Achieving IS V1.2 Dis-1 Receiving Water Quality: How SiteHive Can Help

This article outlines how construction companies can achieve IS v1.2 Dis-1 Receiving Water Quality credits, focussing particularly on how SiteHive software and devices can be used to make the process easier. We break down the criteria, and show you how SiteHive can help.

Managing and maintaining healthy water is an important part of many infrastructure projects. The potential negative impacts on water can be significant and long-lasting, so it’s an important area to get right.

The IS (Infrastructure Sustainability Council) v1.2 Dis-1 credit for Receiving Water Quality aims to reward the management of impacts on local receiving water quality. It covers the impacts from water discharges and other activities from a project/asset on downstream water bodies, including groundwater.

NWQMS framework

The National Water Quality Management Strategy (NWQMS) directs water quality in Australia and New Zealand. It’s an Australian Government initiative that at the time of v1.2 development was designed to ‘achieve sustainable use of the nation’s water resources by protecting and enhancing their quality while maintaining economic and social development’. The strategy was subsequently updated in 2018, and the Water Quality Australia website provides extensive information to help water managers and others to plan and implement strategies for managing water quality. 

The delivery framework for the strategy is detailed in ​the National Water Quality Management Strategy Charter. This Charter details all the relevant policy, process and guideline components.

There are also different guidelines and laws in each state and territory, so it’s important to check with the relevant local authorities in your jurisdiction for their specific water quality standards.

About the v1.2 Dis-1 Receiving Water Quality credit

This credit rewards the management of impacts on local receiving water quality. In order to earn the credit, construction projects must:

• Identify and implement measures to minimise adverse impacts to receiving water environmental values. This includes both construction and operational phases.
• Monitor water discharges and receiving waters appropriately, including during discharges.
• Provide evidence of the activities and results achieved in the above activities. 

The credit consists of three levels, and each requires appropriate evidence to be provided. 

Level 1 requires the core elements outlined above; Level 2 stipulates that monitoring and modelling shows no adverse impact on receiving water environmental values and that the infrastructure does not increase peak stormwater flows for rainfall events. For Level 3, projects must show that opportunities to improve receiving water environmental values have been identified and implemented, and that monitoring and modelling demonstrates improvement in these values.

For this IS rating system, environmental values are defined by the ANZECC (2000a) guidelines, and are values or uses that are important for a healthy ecosystem or public benefit (eg welfare, health, safety), and that require protection from pollution, discharges and deposits. A waterbody may have several designated environmental values.

The environmental values are used to set local water quality targets, usually by government or regulatory bodies.

Providing evidence

To achieve the IS ratings, projects must provide evidence that they meet the required standards at each level. SiteHive’s cloud-based environmental management system, SiteHive Enviro Pro, makes this much easier as it provides a comprehensive system of record that can be interrogated, reported on, and even shared with external parties.

With SiteHive Enviro you can:

• Generate summary and detailed reports: You can create a range of reports to meet your needs. For example, one page summary PDF reports of key air quality metrics can be produced with one click, and can be shared easily as required. The reports can include weather data alongside your monitored data. Using SiteHive Enviro Pro you can also customise your reports to provide the timing, data and metrics you want to show in order to demonstrate compliance with air quality goals. Reports can be used to show ongoing monitoring as well as any specific monitoring conducted in response to complaints.
• Keep a complete record: SiteHive Enviro provides a complete system of record so you always have comprehensive information, which includes photos and audio files in addition to monitored data. This provides evidence to demonstrate compliance and mitigation measures. You are also able to add in ad hoc or additional information through the Daily Notes feature, for example so that you can record mitigation measures taken, or explain specific situations, or add any other relevant information.
• Share information with others: SiteHive Enviro is accessible online from anywhere, so the entire project work team can access it. In addition, the Stakeholder View in SiteHive Enviro Pro allows you to share information by providing a curated view of activities to stakeholders, external teams, clients, communities, contractors, the public, or anyone you choose. It is an excellent and easy way to be transparent and build community trust. You can provide customised and summary views of monitoring data to address specific concerns.

Level 1: Laying the foundation

The project’s water management goals may come from regulators, and an environmental impact assessment or similar process. The goals and measures must be documented in the project’s management plans, and a management process followed throughout. 

For Level 1, achieving the Dis-1 credit involves identifying and implementing measures to minimise adverse impacts, and providing evidence (for example through reports, plans, drawings, etc) to demonstrate that this has been done. 

SiteHive Enviro Pro, can make this a lot easier as it provides a complete system of record. Water quality data and supporting information such as photos, weather, notes, etc, can all be stored in the system. The information is all associated with a specific monitoring point, so you can show what has been done where, over time, including comparisons with baseline data studies. You have direct access to documentation that can be used when applying for credits.

The system also makes it possible to deploy mitigation strategies quickly if needed. Data is available in real time, and it sits alongside all other monitoring data. Environmental managers have a complete and immediate view so that they can take action if required.

SiteHive Enviro can help here in a number of ways:

SiteHive Enviro Pro produces customisable reports and summaries that can be used to share information and provide evidence to support the ratings credit. For example, summary PDF reports can be produced quickly with just one click, making it easy to keep people informed.

• By providing comprehensive records of monitoring identified by time and monitoring point location, as well as additional information such as images, weather and notes. 
• The SiteHive Enviro Pro web app can be used to collect water data in the field, including pH, temperature, conductivity, salinity, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. Additional information can also be added easily including photos, notes and local weather. All the information is grouped by monitoring point, so you can immediately see the situation and report on it as required.
• Automated laboratory analyses of results are provided, via email, direct from SiteHive Enviro Pro.
• Water telemetry devices can be integrated with SiteHive Enviro Pro for real-time tracking of water quality.
• SiteHive Enviro Pro produces customisable reports and summaries that can be used to share information and provide evidence to support the ratings credit. For example, summary PDF reports can be produced quickly with just one click, making it easy to keep people informed.

Level 2: no adverse impacts and stormwater flow requirements

And

To achieve Level 2, projects must go beyond basic compliance by ensuring that there are no adverse environmental impacts on water values, and monitoring and modelling are required to demonstrate this. 

SiteHive Enviro Pro can be used to provide easy attended monitoring, as well as to manage, report and record-keep all data, including weather and water flows:

• Attended monitoring: SiteHive Enviro Pro includes a web app that makes it easy to do attended monitoring in the field. You can add a wide range of water data (pH, turbidity, salinity, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen), as well as supporting evidence and observations such as notes, photos, weather, etc.
• Real-time monitoring: Water telemetry devices can be linked directly to SiteHive Enviro Pro so all your monitored data is together. The software automatically graphs and presents the information in easy to understand formats so it’s clear what’s happening to the water quality over time.
• Clear visualisation of historical data: SiteHive Enviro Pro shows both real-time and attended measurements in a clear, graphical format that includes historical data and thresholds. It makes it easy to see where exceedances have occurred, how the values change over time, and identify trends.
• Correlate water measurements with weather: Weather conditions are provided alongside monitored data results, so it’s possible to track and potentially predict the movement of certain parameters (such as turbidity) based on weather data (for example rainfall). SiteHive Enviro Pro automatically shows local weather from the nearest BOM, OpenWeatherMap or your own weather station.
• Stormwater flows: SiteHive software can pull in information from attended and real-time monitoring devices, including data on water flow rates. This enables the flow rates to be reviewed and managed over time, along with the corresponding weather data, to contribute to the picture of peak stormwater flows.

Level 3: Improving local receiving water

And

To achieve Level 3, projects must look to improve the receiving water values, and demonstrate it through monitoring and modelling. All the elements already outlined through this document are also important for achieving Level 3: easy attended monitoring; the capture, analysis and visualisation of all monitored data; quick and easy reporting; weather data alongside all other monitored data, including in reports; and a comprehensive system of record.

To achieve this level projects must be proactive and respond quickly to any issues and situation. SiteHive Enviro Pro can also help with this as it makes information readily available to anyone who needs it. The system can be accessed from anywhere and information is available in real time, so this comprehensive database of information is a powerful collaboration tool:

• Real-time data sharing: Anyone can be given access to the SiteHive Enviro Pro system to see a tailored view of information. You can choose the information you want to share, and it is available to stakeholders from anywhere simply by logging into the system. Operators and others can be kept informed over time, and on specific issues, with very little effort.
• Collaboration tools: Monitored data can be added to with notes, observations and other information, allowing project teams to document and share mitigation strategies and keep everyone informed as the project moves from one phase to the next. It gives people the information they need to make informed decisions and be proactive in managing receiving water quality.

From a modelling perspective, SiteHive Enviro Pro can also provide a clear picture of monitored data, including water discharge quality, which can be compared against the pre-development catchment.

SiteHive makes it easier to achieve the IS Receiving Water Quality credit

By facilitating real-time and attended monitoring; keeping a comprehensive system of record; delivering reporting quickly; and making information readily available to everyone who needs it, SiteHive Enviro Pro can help project teams manage receiving water impacts effectively, meet regulatory standards, and enhance their sustainability credentials. 

SiteHive’s tools provide the data, insights and flexibility needed to help achieve IS Dis-1 Receiving Water Quality credits.