Water Discharge Guidelines and Standards

The University of Newcastle applies formal water-quality and drainage standards to manage stormwater and sub-soil discharges across its campuses. These requirements help protect waterways, ecosystems and public health by controlling the quality, rate and management of water leaving University sites.

University water discharge standards

The University's Hydraulic Services Design Standards, Version 2.0, were issued in November 2024 and were appliable during 2025. Section 5.7 sets minimum requirements for stormwater and sub-soil drainage and applies to University projects that create or modify drainage infrastructure.

Read the Hydraulic Services Design Standards or view the University's published design specifications and standards.

The standards require all stormwater and sub-soil discharges to meet applicable water-quality and discharge-rate requirements.

Compliance is assessed against the requirements of the relevant local water authority, local council water and flood-management controls, and the NSW Environment Protection Authority.

Managing runoff and protecting water quality

The standards require erosion and sediment-control plans for new developments and refurbishment projects that affect stormwater runoff. Water-sensitive urban design must also be considered for new buildings and public-domain redevelopment, together with rainwater capture and reuse, overland-flow paths, flood mitigation and on-site detention.

Sub-soil and seepage water must be sampled to determine whether its quality is suitable for discharge to the stormwater system or whether treatment is required before discharge. These controls help reduce sediment, pollutants and unmanaged runoff entering downstream waterways.

These requirements are incorporated into University design and construction processes so that drainage systems, discharge points and stormwater infrastructure are considered as part of new works and refurbishments.

Water discharge standards in practice

For the Honeysuckle City Campus Stage 1A development, the project's Stormwater and Servicing Report set out the modelling and design approach for stormwater infrastructure and site servicing.

The Stormwater and Servicing Report forms part of the University's publicly available development documentation for the site.

The design considered runoff, drainage paths, on-site detention, discharge controls and downstream impacts so that stormwater could be managed in accordance with prescribed discharge rates, water-quality requirements and relevant planning controls.

The project included detention and drainage infrastructure designed to manage stormwater before it leaves the site, illustrating how water-discharge requirements are incorporated into major campus development.

Together, the University's hydraulic standards and project-level stormwater planning provide a consistent framework for managing water discharges, reducing impacts on receiving waterways and supporting the health of surrounding ecosystems and communities.