To help the stormwater industry meet evolving environmental protection and stormwater management requirements, Melbourne Water is updating its resources on water sensitive urban design (WSUD) assets.

As urban development continues to grow, so does the need for stormwater assets that not only manage water quality but also reduce runoff volume. The updated WSUD resources provide:

  • High-level design, maintenance and implementation advice for six asset types 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.

Introducing the Emerging Assets State of Knowledge and MUSIC Guideline 2025

Melbourne Water is inviting feedback on two draft documents: the Emerging Assets for stormwater flow management State of Knowledge (SoK) document and the MUSIC Guideline 2025. 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 developers, stormwater practitioners, and councils 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 Melbourne Water’s broader stormwater program, designed to support industry in collectively achieving flow-based stormwater targets. It is expected to be updated as the state-of-knowledge evolves. 

The documents are available here as drafts for consultation.

We’re asking you, professionals across the stormwater industry, to review the documents and share feedback with Melbourne Water via our online feedback form by Friday 12 December 2025.

Your insights will help us improve clarity, identify gaps, and shape future work in this field. Feedback will inform long-term planning and future guidance as we collectively learn from building more of these assets across the region.

Resource files

Emerging Assets State of Knowledge_Draft for Consultation_2025 (pdf)

MUSIC Guideline_Draft for Consultation_2025(pdf)

Join the conversation!

Join the Melbourne Water webinar and Q&A session to deepen your understanding of the draft documents and engage directly with the development team to support your review.

Event date: Wednesday 26 November, 11.00am - 12.30pm

Registration link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/9f11f353-ad49-414d-9252-5e6694f336eb@fe26127b-78ee-42c7-803e-4d67c0488cf9