Stormwater is the rain that runs off our roofs, roads and open spaces into drains, pipes and creeks. Managing it effectively helps prevent flooding, protect our waterways, and make better use of this important resource.

A Stormwater Management Plan provides a coordinated approach for how water moves through the city – underground and across the surface – and identifies how we can design systems that work with nature to deliver broader benefits such as greening and cooling.

The plan will meet the Stormwater Management Authority’s (SMA) guidelines, ensuring that stormwater is managed in a way that supports flood protection, water quality, liveability and sustainability.

• Underground infrastructure: pipes, drains and culverts move water away from streets and properties during small to medium rain events, often hidden from view.
• Above-ground systems: kerbs, roads, wetlands and rain gardens help slow, clean and absorb water during heavier rain.
• In larger storms, water may temporarily flow or pool above ground before gradually draining away.

Together, these systems form an integrated network that protects the community, supports healthy waterways and enhances public spaces.

Adelaide’s stormwater network serves a growing city with new demands and challenges.

The Stormwater Management Plan will:

• Build resilience in a changing climate, preparing the city for more intense rainfall and longer dry periods.
• Improve how assets are managed and prioritise investment in areas that need it most.
• Help deliver the city’s goals for greening, biodiversity, and liveability by 2050.

A strong, forward-looking SMP will ensure Adelaide continues to thrive as a climate-ready city that values its people, places and environment.

We work collaboratively with a number of organisations to deliver stormwater and water infrastructure outcomes:

• SA Water: providing recycled wastewater and non-drinking water sources for open space irrigation. For example, the strategy says the City draws more than 700 megalitres of treated wastewater annually for the Adelaide Park Lands.
• State Government agencies: we partner for planning, asset management and climate resilience of drainage networks. The strategy commits to “comprehensive stormwater management planning across the City’s catchments, in partnership with the State Government
• Community and private sector: the strategy emphasises delivery of water infrastructure in partnership with other levels of government, business and community organisations.