The Deep South Challenge is investing in new research that seeks to fill the significant gaps in New Zealanders’ knowledge about how climate change might impact stormwater and wastewater infrastructure.

The study, “Stormwater, wastewater, climate change: Impacts on our economy, environment, culture and society,” aims to explore potential climate change impacts and develop a detailed “theory of change.”

The research intends to produce guiding principles for practitioners and decision-makers in the planning and engineering sectors. The idea is that only once the performance required of a storm and wastewater network in a changing climate, as well as its full range of likely impacts, is determined, can we design an efficient and effective solutions pathway.

“Aside from the obvious impacts we are aware of, and those we are beginning to understand, there is so much that we actually don’t know,” project leader James Hughes said. “For someone working in this field, this can be both very worrying and intriguing at the same time!
“The outcomes of research like this can have potential to offer some really practical outcomes for New Zealand towns and cities, which is what we will be aiming to achieve.”

In October 2017, the Deep South Challenge released a report into the state of the nation’s storm and wastewater infrastructure, in the face of a changing climate. The report garnered significant media attention – not surprising given the infrastructure is currently valued at well over $20 billion. The report also highlighted significant gaps in New Zealanders’ understanding about the extent to which damage to this infrastructure might impact our economy, environment, culture and society.

The National Science Challenges, through the Impacts and Implications programme, has funded the new research project lead by consultants Tonkin + Taylor.
 

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