Elements and Performance Criteria

Codes of practice
Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used
Legislation, standards, guidelines, procedures and/or enterprise requirements
Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:
federal legislation, such as:
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
state/territory government legislation and regulations and local government by-laws, policies, and plans dealing with:
land use, acquisition, planning and protection
environmental protection
vegetation management
nature conservation and wildlife/plant protection
water and water management
soil conservation
pollution and contaminated sites
Australian and international standards, such as:
AS/NZS 5667 set Water quality
state/territory Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines and manuals:
Managing urban stormwater: Council handbook (NSW EPA)
Water quality sampling manual (QLD EPA)
Regulatory monitoring and testing: Water and wastewater sampling (EPA SA)
Stormwater survey/inspection/ audit activities
Stormwater survey/inspection/audit activities may include:
broad scale, ‘whole of catchment’ assessment of catchment health
assessment of environmental conditions or risk in a smaller, localised study area or individual premises
Stormwater management plan
A stormwater management plan may include:
existing and future values of a catchment
stormwater management objectives to protect these values
problems and issues that may compromise these objectives
agreed stormwater management practices (non-structural/structural) to mitigate existing impacts and minimise future impacts
Stormwater management techniques
Stormwater management techniques may include:
retention and restoration of existing watercourses and wetlands and riparian/foreshore vegetation, and aquatic habitats
control of source water quality and quantity through minimising impervious areas, stormwater re-use and infiltration, limiting development of flood plains, community education, small on-site treatment measures
‘end of pipe’ techniques, such as use of retarding basins, gross pollutant traps, channel stabilisation/design, erosion and sediment control, and large off-site treatment
Stormwater system information
Stormwater system information may include:
terrain models
stormwater drainage plans
flood and drainage studies
water and sediment quality studies
contaminated site reports
aquatic ecology and riparian vegetation studies
land use information, such as topographical maps, aerial photos, satellite imagery and land use/zoning maps
reports of consultations with the scientific community, local environmental groups and industry associations, catchment management committees and councils
history of engineering works and modifications
Field equipment and materials
Field equipment and materials may include:
stormwater drainage maps, topographic maps, aerial photos, compass, survey point markers and drivers, GPS, tape measure, flagging tape and binoculars
data recording sheets, palm pilot, laptop, data logger and digital camera
sampling equipment, such as bottles, bags, biological specimen containers, secateurs, scoop nets, esky, preservatives, water pumps and tubing
automatic water samplers
portable water quality probe that measures dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity, pH, conductivity and field test reagents
tipping bucket rain gauge and data logger
flow meters
soil infiltration test rigs
personal protective equipment
appropriate clothing and footwear
phone
first aid kit
insect repellent
Laboratory analyses
Laboratory analyses may include:
suspended solids
total phosphorus
filterable reactive phosphorus
total nitrogen
total Kjeldahl nitrogen
oxidised nitrogen
faecal Coliforms
soil permeability
Catchment characteristics and existing conditions
Catchment characteristics and existing conditions may include:
physical characteristics, such as:
soils and sediments
topography, including slope characteristics
climate, including rainfall, evaporation
bridge and culvert crossings, major utility services that may impact on management practices
point sources of pollution (e.g sewage treatment)
major sewer outflows
existing stormwater management structures (e.g. retarding basins and constructed wetlands)
social characteristics, such as:
recreational areas
land use and land use zoning
waterway characteristics, such as:
stormwater transport via piped, lined or natural channels
characteristics of receiving water bodies (e.g. lakes, reservoirs, wetlands and estuaries)
erosion/sediment transport processes for natural/modified stormwater systems
surface hydrology (e.g. flooding and low flow)
water quality in stormwater transport systems and receiving bodies (dry/wet conditions)
ecological characteristics, such as:
aquatic fauna and flora in stormwater transport systems and receiving bodies
riparian zone fauna and flora
areas of urban bushland
Catchment values
Catchment values may include:
aquatic fauna habitats, such as appropriate substrate, woody debris and aquatic plants
terrestrial fauna habitats, such as riparian zone vegetation
aquatic flora (e.g. macrophytes) habitats, such as appropriate sediment, stream flow and water quality
terrestrial flora habitats, such as morphology of banks/floodplain, prevailing stream flow and groundwater conditions
avifauna (e.g. land-based and water birds) habitats, such as riparian zone, stormwater transport system and receiving water bodies
public health and safety (e.g. risk of bacterial pollution in stormwater run-off)
recreational values
visual amenity of stormwater systems and riparian zone
use of surface or groundwater as a water source
aquaculture and other commercial fishing
reuse of stormwater for (non)potable use
value of properties adjacent to visually attractive constructed wetlands and natural channels
Environmental issues and possible causes
Environmental issues and possible causes may include:
poor water quality in waterways (wet/dry conditions) due to excess fertiliser application, washing of cars in streets, sewer overflows, domestic animal droppings and atmospheric deposition
inappropriate stream flow regime (flooding, base flows) due to increased run-off from impervious areas and insufficient stormwater reuse
degraded aquatic habitats due to increased sediment deposition, removal of riparian vegetation
barriers to aquatic fauna migration weirs
degraded riparian vegetation due to introduction of exotic species and vegetation removal
channel erosion and sedimentation due to increased flood flows following urbanisation and vegetation removal
litter in watercourses due to insufficient number/emptying of rubbish bins and commercial waste
weed growth in urban bushland due to stormwater nutrients, weeds from residential gardens, and removal of canopy vegetation
degradation of ecologically sensitive water bodies
health risks associated with recreational use of polluted waters
low visual amenity and landscape value due to litter along watercourses and concrete lined channels
Occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management requirements

OHS and environmental management requirements:
all operations must comply with enterprise OHS and environmental management requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation - these requirements must not be compromised at any time
all operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied
where relevant, users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health

Overview of assessment
Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and contexts. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:
planning and safely conducting surveys/inspections of a range of stormwater system components that meet user needs
accessing and using existing environmental data sets
obtaining reliable field samples and measurements
providing detailed descriptions of catchment characteristics, existing conditions, management values, environmental issues and possible causes
completing all documentation in the required format and timeframe
working safely.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.
Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSS024005A Collect spatial and discrete environmental data
MSS024006A Perform sampling and testing of water
MSS024007A Collect and evaluate meteorological data.
The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.
Resources may include:
access to natural and constructed drainage systems and combinations of these
sampling equipment, field instruments and materials
enterprise procedures, test methods and equipment manuals.
Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of data, results and records prepared by the candidate
feedback from peers and supervisors that the candidate consistently follows enterprise procedures, sampling/measurement procedures and works safely
oral/written questioning associated with inspection/survey of stormwater systems, sampling/measurement equipment and procedures and stormwater assessment techniques
observation of the candidate collecting samples and conducting field tests.
In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly.
Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.
The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work-like environment.
Guidance information for assessment