Water by Design is working to improve sustainable urban water management outcomes across Queensland and beyond.

In 2004 and 2005, the Healthy Land & Water’s Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program highlighted ‘diffuse source pollutant loads’ as a major impact on the Moreton Bay region.

The Water by Design initiative was developed to address this by supporting the implementation of sustainable urban water management.

Working across Queensland, the initiative delivers improved sustainable water management outcomes across catchments and regions affected by pollutants to protect and restore the natural water cycle.

The Water by Design initiative aims to deliver:

• Improved skills and knowledge via a comprehensive suite of best practice resources and training.
• A strengthened organisation capacity with forums for local government officers to foster collaboration, information sharing and positive development outcomes.
• Guided regulatory reforms such as flexible arrangements for stormwater management, providing cost savings and benchmark protection targets.
• Improved protection for urban waterways whilst enabling the sustainable use of waterways and water resources.
• Improved protection and restoration of urban nature and biodiversity and reduced pollution of urban waterways.
• Increased local community awareness, value, and stewardship of urban waterways and green spaces.

Healthy Land & Water is the peak environmental group for South East Queensland. For over 20 years it has been dedicated to investing in and leading initiatives to build the prosperity, liveability, and sustainability of our ‘future region’. Healthy Land & Water is focused on delivering an environment for future generations to thrive.

Working in partnership with Traditional Owners, government, private industry, utilities and the community, Healthy Land & Water delivers innovative and science-based solutions to challenges affecting the environment.

Through a combination of scientific expertise and on-ground management works, Healthy Land & Water leads and connects through science and actions that will preserve and enhance our natural assets and support resilient regions long into the future.

Healthy Land & Water’s comprehensive Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a practical guide to how the organisation will deliver meaningful changes across the business in support of reconciliation.

It is an action plan designed to help bring our reconciliation commitments to life. It had been endorsed by Reconciliation Australia as an "Innovation" plan.

The RAP is a major milestone in Healthy Land & Water’s journey of reconciliation with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and bolstering our ability to support further empowerment of First Nation’s peoples across South East Queensland.

Our story is to share, care and love our ancient, living, breathing culture and Country in this world.

Protect our sacred lands, salty seas, healing waters, wildlife and everything that grows within.

Nurture the waters, animals, plants and each other from the north, south, east and west.

Come together to share and understand the knowledge and respect of Mother Earth and our Ancestors that have passed on. Elders and Ancestors that are still with us today, sharing their ways on Country.

When you look into this story, you see Ancestor Spirits standing together, strong, in a circle, looking over us, sending their love, knowledge, strength and blessings.

We work together on Country, crossing waters to share knowledge, lending a helping hand during bushfires – which you can see burning in the bottom left of the story.

In the center, the belly of the story, begins new life, new beginnings, next generations. Fern life and plant life encourages new creek life and sprouts new creations.

The purples of our mountains, gullies and hills burst with wild rainforest – forests and bushlands that can never be replaced as they are as ancient as the Dreamtime.

Together, let’s maintain a clean, healthy, happy natural environment for all generations to come.