainage and waterways land requirements for the PSP. The DSS consists of the drainage strategy and the financial contributions required to fund that drainage strategy.

Yes. Wherever there are planning scheme amendments or rezoning of land in growth areas, a need is generated for Melbourne Water to develop a DSS. We work with local councils and the state government to ensure that adequate infrastructure is in place to support the community and the environment. Currently there are around 150 active DSSs all over Melbourne.

A DSS contribution rate covers the cost of building the required drainage infrastructure proposed within the DSS. Developer contributions only apply to the developers of land within a DSS and are required to pay the estimated DSS contribution rate only at the time they develop.

Land that is not zoned for urban development will not attract any drainage contributions.

For more information, visit Contributions explained.

There are two main purposes for the developer contribution:

• Provide a guide to the expected cost of implementing sufficient drainage infrastructure for the DSS area.
• Provide a fair way of sharing the costs of drainage infrastructure required for urban development within the DSS.

No, Melbourne Water will not make money from the developer contributions. The developer contributions will fund the works required to implement the necessary drainage infrastructure. Each DSS is designed to be cost neutral over the expected life of the scheme with all contributions received to pay for the cost of drainage infrastructure to service the scheme. The contribution amount is based on the area of the development and the rate, quantity and quality of stormwater run-off.

DSS’s exist in the majority of growth areas across Melbourne that are planned for development. The information obtained by Melbourne Water during the development of the DSS identifies whether there may be drainage requirements for any development proposed for that area. A DSS enables informed and responsible development to occur. It is unlikely to affect property values as drainage costs are a required consideration for any new areas of development.

All water bills across Melbourne include a drainage rate. This funds Melbourne Water’s work to maintain and improve existing main drains and waterways throughout the greater Melbourne area. This rate does not relate to the DSS and developer contributions. It is a necessary rate to ensure that we continue to maintain and enhance Melbourne’s waterways and drainage assets.

The Greenvale North Part 2 PSP concept drainage strategy (33ha) applies to a small area within the broader Yuroke Creek DSS (285ha).

Once the PSP process is completed for Greenvale North Part 2 (the PSP is gazetted), the concept drainage strategy will be finalised and incorporated into the into the Yuroke Creek DSS.

The Yuroke Creek DSS is bounded by Brodies Creek to the west, Aitken Creek to the north and the Greenvale Reservoir to the south. The Scheme catchment area is approximately 285 hectares and generally slopes towards the south into a catch-drain bordering the Greenvale Reservoir, through the Greenvale Reservoir Park and into Yuroke Creek West Branch.

The Yuroke Creek DSS is directly upstream of the Greenvale Reservoir, which is a key part of Melbourne Water’s drinking water supply system, especially important for servicing communities in key growth areas to the northwest of Melbourne.

To allow development in the vicinity of the Reservoir to occur, a ‘reservoir protection mechanism’ (RPM) that is capable of stopping urban run-off entering the Reservoir in a 1-in-1 million AEP flood event is required to be constructed by the developers to mitigate the risk to water quality within the Reservoir.

The risk management plan to protect the Greenvale Reservoir is embedded into Schedule 9 of the Environmental Significance Overlay – Greenvale Reservoir Catchment Protection (Clause 42.01) of the Hume Planning Scheme. All development in this catchment must meet the criteria outlined in Schedule 9.

The DSS has many objectives for new developments however the main ones are:

• Any new developments must comply with Schedule 9 of the Environmental Significance Overlay (Hume Planning Scheme) and the incorporated Melbourne Water Greenvale Reservoir Catchment Drinking Water Quality Risk Management Plan (2008),
• Flood protection is to be provided for properties within the Greenvale North Part 2 PSP,
• Any new developments should manage stormwater flows and volumes to not exceed the existing capacities of the downstream catch-drain and Bund D,
• DSSs are to protect/minimise impacts on existing environmental and waterway values,
• DSSs are to meet critical and other agency asset operational requirements to ensure constructability (i.e., Water Main and any existing services),
• To achieve the DSS principles as set out in the Principles for provision of waterway and drainage services for urban growth (PDF).

The drainage assets proposed in Yuroke Creek DSS includes pipelines, stormwater quality treatment assets, retarding basin and a series of protective bunds.

The two key assets proposed within the Yuroke Creek DSS are:

1. A retarding basin with an approximate 15 metre high embankment is required north of the Reservoir to reduce excess flows back to the downstream catch drain’s capacity. It is imperative that the catch drain capacity is not exceeded to ensure the protection of the Greenvale Reservoir. Typical retarding basins operate to hold water when there are large rainfall events to prevent flooding to properties downstream. This retarding basin for the Yuroke Creek DSS essentially operates in the same way except it has been sized to hold back stormwater up to a 1-in-1 million AEP storm event to prevent urban runoff from entering the Greenvale Reservoir in rare to extreme rainfall events.
2. A 1-in-1 million AEP earthen bund (Bund C) approximately 1.5km long is to be constructed upstream to the Greenvale Reservoir. This reservoir protection mechanism has been designed as one single continuous alignment, but has been constructed in stages as development progressed/progresses. Construction for Bund A, B and D has been completed.

Further work is underway to undertake the detail design of the retarding basin and bund C. This will provide further cost surety and an opportunity for any minor adjustments prior to the scheme being approved at final rate.

The current DSS strategy is refined with a greater understanding of the catchment based on current design standards and informed by the VPA’s proposed urban structure, while considering the risks associated with sodic soils, environmental and cultural heritage opportunities.

There are drainage works proposed outside of the PSP area. These proposed drainage works connects immediately outside of the PSP into the proposed 1-in-1 million AEP retarding basin and the existing 1-in-1 million AEP protective bunds B and D.

The VPA has prepared the proposed PSP (Greenvale North Part 2) for your area and alongside the VPA’s PSP Consultation, Melbourne Water would like to provide an opportunity for landowners and stakeholders to contact us with queries related to the concept drainage strategy proposed within the PSP area.

The main purpose of the Let's Talk page is to provide supplementary drainage information, and to direct submissions via VPA's process. Let’s Talk page is only for queries and not submissions.

To make a formal submission, visit the Greenvale North PSP (Part 2) webpage at Engage Victoria.

Any proposed drainage works shown on your land will need to be built when the land is subdivided/developed, although this can be affected by the timing of other subdivisions on adjacent land. You do not have to pay the DSS contribution rates unless you are planning to subdivide/develop your land. The payment of contribution rates are required at the time of development.

Yes, you can provide feedback on the concept drainage strategy by making a formal submission via the Greenvale North PSP (Part 2) webpage at Engage Victoria.

You can contact Melbourne Water on [email protected] if you have any further questions about the concept drainage strategy.

For questions about the PSP, please contact the VPA via their Greenvale North PSP (Part 2) webpage.

All submissions relating to drainage will be reviewed by Melbourne Water.

The following process will take place after PSP public consultation and if required, a Standing Advisory Committee/Panel:

• Where acceptable, feasible and recommended by SAC/Panel, updates will be made to the concept drainage strategy assets prior to PSP Gazettal (where time permits).
• Following PSP Gazettal, the Yuroke Creek DSS (currently on preliminary contribution rate) will be finalised, incorporating the new costs associated with the Greenvale North Part 2 PSP drainage strategy.
• The contribution rate for the DSS will be updated and Melbourne Water will inform all landowners within the DSS.

In undertaking the preliminary on-ground assessment and then the subsequent design of drainage infrastructure, Melbourne Water may need access to some properties. Prior to accessing properties, Melbourne Water will always contact you as the landowner directly seeking your permission.