Critical evaluation of stormwater management practices on urban construction sites in the Sydney region

International awareness of the importance of conservation of the environment over the last two decades has led to the enactment of numerous environmental laws, particularly in developed nations. This study evaluates an aspect of the extent to which these intentions are achieving the objective of abating environmental deterioration. The thesis examines developers' levels of compliance with NSW Soil Conservation Service erosion control guidelines for urban construction sites, in the Sydney Region. It evaluates not only levels of compliance with guidelines but also identifies attitudes that are responsible for variation in levels of compliance. Three sets of data from three different surveys were analysed and evaluated. The first involved evaluation of 68 construction sites in the Sydney Region, where seven Soil Conservationists over a period of six months assisted the author to evaluate construction sites on the basis of a specially devised checklist. The second focussed on developers' attitudes towards erosion control guidelines and 96 developers from the Region were surveyed. The third examined the views of 55 local government officials who are responsible for the enforcement of the guidelines. The findings of this thesis have established that the existing mechanism of erosion control on urban construction sites is thoroughly inadequate. Over 75 per cent of the construction sites evaluated do not adequately comply with the requirements of erosion control guidelines. This was found to be due to a perception held by most developers that soil loss from construction sites was not an environmental problem and the benefit of implementing erosion control guidelines did not exceed the cost. Survey data also show that most councils did not have a clear policy of implementing erosion control guidelines for urban construction sites, particularly in respect of site inspection and enforcement of conditions of consent. The survey data confirm the truism that enactment of legislation is a means to an end and not an end in itself. Legislation alone can do very little to attain the ultimate objective of abating environmental degradation, if it is not enforced and if it is unable to change attitudes that have caused environmental deterioration. The thesis concludes with proposed directions for future research and recommendations that policy makers may implement to improve the existing situation.