Stream daylighting brings piped stormwater flows or buried streams to the surface and into restored stream environments.
International best practice examples of stream daylighting have demonstrated significant economic returns and social benefits. Waterfront property commands a premium and can be a driving factor in urban revitalisation. Furthermore, citizens quickly engage with the restoration of natural heritage in their neighbourhoods, and become strong proponents for these approaches (Lewis, 2008).
Stream daylighting returns the
ecosystem services of attenuation and treatment of stormwater
runoff associated with open and naturalised streams, providing increased hydraulic capacity for flood management, and reduced
runoff velocities. Stream channels are comparable in cost to piped systems in the short-term and more accessible for maintenance in the long-term. Like other existing ecosystems, these systems must be protected from gross contaminants and significant sediment loads from the catchment.