Hydrological and Water Supply Catchment Management

Between 2010 and 2024, Grace GIS supported Melbourne Water through a comprehensive suite of hydrological, terrain, and catchment modelling projects designed to strengthen the region’s water security, environmental resilience, and stormwater management. Using high-resolution LiDAR elevation data, advanced geospatial analysis, and hydrological modelling techniques, we developed primary catchments, engineered catchments, sediment catchments, and water quality monitoring catchments across Melbourne’s complex water systems.

Our work included updating Melbourne Water’s primary catchment boundaries, modelling 60ha and 200ha drainage catchments for the Dandenong Valley Authority, developing engineered catchments for Greenvale Reservoir, and producing water supply and waterbody catchments for multiple sites. We also mapped sediment-producing catchments, quantified industrial land-use impacts, and delineated monitoring catchments for water quality and aquatic ecology programs. These datasets have significantly improved Melbourne Water’s ability to link land-use changes to hydrological behaviour, assess pollutant pathways, evaluate inflows, and model flood and stormwater risks with greater precision.

Together, these projects provided Melbourne Water with a highly accurate, LiDAR-driven foundation for long-term planning, environmental management, infrastructure investment, and climate adaptation. The integrated suite of catchment products continues to inform decision-making across water supply operations, ecological monitoring, drainage design, and strategic water resource management throughout the region.