Alluvium International

Alluvium is a niche, employee-owned consulting firm focused on the sustainable management of catchments, rivers and cities. We are a national leader in river health, stream restoration and urban water management. Our vision is to make a difference to the world we live in. We seek to provide inspiration leadership on environmental issues and solutions, and we focus on our role in continually lifting the bar within our industry. Across five offices, we employ more than 50 professional staff from a range of closely related scientific, engineering and social science disciplines. We provide an integrated service to our clients that blends river health science, restoration engineering, social science, NRM economics, monitoring and evaluation, and capacity building. We are working with our partners on some of the biggest catchment and river health challenges in Australia: writing business cases for millions of dollars of environmental water infrastructure in the MDBA, developing advanced surface water management strategies to protect hundreds of kilometres of fragile streams on Melbourne’s fringe and writing industry guidelines for large-scale river diversions around some of the largest mines in the country.

Technically our business is focused on; Water resource policy and economics; Water reform business planning; Integrated water management planning; Waterway and water resource science and engineering (flow assessments, geomorphic assessments and instream physical habitat modelling). We are driven by big challenges and difficult problems. Big problems are often multi-faceted, complex, systemic, and challenging, but solving them can transform the health of our catchments and rivers, and the people who live in them.

Organisational Capability

1. Policy and program review and design 2. Water reform business planning (urban and rural context) 3. Water resource management (urban and rural context) 4. Engineering design including concept, functional and detailed design 5. Waterway planning and rehabilitation 6. Water sensitive urban design 7. Geomorphic, hydrologic and ecological response modelling and inundation mapping 8. Environmental economics including valuation of environmental resources 9. Client, stakeholder and community consultation and engagement 10. Project management and delivery

Projects

Sabah Environment Policy and Guidelines, Malaysia
Preparation of an environment policy paper for the State of Sabah, Malaysia. This set out State Policy complementary to the National Environment Policy. We also preparing guidelines for environmental assessment of four development activities, and reviewed and upgraded four others for EPD, Sabah.
Impact of Water Supply Infrastructure on Floods and Drought in the Mekong Region and the Implications for Food Security, Vietnam and Cambodia
The study used hydrological, flood modelling and GIS techniques to understand the implications of hydropower and irrigation reservoirs on the hydrological regime of the Mekong Basin. Activities included: i) developed a database of catchment characteristics; ii) developed understanding of hydrological analysis approaches in the Mekong basin; iii) regional flood frequency analysis; iv) developed a flood risk index for reservoirs in the basin; v) conducted community surveys for two case-study sites in Vietnam and Cambodia; vii) prepared recommendations for reservoir operations to limit impacts on downstream communities; viii) prepared project report including guidance on the use of the index.
Pelagus EIA, Malaysia
The Pelagus HEP is a ‘Run-of-River’ hydroelectric project comprising a 44 m high dam on the Rajang river and a power station with 500 MW capacity at its base. Alluvium undertook specialist studies for the EIA for this project covering the environmental flows requirements, groundwater related impacts (from inundation), sediment transport impacts, and mitigation strategies for each.
Wafi Preliminary Work EIS and Watut River Meander assessment, PNG
Alluvium undertook the sediment impact assessment of the proposed Wafi goldmine project in PNG. This included field assessments and modelling of sediment loads delivered to the Wafi River and Watut Rivers under both current and proposed mine operations. The work included the development and assessment of remediation options. Alluvium also undertook a review of meander migration processes on the Watut River, adjacent to the proposed Wafi Mine. The assessment sought to identify the likelihood of channel change that would impact on proposed mine infrastructure. The analysis also considered the impact of major sediment supply increase to the reach arising from the upstream Hidden Valley Mine.
Strengthening Integrated Water and Flood Management Implementation, Thailand
The project worked with the Royal Thai Government to develop Integrated Water Resources Management in the country. Activities included: i) conduct review of current water resources management in Thailand; ii) prepare guidelines for good practice flood and water management project planning; iii) assist in the development of a checklist for flood and water resources management planning; iv) support analysis and description of scenario modelling; v) deliver hydrological modelling training workshops including developing and implementing training exercises and step-by-step modelling guide.
Assessment of the Status of Traditional Water Sources, Nepal
The primary objective of the study was to assess the status and value of traditional water sources as an adaptation measure to climate change in poor isolated communities. Activities included: i) support assessment of the status of traditional water sources throughout Nepal through field based technical assessment and consultations; ii) disseminate the findings and recommendations for community based sustainable protection measures to relevant water authorities in Nepal; iii) formulate a framework strategy to build climate resilience of traditional water sources through local and national protection measures.