Morphum Environmental was commissioned to develop a Stormwater Master Plan for Hamilton City Council. This involved compiling and developing a wide range of geospatial datasets and undertaking subsequent analyses, to identify high level stormwater issues and opportunities on a city-wide scale. The Stormwater Master Plan incorporated a desktop study, detailed analysis and development of supporting methods to produce prioritised projects. The resulting Stormwater Master Plan identifies a range of opportunities to better manage watercourses and the stormwater network, both within the existing urban area and in greenfield development areas. These opportunities have been prioritised and projects have been programmed for the long-term plan.

The work involved extensive communication with a wide range of Hamilton City Council staff, consultants and Waikato Regional Council staff, to understand the information available and the quality of the data. As part of the development of the Stormwater Master Plan, stakeholder engagement was carried out including workshops with senior staff within Hamilton City Council and Waikato Regional Council.

One of the main drivers to develop the Stormwater Master Plan has been to respond to growth pressure, alongside ensuring compliance with the Comprehensive Stormwater Discharge Consent (CSDC), consistent with the Waikato River Vision and Strategy (produced by the Waikato River Authority) to improve the health of the Waikato River. The plan collates the necessary constituent information to allow Hamilton City Council to assess existing and future scenarios, against legal requirements (such as mitigating effects of stormwater) and upcoming obligations (Healthy Rivers Waikato Regional Council Plan change which focuses on contaminants entering the Waikato River).

Morphum Environmental has also provided ongoing support to HCC in the form of technical guidance, peer review and integrated catchment planning, to support improved environmental outcomes from development.