Current Magazine April 2020

THE AUSTRALIAN WATER ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE April 2020 Volume 4 No 1

HOW CAN THE WATER SECTOR HELP STEER AUSTRALIA’S ENERGY FUTURE? Keeping all options open for water security

How the sector can mitigate bushfire catastrophe

Game-changing technology for pathogen detection

Advertorial

GENERATION NEXT

A career in the water sector is what you make of it, as the journeys of these two young water professionals show.

M

itchell Clarke didn’t plan on becoming an engineer. A kid who loved building things and using his hands, he did an apprenticeship and worked as a carpenter after Ɠ QLVKLQJ KLJK VFKRRO %XW D GHVLUH WR XQGHUVWDQG KRZ things work led him to university, and ultimately to his role as a Project Engineer at water, waste and energy management company Veolia.

“Originally I wanted to design dams and bridges – those big-picture things you always want to do as an engineer,” he said.

“But I didn’t particularly enjoy design and drafting; it’s not very hands on. I ended up at Veolia because I had an interest in civil infrastructure and I’ve loved it ever since.”

Clarke joined Veolia ANZ through the graduate intake program, which is designed to foster the next generation of young professionals across water, waste and energy. Today, he is based in Brisbane and helps manage Urban Utilities’ sewer network, where he says it’s the complexities of the job that spark his interest.

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“I really enjoy the waste side of things. It’s very intricate in the way that it works. For example, you can just turn a potable water tap off, whereas if you do that to a sewer it RYHUŴ RZV EHFDXVH LWōV XQGHU JUDYLW\

Veolia Project Engineer Mitchell Clarke (top), and Business Development Manager Melissa Mellado-Ruiz.

“This means you have to do a lot more within the network, so I have no two days that are the same.”

Veolia Business Development Manager Melissa Mellado-Ruiz has also found herself somewhere unexpected.

Originally from France, she worked in Veolia’s Paris head RIƓ FH IRU DERXW Ɠ YH \HDUV EHIRUH DUULYLQJ LQ %ULVEDQH VL[ PRQWKV ago to join the company’s Australia/New Zealand branch.

“Depending on the project, I work with basically all the departments in the business to develop solutions to the challenges our clients face,” she said.

“I’m lucky to be part of a team that is really welcoming and has involved me in everything, as well as being willing to learn from all the projects I’ve been involved in before.”

“I’m lucky to be part of a team that is really welcoming and has involved me in everything, as well as being willing to learn from all the projects I’ve been involved in before.�

Melissa Mellado-Ruiz

Part of the solution With the water sector facing challenges including urbanisation and climate change, and pressure to develop more sustainable business practices, both Clarke and Mellado-Ruiz say they are excited to be part of developing solutions. “I always wanted to work in water; I felt it was such a precious resource and I wanted to understand where it comes from, how it’s managed and how we can preserve it,� Mellado-Ruiz said.

“Joining this multinational company and seeing the different range of projects linked to the water sector has been amazing.

I get to understand all the different challenges coming from different countries and different types of clients, and the solutions that are available.�

Both say one of the biggest opportunities for the sector is building water literacy within the community. “I think the sector as a whole needs to work to change the public perception, not only of fresh water as a rarity, but also to treat the waste that goes out with the respect it deserves,� Clarke said.

Mellado-Ruiz agrees. “We need to get the message out that water is too precious to only be used once. We need to think much more about reuse, recycling and the circular economy,� she said.

“There are a lot of young entrepreneurs that are starting projects on the water-waste-energy nexus and that’s really exciting.�

As well as sharing experiences with other young professionals, Clarke said being able to learn from more experienced colleagues has been invaluable for his career so far. “I work closely with a senior engineer; I can pick this man’s brain for 10 hours a day, which is not something you get everywhere,� he said. “That’s what really grows you – not only working collaboratively with your peers, but having a mentor who can share their knowledge; otherwise you have to work things out on your own.�

This mentoring – and ensuring a wide range of voices are heard in the water sector – is something 9HROLDĹ?V &KLHI 2SHUDWLQJ 2IĆ“ FHU :DWHU &UDLJ %DOWKHV LV passionate about.

“Fostering the next generation of water professionals is so important, not just to the success of our business, but for the sector as a whole,� he said. “We want to contribute to the development and progression of the sector, and investing in our young professionals is a great way to do this.�

To learn more about Veolia’s graduate program, visit

veolia.com/anz/careers/graduate-program

www.awa.asn.au

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Local stock, delivery and design & installation support mean that Steel Mains is able to reduce all your pipeline supply risks. Local manufacture and product Standardsmark certification provide you with that additional supply security, with all aspects of our manufacturing meeting Australian quality standards. When the lifespan and security of your asset are important to you, Steel Mains Sintakote pipeline systems are your ideal choice for your next pipeline project.

CON T EN TS

April 2020

T H E AU ST R A L I A N WAT E R AS S O C I AT I O N M AG A Z I N E

FEATURES

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MACINLEY BUTSON International Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2019 winner Macinley Butson explores the importance of diversity.

HELEN & JESSICA This AWA Mentoring Program coupling focused on navigating career choices.

AUSTRALIAN WATER AWARDS 2020 Take a look at this year’s finalists for Australia’s most prestigious water awards.

LOW-CARBON CORRIDORS What are the viable energy options for a low-carbon economy, and how are water businesses getting involved?

WATER SECURITY Have we considered all the options when it comes to securing future supplies?

HYDROGEN BOOM Why hydrogen is such a lucrative enterprise for the water sector and Australia.

BRACING THE STORM How stormwater harvesting and re-use is changing urban water management policy and practice.

SUNBURNT COUNTRY When it comes to bushfires, land and resources, management is crucial. How are utilities involved?

BEATING THE BLUES How water organisations can help change workplace culture and reduce depression rates.

REAL TIME Detecting pathogens in water in real-time could be just around the corner.

CON T EN TS

APRIL 2020

T H E AUST R A L I A N WAT ER ASSO C I AT I O N M AG A Z I N E

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91 89

NEWS 10 12 14 16

From the Chief Executive From the President’s desk Association news

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Energy management

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Asset management

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PFAS

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Pathogens

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Drought

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Green spaces

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Wastewater treatment

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Biosolids

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Energy benchmarking

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From the archives

Macinley Butson Mentoring spotlight Hydrogen: infographic Liquid labs The last drop

EVENTS 30 108 111

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What’s online?

INDUSTRY 20 26 54 74 130

TECHNICAL

Ozwater’20 announcement Events calendar Out and about

MORE THAN JUST TEST RESULTS

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T H E AUST R A L I A N WAT E R ASSO C I AT I O N M AG A Z I N E

CHIEF EXECUTIVE Jonathan McKeown Email: jmckeown@awa.asn.au National Manager – Events and Marketing: Kirsty Blades Email: kblades@awa.asn.au Marketing Coordinator: Melania Berehovy Email: mberehovy@awa.asn.au TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Dr Robbert van Oorschot (Chair), GHD; Ted Gardner; Dr Andrew Bath, Water Corporation; Dr Dharma Dharmabalan, TasWater; Robert Ford (rtd), Central Highlands Water; Dr Lionel Ho, Allwater; Karen Rouse, Water Research Australia (WaterRA); Dr Tim Muster, CSIRO Land and Water.

Water e-Journal Coordinator: Sharon Hoang Email: journal@awa.asn.au

Current is the official biannual magazine for members of the Australian Water Association.

655 Pacific Highway, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW 2065 Phone: (02) 9436 0055 Email: info@awa.asn.au

369a Darling St, Balmain, Sydney, NSW 2041 Managing Editor: James Chalmers Email: james@mahlab.co Editor: Cecilia Harris Email: cecilia@mahlab.co Creative Director: Gareth Allsopp Production Manager: Kathy Little Senior Account Manager: Cara McLeod Email: cara@mahlab.co Advertising Manager: Lorcan Ryan Email: lorcan@mahlab.co EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS: Acceptance of editorial submissions is at the discretion of the editors and editorial board.

TECHNICAL PAPERS: Submissions should be 3000–4000 words long and accompanied by relevant graphics, tables and images.

To submit a paper or for more detailed submission guidelines, please email journal@awa.asn.au NEWS AND FEATURES: News tips, submissions and press releases should be sent to cecilia@mahlab.co COPYRIGHT: Current is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any format without the written permission of AWA. Email cecilia@mahlab.co DISCLAIMER: The Association assumes no responsibility for opinions or statements of fact expressed by contributors or advertisers.

Mention of particular brands, products or processes does not constitute an endorsement.

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From the Chief Executive

SERVING OUR MEMBERS THROUGH AND BEYOND COVID-19 The world has fundamentally changed since our last edition of Current magazine. COVID-19 has changed the way we work, interact and even how we function as a society. No one could have guessed that we would need to deal with this so soon after the drought and bushfires. As we move beyond the initial phase of public health and employment concerns, the water industry will play a major role in re-booting the Australian economy.

The COVID-19 crisis has already fast-tracked many innovative changes for the water industry, including more flexibility in how we work, integrating more digital technologies for communication, updating procurement practices and streamlining the management of supply chains. Implementing further industry reform is needed and the ‘economic rebuild’ phase following COVID-19 will provide the setting needed to maintain the political support required for reforms of the urban water sector.

In the more immediate months ahead, AWA will play an important role in referring challenges and opportunities faced by the water sector throughout the COVID-19 crisis to Government.

To facilitate this communication, our National President Carmel Krogh OAM and I have been invited to join a National COVID-19 Coordination Commission Utilities Working Group to provide feedback and recommendations from the water industry.

We have established a mechanism for members to refer their own issues and recommendations through AWA so we can share the direct impacts on industry with the COVID-19 Coordination Commission and, through the Commission, to the Commonwealth Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister. You can check our website for further details.

During this time of remote working it is vital that AWA shares, connects and inspires members through an increased range of digital platforms. As face-to-face meetings remain prohibited, we have established new podcasts, webinars and digital ways of interacting with members. As this edition goes to print, AWA is assembling a completely digital Ozwater’20 program of webinars, live-streamed sessions and podcasts.

We are also assessing the possibility of a virtual exhibition to be combined with ‘Ozwater’20 Online’.

For 2021 we have committed to return Ozwater to Adelaide.

I step down from the role of AWA CEO after seven rewarding years. It has a been a period of considerable change at AWA that has continued to modernise what we do and how we operate for the benefit of our members.

Working with our elected volunteers and staff, AWA has undertaken a digital transformation of its own as we upgraded our website, transferred from print to online publications, created an info hub called Water Source, and built a new intranet with ‘workspaces’ and faster internal communications. We have upgraded our financial systems and reporting capabilities and our offices have been renovated with improved technology and a contemporary layout.

Membership has grown significantly over the past seven years providing us with a strong and stable level of corporate and individual membership. A review of the membership categories has commenced to ensure our membership model retains maximum relevance and efficiencies.

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Our Branch events and activities across the country are well recognised for their high quality and have achieved record levels of participation. All Branches are now embracing new ways of extending the reach of AWA into regional areas. We have engaged members on diversity through the Channeling Change Program, offered mentoring and personal development for our active young water professionals and explored new markets through our International Program.

The International Program has helped diversify our revenue base with more than a million dollars per year of revenue, while serving an ever-increasing number of members. Our premier event, the Ozwater Conference and Exhibition, has grown to attract more than 4000 attendees each year.

As I step down from the role of CEO, I am pleased that we have an organisational culture that is open and supportive, that recognises the importance of diversity and nurtures innovation. I am confident that, even in the difficult environment of COVID-19, our organisation is well positioned to continue its own evolution as a leading member association serving Australia’s water industry. As an organisation we are united under our shared Strategy’22 to collaborate with other organisations and Governments, to serve our members and to guide us in the next phase of development.

It has been a privilege to work with so many volunteers from our industry and I pay special tribute to the elected Board Directors over the past seven years who all spend considerable time and effort to ensure AWA is governed to the highest standards. In particular, I thank the four Presidents that I have had the pleasure to work with: Graham Dooley, Peter Moore PSM, Francois Gouws and Carmel Krogh OAM. Their leadership, contributions and support to AWA and the wider industry deserve much wider acclamation.

I also want to acknowledge the generosity of our volunteers on all the AWA committees, including the Strategic Advisory Council, the Branches, Specialist Networks, IWAA, YWPs, Editorial and Ozwater Committees. These volunteers provide their expertise willingly, while also keeping AWA grounded in the interests of members.

Finally, I thank the AWA staff team who have shown such exemplary dedication and loyalty to the organisation. It has been my greatest pleasure to see how the staff confidence, skills, and recognition have grown to benefit all our members and so many of our stakeholders.

Any accolades of achievement over the past seven years are directly attributable to this group of individual staff and our elected volunteers from whom I have learnt and experienced so much.

I wish Corinne Cheeseman every success in her appointment as our new CEO and I know AWA and its members will benefit from her leadership and highly relevant industry and business experience.

OUR ORGANISATION IS WELL POSITIONED TO CONTINUE ITS OWN EVOLUTION AS A LEADING MEMBER ASSOCIATION SERVING AUSTRALIA’S WATER INDUSTRY.

Jonathan McKeown Australian Water Association Chief Executive

A MESSAGE FROM THE STAFF Jonathan, thank you for all the support and leadership you have given to us over the past seven years. You have been a trusted leader, mentor and colleague, and have made a lasting impact on us and the Association as a whole. We wish you good luck and all the very best.

www.awa.asn.au

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From the President’s desk

HOPE FOR OUR WATER FUTURE As this edition of our magazine goes to print, we are facing exponential changes to the way we work, interact and even think about our daily lives. The many challenges facing society itself continue to mount up and provide the water sector with even more imperatives for action.

We have already seen the way drought, bushfires and flooding have all impacted and continue to impact many areas of Australia’s water management.

We are facing new definitions of what the seasons really mean – summer starting early and looming into autumn. Despite the huge toll this has taken on many communities, now the threat of COVID-19 has added another mammoth layer of complexity and challenge to our overall resilience. It makes me wonder if there will ever be a “normal” as we used to know it. It almost seems that suddenly we are faced with the need to question many of the standards and paradigms that professionals in the water sector may have long held dear.

I am writing this towards the end of March – given the pace at which things are changing I’m not sure what will be upon us by the time you all read this! However, I am confident that we as an industry will all pull together to continue the essential work we do and to help wherever we can – simply because that is who we are.

The ecological, economic and social challenges facing Australian communities in recent times have caused much soul searching, healthy debate but also unfortunately lots of wild accusations and social media overload. I sometimes despair at my ability to ‘keep pace’ with it all. However, as I said at a recent Association event – I still have great hope! I have witnessed such generosity of spirit to bring assistance of all kinds to affected areas and when I speak to numerous water professionals around the country, I am filled with such a great sense of commitment to a sustainable water future for all communities. Now is the time for both talk and action. If you need any inspiration or hope for the future, you need not look further than the inside article on Macinley Butson, the first Australian to win the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

This is the last edition of Current with Jonathan McKeown as the CEO of the Association. As previously advised, Jonathan steps down from this role in May 2020. Jonathan joined us as CEO in May 2013 and has done an outstanding job in those seven years. During his term as CEO, the Association has successfully implemented changes that have modernised its operations, events, publications and how we engage our members with new technology and digital platforms. As National President, I have greatly appreciated his absolute commitment to the strengthening of the Association and his unwavering support for the future of a sustainable water industry. Jonathan’s drive, enthusiasm and dedication to the role has set a great platform for the Association’s future.

On behalf of the Association, I wish to sincerely thank him for the great work that he has done and wish him all the very best for the future. On a personal level I would also like to thank him for his support, counsel and collegiality to me as President.

I AM FILLED WITH SUCH A GREAT SENSE OF COMMITMENT TO A SUSTAINABLE WATER FUTURE FOR ALL COMMUNITIES. NOW IS THE TIME FOR BOTH TALK AND ACTION.

Carmel Krogh OAM Australian Water Association President

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Association News

TALKING WATER IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY

FAREWELL CAT MURTAGH, SA BRANCH MANAGER After almost three years as SA Branch Manager, Cat Murtagh has finished up her role with AWA. Thanks to Cat, the SA branch is in healthy shape and her successor Shirley Fraser will benefit from a solid foundation to take the SA branch’s activities to the next level.

Cat will be missed by all AWA staff and her SA branch committee, and we wish her the best of luck in her future endeavours.

‘Talking Water’ is a new AWA/WSAA video series capturing and promoting Indigenous water knowledge from the past and present along with a vision for the future. The production of the first video in the series has been led by our Northern Territory Branch and has been filmed on country and in the local language of each area. The team have travelled more than 800km in Central Australia to capture the stories of elders, custodians and traditional owners. Linking firmly to Strategy’22 and our commitment to fostering greater Indigenous engagement, this first video will be launched online during National Reconciliation Week.

Special thanks to Eric Vanweydeveld, NT Branch President and current NT Water Professional of the Year for his incredible commitment to this project.

EXCHANGING KNOWLEDGE ACROSS THE SEAS As part of our Water Utility Improvement Program (WUIP), funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian local councils and utilities (Whitsunday Water, Singleton Council and Riverina Water) have been exchanging knowledge with their Vietnamese utility counterparts (Viet Ha, Nghe An and An Giang) during visits to Australia this February and to Vietnam in November last year. The councils have shared technical and monitoring solutions on the prevention of non-revenue water loss, supported the development of an asset management system for the water supply system, identified opportunities to optimise water treatment operations and introduced trialling of leak detection technology and training.

SURVEY ON WATER SUPPLY IMPACTS OF BUSHFIRES he Australian Water Association, in partnership with the UNSW Global Water Institute, the NSW Water Directorate and the Water Services Association of Australia, recently conducted a survey of water utilities and regional councils affected by the ‘Black Summer’ fires.

Results show there is a clear difference between smaller regional councils and larger water utilities in their capacity to deal with bushfires and maintain water supply.

“We need to ensure our regional water providers have the resources to maintain resilience in times of extreme weather conditions and natural disaster,” AWA CEO Jonathan McKeown said.

“What we hope to achieve with these results is a way forward that empowers water utilities and regional councils to become resilient in the face of extreme weather events and adverse conditions.”

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AUSTRALIA DAY HONOURS Australians who have had a positive impact on water and the environment were among those who received Australia Day honours this year. This includes Barwon Water Deputy Chair Elaine Carbines, who was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to conservation and the environment. Southern Rural Water Deputy Chair Michael Malouf was made an AM for significant service to local government and to the Victorian community. Goulburn-Murray Water Director Alana Johnson was recognised as an AM for her service to women through leadership and advisory roles. Across the Tasman, Dr John Wettenhall was appointed an AM for service to the international community through water, sanitation and medical programs. Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) employee Christine Ferguson received a Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to policy and program delivery in Victoria.

REIMAGINING OUR WATER FUTURE

id you know we organise National Water Week every third week of October?

This year National Water Week will run on 19-25 October and the theme is Reimagining our Water Future.

We encourage our members to organise a local community event that demonstrates how we as an industry are reimagining our water future, be that through a site tour of a waste-to-energy facility, or an informational walk-and-talk near a constructed wetland.

D

To find out more visit www.awa.asn.au/nww20

RENEWING OUR SPECIALIST NETWORKS Members of the AWA Board and staff have been working together to renew our specialist networks so there is greater collaboration within the networks and between the networks and branches. A huge component of this collaboration will be the use of our online and digital platforms, which we hope will offer an agile way for our committee members to communicate. The renewed specialist networks and way forward will be launched over the coming months.

MEMBER SURVEY ON CLIMATE CHANGE We recently surveyed our members on the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change and extreme weather conditions to better inform the media and governments on the most constructive methods for supporting communities.

The responses will demonstrate what policies and regulations are needed to address the risks associated with droughts, bushfires and/or floods, whether that be additional infrastructure and personnel training, increased water recycling, and/or increased government funding on water research and development.

www.awa.asn.au

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NLINE?

WHAT’S

Keep up to date with the latest industry and Association developments at watersource.awa.asn.au

MOST POPULAR PODCASTS

Did you know the Australian Water Association’s online hub features in-depth podcasts with some of Australia’s leading water professionals?

TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO!

STUART KHAN The Future of Potable Reuse

MICHAEL SMIT The Cost of Water

JOE PERA The Impact of Decaying Fish on Water Quality

Buy the time we take that [waste]water and treat it through advanced treatment processes, we are dealing with the purest, cleanest drinking water available anywhere on earth.

From the customer’s point of view, they pay one figure, which includes all of the variable and fixed charges, which can look like quite an arbitrary arrangement.

Carp are the most dominant fish species in our fresh water waterways. They are real survivors; they can tolerate extremes in water quality and they are quite prolific in breeding.

499 downloads

460 downloads

450 downloads

TRENDING NOW: DIGITAL NEWS Recycled water creates oasis in outback 25,997 views +++++

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NT engineer investigates water treatment solutions in the Middle East 8432 views ++++

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New data maps world’s most waterstressed regions 5016 views +++

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THE AUSTRALIAN WATER ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE

I N D U S T R Y F E AT U R E S INSIGHTS INTO AND ANALYSIS OF THE FORCES SHAPING THE AUSTRALIAN WATER INDUSTRY.

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MACINLEY BUTSON International Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2019 winner Macinley Butson explains the importance of age diversity.

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HYDROGEN BOOM Why hydrogen is such a lucrative enterprise for the water sector and Australia.

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HELEN & JESSICA This AWA Mentoring Program pairing focused on navigating career choices in a new country.

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BRACING THE STORM How stormwater harvesting and reuse is changing urban water management policy and practice.

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AUSTRALIAN WATER AWARDS 2020 Finalists for the Australian Water Awards have been announced. Take a look at this year’s impressive line up.

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SUNBURNT COUNTRY Why land and resources management is so important and how utilities are getting involved.

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LOW-CARBON CORRIDORS What are the viable energy options for a low-carbon economy, and how are water businesses getting involved?

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BEATING THE BLUES How water organisations can help reduce depression rates for a healthier, happier workforce.

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WATER SECURITY Have we considered all the options when it comes to securing future supplies?

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REAL TIME Detecting pathogens in water in real-time could be just around the corner.

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Macinley Butson

SPIRIT OF YOUTH LAST YEAR, MACINLEY BUTSON SHOOK THE INTERNATIONAL WATER SECTOR WHEN SHE BECAME THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN TO WIN THE INTERNATIONAL STOCKHOLM JUNIOR WATER PRIZE. NOW A BRIGHT LIGHT FOR WATER’S FUTURE, BUTSON SHARES HER THOUGHTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUTH TO CREATE CHANGE. As told to Cecilia Harris

Australian Water Association: You’ve been very busy in the past year, can you tell us about your time in Stockholm during World Water Week 2019?

Macinley Butson: I was fortunate enough to travel to Sweden in August last year as the Australian finalist representative for the International Stockholm Junior Water Prize. It was an experience that’s hard to describe with words. We were there for about a week and I was alongside about 50 other international finalists.

We were there to showcase our projects, which all involved investigating water and what we could do to help in the water sector. Being able to make international connections and friendships, with other people my age and with the same drive to help people, was a really phenomenal experience.

The awards were held during World Water Week, so we all attended the conference, too. And that was an eye-opening experience. I knew a little bit about the water sector from my project, but I didn’t quite realise how much opportunity there was for change. Being able to attend World Water Week as part of the experience showed me what is possible and broadened my horizons. I am very thankful to have had that opportunity.

AT THE MOMENT I AM FOCUSING ON REALLY TAKING SOME OF THOSE INVENTIONS AND DEVELOPING THEM INTO PRODUCTS THAT CAN BE USED. MACINLEY BUTSON

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Macinley Butson

Macinley Butson being presented with the International Stockholm Junior Water Prize by the Patron, Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden.

Image: Jonas Borg

The award’s judging was nerve-racking and exciting at the same time. I know it may sound a bit strange, but I was incredibly nervous speaking to the judges. But being able to share my project with the experts in their field from all around the world was a really fantastic opportunity. They had genuine interest in asking me about my work and offered very insightful, and sometimes quite challenging, questions. I never dreamed of winning the international competition and I was so impressed with other students’ work, too. So when I went on to win the award, it was such an incredible honour.

AWA: Now you have an award-winning invention?

What do you plan to do next?

Butson: I went over with the SODIS sticker, which is a water purification device. I definitely have big plans. The dream is for it to be on the ground, helping people in developing communities. I’d love to see it doing what it’s designed to do.

I’ve got a little bit of work to do before this will happen. But I’ve had the opportunity to do a bit more research and I’ve been in contact recently with Xylem, which was the global sponsor for the competition. We’ve been talking about the potential to collaborate. It’s still very early, but that will be very exciting.

At university, I’ve decided on engineering. I’m not sure where that will take me, but one of the fantastic things about engineering is its breadth – you can almost apply it anywhere.

During my high school years I did a lot of inventing. But, for most of it, I didn’t get to the stage beyond creating, or the prototype stage. At the moment I am focusing on really taking some of those inventions and developing them into products

IF WE KEEP GOING ALONG WITH THE PROCESS THAT WE HAVE BEEN USING, WE’RE GOING TO COME UP AGAINST SOME PROBLEMS VERY, VERY QUICKLY. MACINLEY BUTSON

that can be used. There’s always more research involved in making an invention idea ‘world ready’, but I am ready for the challenge.

It’s both exciting and difficult. My mind is more comfortable with engineering and science, that is the part I really enjoy.

I don’t enjoy the business side as much, but the outcome is what makes it worthwhile. It is exciting to see my ideas actually becoming usable and that’s the exciting part, having them being used. The part I enjoy is the science part, but there’s no point in doing it if the ideas are not going to get to that end point.

AWA: What are your thoughts on diversity in the sector and the work being done by young water professionals?

Butson: In any sector, having the diversity in all aspects is incredibly important. Whether this is gender, cultural background or age, which for me is especially important.

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Macinley Butson

ONE OF THE STRUGGLES AT THE MOMENT IS THAT WE DON’T HAVE THE ANSWER TO EXACTLY HOW THE WORLD SHOULD RUN. MACINLEY BUTSON

Macinley Butson with AWA President Carmel Krogh OAM (left) and Xylem’s Aaron Goth (right).

You know, we’re at a time where modern medicine has become a lot more advanced. We have about five generations in the workforce at any one time, which is a truckload of experience.

At this point, we have a unique ability to harness and utilise all of that. It’s especially important in the water sector because it’s one of the sectors where we need to see a paradigm shift in terms of gender diversity. Diversity propels this force to keep going and advancing our organisations into the future.

If we keep going along with the process that we have been using, we’re going to come up against some problems very, very quickly. Young people are going to be integral in regards to changing the game. Look at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the United Nations as an example; out of those goals, which we’re trying to reach by 2030, most of them are linked directly to water. Young people have the skill of thinking about things differently and being open to change. We don’t always have the experience necessary to enact that change, but quite often young people have the ideas and an idealistic nature, this allows them to think outside the box and that is going to be necessary for coming up with those new advances for change.

It’s important to recognise that this is going to be a partnership between young and senior, where young people recognise the experience and knowledge in our older generations. But our older generations need to recognise the value of some of the wacky ideas that young people come up with. And you can harness that relationship. We’re going to be able to see the combination of new ideas and a fresh perspective on the water sector, combined with the experience and skills to make that change possible. Water is something that affects every single person around the world, whether it’s too much water, too little water, or unclean water. This is something that in some way affects every single person on earth. It’s incredibly vital that we all step up and try to enact change.

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AWA: You’re at the start of a career, which is very exciting. Do you have an idea of how you’d like to see the world change over the coming decades?

Butson: If I had the answer to world peace, we could all get started! One of the struggles at the moment is that we don’t have the answer to exactly how the world should run. I do honestly think the SDGs are a phenomenal guideline for what we should be working towards as humanity.

They are really a set of principles, which create an equality and fairness in standard of life that everyone should already have.

It should be known as basic human rights. Obviously, there’s always going to be more that we can do and more ways that we can help. I don’t think that will ever stop, but the SDGs are good starting points. We need to look closely at our actions and how, as a world, we have been operating for the past 500 years.

We need to take an objective look back on that and recognise that we can’t keep working like this. If we keep working like this, we’re not going to have a place to live. I’m all for trying to stay living on earth, as opposed to looking for somewhere else that we can move, if that were even an option. We need to realise what we have done to this planet and the impact that we’ve had. And we must try to rectify it in a way that’s going to be equal and fair so everyone can call this place home.

We thank Xylem for their long standing support of the Australian Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

Find out more at www.awa.asn.au/asjwp

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Mentoring

MENTORING OUTSIDE OF YOUR ORGANISATION GIVES YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO THINK DIFFERENTLY, AND APPLY YOUR LEARNINGS AND KNOWLEDGE IN A DIFFERENT WAY. HELEN EDMONDS

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HELEN & JESSICA MOVING ABROAD CAN BE CHALLENGING. HOWEVER, FINDING THE RIGHT GUIDANCE HAS HELPED ONE YOUNG WATER PROFESSIONAL NAVIGATE THE SECTOR. As told to Cecilia Harris

hen Jessica Bohorquez moved from Colombia to pursue post-graduate research, she was new to the Australian water sector.

Unsure of her future career pathway, Jessica was paired with Helen Edmonds in the Australian Water Association’s mentoring program. While Jessica is now aware of all the fantastic opportunities waiting ahead of her, Helen has also come to reflect on how she contributes to the sector.

W Mentor

HELEN EDMONDS, SENIOR MANAGER CAPITAL PROJECTS PWC AUSTRALIA

Mentor

Mentee

HELEN

JESSICA

PwC Australia

The University of Adelaide

Age:

Age:

47

28

Time in industry:

Time in industry:

25 years

7 years

Edmonds

Bohorquez

Industry experience gap

18 years

When I joined the program, I was looking for a way to get back into doing some mentoring. And at the time I was working for SA Water, so it seemed like a perfect chance to get involved and do some mentoring again. The mentoring I have done before has been within companies; working with Jessica was the first mentoring I’ve done outside of my organisation.

The Australian Water Association’s mentoring program is definitely different. It’s also really refreshing. It’s nice to have a mentee with a different background doing something very different, because you learn more about what’s going on in the wider industry.

I also found myself reflecting a lot more on decisions I’ve made as a result of that mentoring relationship. Mentoring is a two-way thing; you learn from your mentee as much as you help your mentee going forward.

One of the things Jessica was thinking about was where she wanted to go with her work and I was in a really similar place at that point in time in my career.

We had regular catch-ups and check-ins, and we would talk about whatever Jessica wanted to do at that time, what she wanted to talk about, what she wanted to work on. Our conversations slowly progressed throughout the year.

Initially, Jessica wanted to get some exposure in the industry and was looking for industrial applications for her research.

But she also needed help to figure out whether she wanted to stay in academia or move closer to industry.

Once Jessica decided to stay in academia, we started to discuss what she needed to do to make that happen. Once she’d made some of those really big decisions, we focused on the details.

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Mentoring

WE WERE NOT ONLY TALKING ABOUT CAREER PATHS, WE ALSO SHARED SOME OF THE EXPERIENCES I’VE BEEN HAVING HERE AS A PERSON IN A NEW COUNTRY. JESSICA BOHORQUEZ

It was rewarding watching her change throughout the year.

Jessica was gaining new experiences and realising what her passion was and what she really loves doing. She did some more teaching at a university and she did some guest lecturing overseas.

By the middle of the year, she was talking passionately about how much she loved teaching and helping others. But it was also great to watch her embrace the industrial experience she was getting at the same time.

I was lucky because when I started my PhD I had already been working in industry. I decided that working in industry was the path for me following my studies, but our shared experience with postgraduate studies helped me guide her.

Jessica is very focused, very professional, and asks some very smart questions.

Mentoring outside of your organisation gives you an opportunity to think differently, and apply your learnings and knowledge in a different way. It helps broaden your knowledge of what’s going on in the industry. I get huge satisfaction out of doing it. It’s both a personal and a professional growth opportunity; I end up doing a lot of reflection as part of it, too.

Mentee JESSICA BOHORQUEZ, PHD CANDIDATE THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE I saw the AWA mentoring program in the weekly newsletter.

It was my first time in a mentoring program, I’ve only been in Australia for three years. I thought it looked perfect because I wanted to gain more perspective of the Australian water sector.

I also joined up because I’m doing my PhD and had been unsure of what path to take when I finish. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue in research or if I wanted to move to industry. It was the perfect opportunity to get some insider views on the industry side of things.

At the beginning of the program, Helen and I decided to meet on a monthly basis. It was more of a catch-up. By the end of the program, it felt like catching up with a friend.

When we met, I would update Helen on what I was doing at university. Helen took the opportunity to tell me about her experience, which was really cool – it was great to have her insight.

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The main objective I had when I joined was to know how the industry works here in Australia. I’m from Colombia, and it’s quite different over there. It was really interesting learning how things are managed in Australia. Helen was extremely helpful because she has plenty of experience in industry; she was able to put everything in simple terms for me to understand.

I was very lucky to be paired with Helen. The water industry is very broad. For my PhD research, I have worked with pipelines and water supply, and Helen was working on something that was very related to asset management.

It was really great to get the chance to ask her questions.

Helen was running the asset management team at SA Water and I had the opportunity to learn from her. That was an awesome professional experience.

At the opening event for the mentoring program, everyone was introducing themselves and I didn’t know her at that time.

I was like: “Oh, I hope she is my mentor because she sounds like the perfect match for me!”

Helen has an academic background, so she has had a similar history. Being paired with her has given me a vision of what I could be doing in the future.

Helen opened my mind in terms of what I can do after a PhD. When I started, I thought I got in to a PhD because I wanted to be an academic. I loved that idea. But, talking to Helen, I realised that the Australian sector works differently. There are so many more pathways. I definitely experienced a change in my outlook, which I wouldn’t have achieved if I hadn’t been in touch with her. It was definitely an eye-opening experience.

We were not only talking about career paths, we also shared some of the experiences I’ve been having here as a person in a new country. I had certain objectives related to what I want to do with my life here in Australia and Helen was very helpful with that, too. I would definitely recommend the AWA mentoring program for someone in a similar position.

Coming to a new country can be challenging, both personally and professionally, but having someone to help you explore how you might develop your career within the new context is invaluable. It also helps you to build new relationships in the industry. Being paired with such a successful water professional in such a high position was an inspiration.

To get involved in the Australian Water Association’s mentoring program, contact your local branch.

Ovarro – the new name for Servelec Technologies & Primayer A new word entered the water technology lexicon in March with a bold rebrand by Servelec Technologies and recent acquisition, leak detection specialist Primayer. The two companies are now united under one brand and one name Ovarro.

Water is a core sector for Ovarro, which also works with clients in the oil & gas, broadcast and transportation markets. The company helps organisations monitor, control and manage their assets and is anticipating considerable organic growth as utilities and municipalities seek greater analytics capability to drive multiple efficiencies in their operations.

Ovarro is inspired by the name of Roman scholar Marcus Terentius Varro who was first to propose the honeycomb conjecture. He stated that a regular hexagonal grid or honeycomb pattern is the best way to divide a surface into regions of equal area with the shortest total perimeter.

Charles Darwin later commented that, “The honeycomb is a masterpiece of engineering. It is absolutely perfect in economising labour and wax.”

David Frost, chief executive of Ovarro said, “The water technology market is entering an extraordinarily vibrant phase, which we wanted to capture with the honeycomb theme of our rebrand. Exceptional efficiencies are sought by our customers and they will only be achieved through

the collaborative efforts of a busy hive.

“We have some great technologies and unrivalled in-house expertise and in coming together and integrating our teams in R&D, operations and at the executive level, we can streamline our offer across industries and geographies. Having a single brand to wrap around this unique integrated offer is the most effective way of delivering to our customers.”

Looking ahead, Frost said, “Tightening regulatory drivers mean water utilities and municipalities around the world are expected to do more for less.

There are also considerable strains on our natural resources and water losses through leakage are a massive issue. Our combined solutions tackle that head on.”

For more information visit www.ovarro.com.

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ollowing the decision not to proceed with Ozwater in Adelaide this May, the Australian Water Association is currently examining ways to share content already prepared by the water sector for Ozwater’20 digitally. This will include a package of videos, webinars, and podcasts to provide access to and discussions on keynote presentations, accent speakers, technical papers and workshops.

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During a period when we all anticipate an increased amount of working remotely and in isolation, a ‘Digital Ozwater’ will still see the sector benefit from the sharing of the latest water knowledge and expertise and will help keep the sector engaged and connected.

While a physical exhibition will not be possible this year, we are exploring options for a virtual exhibition that may be linked to the digital version of Ozwater. Some of our key Ozwater’20 networking functions including the Water Leaders Forum, the Directors Program, and the Australian Water Awards Gala Dinner may be held later in the year depending on the duration and impacts of COVID-19.

Details of these possibilities will be shared after further analysis and discussions with our presenters, sponsors and members.

OZWATER’21 TO BE HELD IN ADELAIDE The Association has decided to hold next year’s Ozwater in Adelaide on 4-6 May. This will enable the continued positive engagement of the South Australian water industry and our key SA stakeholders to benefit all delegates at next year’s event.

Ozwater’21 will involve a new program of content that will be facilitated in the usual manner commencing in August this year with a call for papers.

2020 Australian Water Awards sponsor

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Take a look at the outstanding professionals, students and organisations in the running for Australia’s most prestigious water awards. The winners will be announced at an Australian Water Awards Gala Dinner to be held later this year.

Research Innovation Award (sponsored by WaterRA) • An Integrated Approach to Iron Salt Use in Urban Water Systems – The University of Queensland, Urban Utilities, Seqwater and WaterRA (QLD) • Innovative Sensor Suites and Intelligent Robotics for Condition Assessment of Concrete Sewers – University of Technology Sydney and Sydney Water (NSW) • SA Water Machine Learning Analytics for Proactive Pipe Leak Detection and Repair – SA Water (SA) • Treatment of Highly Alkaline Industry Wastewater through SPORE – Environmental Engineers International (WA) • Victorian Climate Initiative – Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO (VIC)

Program Innovation Award (sponsored by Broadspectrum) • Autonomous Motorised Monitoring Instrument – Seqwater (QLD) • Barwon Water Property Consolidation Program – Barwon Water (VIC) • Drainage for Liveability – Water Corporation and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (WA) • Flows for the Future – Department for Environment and Water (SA) • Integrated Water Accounts for the Canberra Region – Bureau of Meteorology (ACT) • Recycled Water for a Greener Parkes – Parkes Shire Council (NSW) • That’s My Water! – The Weather Web – Power and Water Corporation (NT)

Infrastructure Project Innovation Award (sponsored by SMEC) • 24 Glasses – TasWater (TAS) • ACT Healthy Waterways Project – ACT Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (ACT) • Borroloola Water Treatment System Upgrade: The Containerised Story – Power and Water Corporation and SUEZ (NT) • Going Green at Kenilworth – Unitywater (QLD) • Kununurra Diversion Dam Gantry Crane – Water Corporation and Vector Lifting (WA) • Peterborough Community Wastewater Management Scheme – District Council of Peterborough, Flinders University and Local Government Association of South Australia (SA) • Project Gilghi: Modular Self Contained Solar WTP for Remote Indigenous Communities – Aurecon and Ampcontrol (NSW) • Yarra Valley Water Waste to Energy Project – Yarra Valley Water (VIC)

Water Professional of the Year Award • Chris Thompson, Principal Consultant, Macquarie Franklin (TAS) • Daryl Ross, Acting Director, Road and Water Infrastructure, Logan City Council (QLD) • Eric Vanweydeveld, Senior Project Manager, Power and Water Corporation (NT) • Grant Leslie, General Manager, Balmoral Group Australia (NSW) • Jeremy Maher, Manager Sustainability and Environment, City of Bayswater (WA) • Mark Gobbie, General Manager, Asset Operations and Delivery, SA Water (SA) • Terry Dalgleish, Group Manager Liveability, South East Water (VIC)

Student Water Prize (sponsored by Guidera O’Connor) • Harnessing Immobilised Algae for High Rate Wastewater Treatment – Matthew Kube, RMIT University (VIC) • Incorporating Agricultural Analysis into Hypoxic Blackwater Modelling to Improve Forecasting of Future Events – Jimmy Parascos, Australian National University (ACT) • Is the Installation of Mini Hydropower Turbines into Water Transmission System Pipelines Cost Effective? – Amber Smith and Anthony Cox, University of Adelaide (SA) • Leanyer Sanderson Waste Stabilisation Pond Microbiology – Alea Rose, Charles Darwin University (NT) • Optimisation of the Water System at Visy Paper Smithfield (VP3&6) – Alana Saliba, The University of Sydney (NSW) • Unravelling Roles of Emerging Environmental Contaminants in Promoting the Spread of Antibiotic Resistance – Ji Lu, The University of Queensland (QLD) • Unravelling Stream Ecosystem Functioning in Urban Landscapes to Improve Management of Water Quality and Habitat – Jen Middleton, University of Western Australia (WA)

Young Water Professional of the Year Award (sponsored by Xylem) • Aidan Symons, Senior Engineer, Water Infrastructure, SMEC (QLD) • Ben Staniford, Senior Engineer, Tonkin (SA) • Cassandre Tickner-Smith, Environment and Compliance Officer, Tasmanian Irrigation (TAS) • Christina Bruno, Leader – NT, Tonkin (NT) • Dr Paul Satur, Researcher, Monash Water Sensitive Cities, Monash Sustainable Development Institute & Our Future Cities (VIC) • Dr Tanja Rosenqvist, Lecturer – Humanitarian Engineering, RMIT (NSW) • Portia Condell, Environmental Support Officer, Icon Water (ACT) • Rebecca Ferguson, Catchment Management Officer, City of Bayswater (WA)

Water Industry Safety Excellence Award (sponsored by WSAA) • Confined Space Entry Simulator Experience – Melbourne Water (VIC) • Decluttering for the Water Industry: How to Test if Your Safety System Should Stay or Go – Logan Water, Downer Utilities and Griffith University Science Innovation Lab (QLD) • Dredge Robotics – Dredge Robotics (WA) • Soft Tissue Injury Prevention – TasWater (TAS) • Ventia M&E Contract to Yarra Valley Water – Ventia (VIC)

Australian Stockholm Junior Water Prize (sponsored by Xylem) • Developing and Testing an Autonomous Water Monitoring System – Olivia Arvanitis, Meriden School (NSW) • Microplastics in Water – Tsz Yee (Phoebe) Pang, Menai High School (NSW) • The Use of Eggshell Waste as a Bio-adsorbant of Phosphates for Water and Soil Quality – Emma Serisier, Bishop Druitt College (NSW) • What is the Effectiveness of Organoclay Adsorption and Re-elution in Removing the Aquatic Pollutant 2-Ethylhexyl3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)Prop-2-Enoate, Quantified Through UV-Visible Spectrophotometry and Bacteria Luminescence Test Screen? – George Tian, Queensland Academies for Health Sciences (QLD)

Best Water e-Journal Paper (In honour of Guy Parker) • Winner announced at Australian Water Awards Gala Dinner

www.awa.asn.au

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Wastewater treatment plants as microgrids: What if ‘systems thinking’ could help water utilities support both energy and water resilience for Australian communities?

Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) are the most energy intensive areas of water utilities, generating an estimated 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions1. In response, investment in on-site renewable generation is growing. What if – in the face of unpredictable climatic events and an increasingly strained electricity grid - we could use storage technologies to optimise this energy usage, whilst also supporting the energy security needs of local communities? By applying ‘systems thinking’, ìÚ ØÖã çÚØäÜãÞèÚ éÝÚ ×çäÖÙÚç Øä ×ÚãÚúÞéè that storage at WWTPs might provide.

On-site renewable generation is growing Many of Australia’s water utilities have committed to achieving net zero emissions, with èäâÚ ÖÞâÞãÜ Ûäç éäéÖá ÚãÚçÜî èÚáÛ èêÛúÞØÞÚãØî – whereby they produce as much energy as éÝÚî ØäãèêâÚ ÎÞÜãÞúÞØÖãé ÞãëÚèéâÚãé Þã äã èÞéÚ renewable generation is making these goals a reality. In fact, production at some WWTPs has begun to exceed usage, including Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant2 and Yarra Valley Water’s Aurora Treatment Plant3.

Currently, excess renewable energy from WWTPs is fed back into the electricity grid. Although not necessarily a poor use of that energy, the electricity market in some Australian states is experiencing a higher incidence of ‘negative pricing’ due to supply exceeding demand during certain times of day. This can lead to water utilities paying for the energy they export to the grid rather than generating revenue.

So how might water utilities continue to scale up their renewable generation at WWTPs without exposing themselves to êããÚØÚèèÖçî úÞãÖãØÞÖá çÞèà ÊãÚ èäáêéÞäã áÞÚè in the use of energy storage technologies.

Enhancing value - energy storage technologies Storage technologies - such as batteries or hydrogen – allows excess energy to be stored for later use. For a WWTP, on-site storage would allow it to be fed back into the grid during more valuable times of the day, thus avoiding the negative pricing problem. It could also be used to improve facility energy security by serving as a potential source of back-up power in the event of an outage. ÊçÙÞãÖçÞáî éÝÚ éÝÞãàÞãÜ âÞÜÝé èéäå éÝÚçÚ But if we think beyond the scope of the åçäßÚØé Þé·è ØáÚÖç éÝÖé éÝÚ ×ÚãÚúÞé äÛ èéäçÖÜÚ at WWTPs reaches beyond water utilities.

‘Systems thinking’ for a more resilient future ‘Systems thinking’ encourages us to look beyond the scope of an individual project and consider the broader picture to drive a more sustainable future. To achieve this, the approach examines multiple interactions between different stakeholder groups to uncover èîãÚçÜÞÚè ÖãÙ êáéÞâÖéÚáî åçäÙêØÚ Øä ×ÚãÚúÞéè ÏÝÚ èêââÚç äÛ & èÖì Ö èÞÜãÞúÞØÖãé strain on the National Electricity Market from extreme weather, generator outages and high electricity demand at peak times, with the market operator frequently calling on emergency back-up reserves.

References: Magill, B. (2016). Sewage Plants Overlooked Source of CO2. Climate Central. Retrieved from https://www.climatecentral.org/news/sewage-plants-overlooked-co2source-20840 | 2 Melbourne Water (2018). Energy. Retrieved from https://www.melbournewater.com.au/community-and-education/about-our-water/liveability-andenvironment/energy | 3 Yarra Valley Water (2020). ReWaste. Retrieved from http://www.rewaste.com.au/

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These climatic impacts are expected to become increasingly severe and unpredictable – a trend ÚíÖØÚç×ÖéÚÙ ×î Öã ÖÜÚÞãÜ úáÚÚé äÛ ØäÖá ÖãÙ gas power plants. Installing storage at WWTPs represents an opportunity for these facilities to act as community microgrids, creating a self-contained power system that can function independently from the main electricity grid. ½ÚîäãÙ éÝÚ åäéÚãéÞÖá ØäââÚçØÞÖá ×ÚãÚúÞéè for water utilities, doing so could provide stability and demand management services to the electricity grid and provide energy security for local areas during power outages.

Looking to the future, water businesses have the opportunity to think beyond the scope of individual projects to consider broader energy and water resilience for their consumers and Australia as a whole, whilst still achieving their emissions reduction goals.

Many emerging global challenges are closely intertwined, and taking a systems thinking approach will be critical to successfully navigate this complexity whilst also driving a more resilient future for Australian communities.

Ïä úÞãÙ äêé âäçÚ get in touch: Walter Gerardi Technical Director - Energy Markets +61 3 8668 3081 Walter.Gerardi@jacobs.com

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The world needs innovators and problem solvers who turn challenges into greater opportunities. Together, we help our clients tackle their toughest energy needs - from reaching their emissions reduction targets, to äåéÞâÞèÞãÜ äåÚçÖéÞäãÖá ÚÛúÞØÞÚãØî ÖãÙ ÖèèÚé åáÖããÞãÜ

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Low-carbon Economy

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By Martin Kovacs

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Low-carbon Economy

T

PRICES ARE PROJECTED TO CONTINUE DECLINING, AND THIS MAKES THE PROSPECT OF GREEN HYDROGEN MUCH MORE ATTRACTIVE. HENRY SWISHER, JACOBS

he water-energy nexus has been the subject of increasing attention in recent years, as the water and energy sectors navigate the interrelated challenges of climate change, growing demand and resource security. Utilities have been actively exploring how to match renewable energy sources, from solar to biogas generation, to their various energy requirements.

In November 2019, the release of Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy by the COAG Energy Council Hydrogen Working Group, chaired by Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel, thrust the hydrogen industry firmly into the spotlight.

Hydrogen’s effectiveness as an energy carrier, producing zero carbon emissions when used as a fuel, is attracting growing attention, with GHD Water Market Leader – Australia Rod Naylor highlighting the opportunity to position Australia as a first mover in the rapidly growing market.

“Australia currently enjoys bipartisan support for the industry at all levels of government,” Naylor said.

“This would be attractive to international investment partners seeking to participate in the development of a hydrogen supply chain, which has significant demand globally.”

THE EMERGING HYDROGEN INDUSTRY As Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy outlines, most hydrogen is currently produced using fossil fuels. However, the utilisation of renewable energy to power electrolysis, the process via which electricity is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, produces no carbon emissions.

Naylor said the water-energy nexus was particularly relevant to using electrolysis to separate water to extract the hydrogen, and stressed the importance of considering water’s role as a resource.

“If we export hydrogen, we are essentially exporting water, and this needs to be considered in the context of water security,” he said.

“If we are using hydrogen in the domestic market, there may be opportunities to re-use water throughout this process.”

As a means of addressing water security concerns, Naylor highlighted the potential to use recycled water or desalination, but also pointed to a number of obstacles industry would need to deal with.

“Australia’s experience with large-scale desalination provides a solid starting point for the hydrogen industry,” he commented.

“But there will be technical challenges to overcome – for example, the choice of water recycling or desalination technology will have an impact on overall energy requirements, life cycle cost and life cycle carbon emissions of hydrogen production.”

Naylor said that if the hydrogen industry were to match the current exports of the liquefied natural gas industry, this would amount to approximately 25 million tonnes of hydrogen per year, requiring approximately 250 million tonnes of water.

“This will be a relatively small fraction of Australia’s water resources, even under dry conditions,” he said. “But each project may need careful consideration of water security at the local level to achieve a sustainable solution.”

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Low-carbon Economy

IF WE EXPORT HYDROGEN, WE ARE ESSENTIALLY EXPORTING WATER, AND THIS NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE CONTEXT OF WATER SECURITY. ROD NAYLOR, GHD

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PATHWAYS TO PRODUCTION Jacobs Strategic Consultant for Energy Markets Henry Swisher said many governments viewed hydrogen as a transition industry, from fossil fuel-produced hydrogen, paired with carbon capture, to renewable hydrogen.

While coal still dominates the local energy mix, Swisher noted many coal-fired power plants would be reaching the end of their technical lifespans over the next two decades, while proximity to export markets and existing shipping agreements could facilitate growth of the hydrogen export industry.

Swisher said the case for green hydrogen would grow as the cost of renewable energy technologies continued to fall.

“The reason a lot of noise is being made about Australia is mainly because, compared to a lot of other countries, we have a combination of excellent renewable resources and the land space to develop those resources,” he said.

“We’ve seen a dramatic fall in the price of solar, in particular, but also wind, over the past decade. Prices are projected to continue declining, and this makes the prospect of green hydrogen much more attractive.”

Jacobs Regional Solutions Director – Drinking Water and Re-use John Poon noted significant potential existed to drive down costs as hydrogen production was expanded, with the modular nature of electrolysis technology providing a building block to scaling up operation.

Poon said the water industry had a history of developing new technologies and scaling up, and highlighted the need for the water and energy industries to work together.

“There is a significant role for the water industry to play in the decarbonised future,” he said.

“There are really only two key ingredients for green hydrogen production – lots of renewable energy and water. Water is a pretty scarce resource in Australia, and the water industry is responsible for what we do with water, and recycled water has a key role to play.”

OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE WATER SECTOR A Jacobs white paper released last year – Australia’s pursuit of a large scale hydrogen economy – evaluates the potential for sustainable hydrogen production in Australia, and recommends utilities investigate the potential revenue stream, cost savings and efficiency benefits that production could deliver.

The paper states that scope exists to use recycled water due to the prevalence of wastewater facilities throughout the country, along with their proximity to urban centres providing flexible siting options.

The paper also notes that business cases for wastewater facilities incorporating hydrogen production will be further boosted if they are adjacent to transport hubs, with Poon pointing to the opportunity for the water and energy sectors to collaborate with the transport sector.

“Locally, I think transportation is probably the area that we would like to look at,” he said.

“Water utilities have a big role there, because most wastewater treatment plants are located in ideal locations for hydrogen hubs – they’re on transport corridors, they’re near industrial users and they’re near gas networks.”

Swisher pointed to the value in utilities assessing how hydrogen could be utilised in the context of larger business models.

“One example of this is that a lot of utilities have large trucks and fleets, with vehicles typically undertaking lots of trips,” he said.

“So, the potential exists to combine hydrogen production equipment with co-located renewable energy, such as waste-to-energy, turning this into hydrogen and using it for onsite transport, or day-to-day use, with the eventual aim of becoming a large-scale supplier and utility of the future.”

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Low-carbon Economy

SA Water Senior Manager Zero Cost Energy Future Nicola Murphy with one of the utility’s existing solar arrays.

SOLAR SUPPLY SA Water is one utility seeking to integrate renewable energy technologies across its operations, investing more than $300 million to install 154 MW of solar photovoltaic generation at around 35 sites, along with 34 MWh of energy storage devices, by the end of 2020.

SA Water Zero Cost Energy Future Program Senior Manager Nicola Murphy said the program was formed amid the backdrop of an increasingly volatile electricity market.

“It was becoming obvious to us that we needed to make some bold moves to keep pace with the changes that we were seeing in the market,” she said.

“Electricity is one of our biggest operating costs. If we can sustainably reduce our operating expenses, we can ultimately keep water and sewerage charges low and stable for our customers.”

Murphy said SA Water approached energy management at a portfolio level, focusing on demand scheduling, energy efficiency, storage, generation and energy market levers.

In addition to catering to SA Water’s electricity needs, the energy generated will allow the utility to sell back to the market, with Murphy pointing to the importance of being able to “make the right decisions at the right time, and fairly quickly in response to market changes”.

Aiding this will be the development of an energy management system overseeing the range of the utility’s operations.

“A sophisticated modelling tool allows us to continually review the actual performance at the different sites, optimising how those sites operate,” Murphy said.

“This involved scheduling large loads through the day, taking into consideration how the market is changing and how our generation is influencing a site – the combination of the market, the generation, the storage and then the load, bringing those together and optimising that outcome financially.”

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BIG CAPITAL INVESTMENTS IN THE SYSTEM ARE NOT AS NECESSARY IF YOU HAVE FLEXIBILITY IN THE WAY THAT YOU USE ELECTRICITY. DANI ALEX ANDER, UTS INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

INTEGRATING DEMAND-SIDE FLEXIBILITY With utilities investigating the potential to harness renewable technologies across different operations, UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures Research Principal Dani Alexander highlighted the key role that demand-side flexibility can play in the energy transition.

Alexander pointed to opportunities for change that are emerging, with demand-side flexibility “finding ways to use electricity at times that better complement the system”.

“Our energy system has changed from a one-way flow of electricity, from mostly large coal-fired generators to dispersed customers, to more dynamic two-way flows,” she said.

“Big capital investments in the system are not as necessary if you have flexibility in the way that you use electricity.”

Being able to shift demand can both bypass the need for costly additional network infrastructure and provide a pathway for renewables integration. Alexander noted that with “a large load you can make a big impact”.

“When we’re talking about efficient emissions reduction, we want big shifts in load to match the renewables that are coming online,” she said.

To this end, as large energy users, utilities have an opportunity to influence a better energy transition.

“From a utility’s perspective with a large load, there is huge potential to facilitate renewables for both the site’s and the system’s benefit,” Alexander said.

“At a system level, industrial load-shifting is a game changer, because it shows how we can practically transition to 100% renewables with wins all round.”

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Low-carbon Economy

Yarra Valley Water waste-toenergy plant.

ELECTRICITY IS ONE OF OUR BIGGEST OPERATING COSTS. IF WE CAN SUSTAINABLY REDUCE OUR OPERATING EXPENSES, WE CAN ULTIMATELY KEEP WATER AND SEWERAGE CHARGES LOW. NICOLA MURPHY, SA WATER

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RETHINKING WASTE Yarra Valley Water’s (YVW) ReWaste waste-to-energy facility in Wollert has been in operation for more than two years, producing enough energy each year to power up to 1500 homes.

YVW Managing Director Pat McCafferty explained that the facility, which converts commercial food waste into renewable energy, powers both itself and the Aurora sewage treatment plant, generating enough excess energy to export to the electricity grid.

“The process for treating sewage and producing recycled water is very similar to processing food waste, so YVW harnessed its existing knowledge and built on it to explore this new way of producing its own energy,” McCafferty said.

McCafferty pointed to a range of benefits delivered by the facility, which has converted more than 60,000 tonnes of food waste into energy, saving YVW $1 million to date on energy, and helping the utility maintain affordable bills for its customers.

“The plant generates 90% less greenhouse gas than using fossil fuels from the grid and saves 8500 tonnes of carbon per year,” McCafferty said.

“In addition, there are significant greenhouse gas reductions achieved from reduced food waste in landfill.”

YVW, which has also invested in several solar projects, is aiming to generate 100% of its own energy by 2025.

“The success of the plant shows that environmental projects can help not only to reduce an organisation’s carbon footprint, but also help them save money, which can benefit customers when these savings are passed on,” McCafferty said.

“On the back of the plant’s achievements, YVW is now looking to set up a second waste-to-energy facility, as the problem of waste isn’t going away and we are looking to do more.”

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Water Security

THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM DROUGHT AND UPTAKE OF DESALINATION SAW MAJOR WATER RECYCLING PROJECTS PUT TO THE SIDELINES ACROSS AUSTRALIA. BUT AS CLIMATE CHANGE CONTINUES TO SEE A DRIER AUSTRALIA WITH INCREASINGLY UNPREDICTABLE RAINFALL, MANY INDUSTRY EXPERTS ARE CALLING FOR RECYCLED WATER TO BE PUT BACK ON THE TABLE AS A CLIMATE-INDEPENDENT WATER SOURCE THAT CAN BUILD LONG-TERM RESILIENCE IN WATER SUPPLY AND SECURITY.

By Josh Hoey

ustralia’s relinquished attempts at water recycling – Toowoomba in 2006, the Sunshine Coast in 2010 – get a lot of attention. Yet the reality is Australia already recycles water at substantial levels compared to similar nations. Whereas North America recycles 3.8% of treated wastewater, Australia re-uses 19%.

“Overall, Australia is doing well, and is a leading country in recycled water projects,” says Ian Wright, senior lecturer in water quality at Western Sydney University.

However, the vast majority of that 19% is for non-potable uses in agriculture and mining, and still represents just 4% of Australia’s total water supply. Australia is still heavily dependent on rainfall and catchment extraction, especially for drinking water.

Despite the Productivity Commission, in 2017, calling for state governments to seriously consider water recycling for indirect and direct potable re-use, there have been no new potable re-use projects since Perth’s groundwater replenishment

A OVERALL, AUSTRALIA IS DOING WELL, AND IS A LEADING COUNTRY IN RECYCLED WATER PROJECTS. IAN WRIGHT, WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSIT Y

program started banking recycled water in Perth’s aquifers in 2017.

It’s a surprising omission, especially considering that a majority of water industry experts surveyed that year found residential recycled water schemes to be “highly relevant” for “diversifying and improving water supply security, reducing wastewater effluent discharge and pollutant load to waterways and contributing to sustainable urban development”.

PUBLIC PERCEPTION In its Australian Infrastructure Audit 2019, Infrastructure Australia found that recycled water for potable re-use was generally cheaper than desalination, and more flexible. Yet, many Australian cities, including Melbourne and Sydney, have built large-scale desalination plants to “drought-proof” water supply rather than develop potable re-use schemes.

Most in the industry agree that when it

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Waste Recovery

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Water Security

OUR ADVICE IS TO RESEARCH AND ENSURE THE DEMAND IS THERE BEFORE STARTING A NON-POTABLE RECYCLING PROJECT. JAMIE HOLLAMBY, SA WATER

BAROSSA VALLEY, SA: Vineyard using recycled water.

BOLIVAR & THE NORTHERN ADELAIDE IRRIGATION SCHEME comes to potable re-use, whether direct or indirect, public perception is still the biggest barrier.

“In a nutshell, it’s down to public acceptance rather than technical issues,” says Dr Declan Page, group leader for groundwater contamination and remediation technologies at the CSIRO. Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast cast long shadows, and are oft-cited examples of how easily public perception around recycled water for potable use can quickly become politicised with dire consequences.

Indeed, the Water Services Association of Australia’s 2019 report on potable re-use focuses almost exclusively on lessons about community engagement from successful schemes in other countries. In Western NSW, Orange needed to quickly develop a solution to chronic water shortage after many years of drought: a stormwater to potable scheme to build resilience into the city’s water supply system.

“Community acceptance of the stormwater harvesting scheme was achieved relatively quickly through a range of engagement campaigns including media coverage, information sessions, tours, online surveys, and interpretative signage,” says Jon Francis, Water Treatment Manager at Orange City Council.

SA Water is in the process of more than doubling the amount of recycled irrigation water produced by the Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant, which processes about 70% of Adelaide’s metropolitan wastewater.

The $155.6 million Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme (NAIS) will see the production of recycled irrigation water from Bolivar increase by 60% to 12GL annually, and is scheduled to produce the first water to agricultural customers early this year.

The project is jointly funded by the South Australian and Australian governments through the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.

NAIS includes a new advanced water recycling plant with the Bolivar facility, additional above- and below-ground storage, and a 31km transfer main and distribution network.

SA Water and the state government see the project underpinning new agribusiness investment in the Northern Adelaide Plains.

“Benefits for end users include a climate-independent source of water; long-term 45-year contracts; annual price increases capped at CPI; fully tradeable contracts; in-scheme storage, and a fully pressurised system on demand at the farm gate,” SA Water General Manager of Business Services Jamie Hollamby said.

“Once connected to the scheme, customers’ irrigation water costs will reduce from around $3.40 per kilolitre, which is the current tier two drinking water price, to $0.80 per kilolitre.”

Compared to the region’s groundwater, SA Water says recycled water from the Bolivar plant provides more consistent quality, as salinity and changing water tables are currently a challenge for local growers.

Independent modelling of stage one of the NAIS estimates the project will attract $1.1 billion in new private sector investment, create 3700 jobs, and add $578 million to gross state product.

The utility is currently looking at the feasibility of a second stage that would supply 14GL of recycled wastewater to the Barossa Valley and surrounding wine regions.

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Water Security

HOOVER DAM, ARIZONA, USA: The Arizona Water Banking Authority (AWBA) has stored 4.28 million acre-feet of excess Central Arizona Project water since its inception in 1996.

The city has now been recycling stormwater since 2009, and has an average annual harvesting potential of 1350 ML, or 25% of Orange’s annual unrestricted water demand. Cost was a key factor in deciding on stormwater to potable re-use.

“The cost of the stormwater harvesting system is more economical than pumping water approximately 39 km from the Macquarie River,” Francis said.

An Integrated Water Cycle Management process helps the council identify potential new sources.

“At a meeting in early February 2020, Council resolved to investigate wastewater recycling to supplement the city’s water supply,” Francis said.

Page also sees aquifer recharge and water banking as a way to reduce public resistance to potable re-use, and essential for building long-term resilience in the water cycle.

Australia uses managed aquifer recharge (MAR) largely for non-potable urban stormwater and mine water re-use, and it’s increasing annually, but we currently replace only 8.3% of the groundwater we use annually.

Page points to research that shows increased public acceptance of potable re-use schemes when they use natural buffers like aquifers to bank purified wastewater.

“Australia needs a national policy on water banking. A good example is the Arizona Water Banking Authority,” he said.

BALANCING ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL, IT’S DOWN TO PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE RATHER THAN TECHNICAL ISSUES. DECLAN PAGE, CSIRO

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When it comes to recycling for non-potable uses, the economics quickly become the major hurdle.

“The cost of infrastructure to supply is the main barrier, with a close second being restrictions on the type of use,” says Saskia Kempener, Leader Treatment Master Planning at Queensland Urban Utilities.

A 2016 review of the critical risks to the long-term viability of residential non-potable recycled water schemes found unanticipated operational costs to be a key critical risk.

THE COST OF THE STORMWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM IS MORE ECONOMICAL THAN PUMPING WATER APPROXIMATELY 39 KM FROM THE MACQUARIE RIVER. JOHN FRANCIS, ORANGE CIT Y COUNCIL

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Water Security

CALIFORNIA, USA: Aerial view of water recycling reservoir in a suburban neighbourhood, South California.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE When it comes to successfully developing and launching a recycled water for potable use project, research and international experience show early community engagement is essential to overcoming perception issues often cited as the largest hurdle.

SINGAPORE

Since 2003, Singapore’s Public Utilities Board has been producing NEWater: recycled water for potable use.

“Singapore is widely acknowledged as a leader, as they have very restricted sources of freshwater. They market their ‘NEWater’ product very, very well,” University of Western Sydney’s Ian Wright said.

The reservoir augmentation project produces 560 ML per day, serving a population of 5.6 million. The utility used a demonstration

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plant to help the public understand recycling technology, and a visitor centre to increase public awareness and education on the safety of recycled water for potable use.

CALIFORNIA

The US state has been using recycled water for potable use in Orange County since 1976, with additional projects expected to start producing water in 2023 in San Diego and 2025 in San Jose.

In Orange County, two groundwater augmentation projects

supply 492ML per day of recycled water for potable use to 2.5 million customers.

Successful community engagement relied on early outreach and face-to-face presentations.

Community leaders and key influencers were recruited as advocates for recycled water.

From 2023, San Diego will start producing 314ML per day to augment drinking water reservoirs for 1.3 million people. Like Singapore, the project relied on a demonstration plant to

educate the community about the technology.

Before launching its recycled water for potable use project, San Jose is relying on an abundant information campaign with a strong online presence to foster understanding of the water cycle and water recycling.

Business leaders from high profile companies have been enlisted as part of the campaign.

The focus was on vocabulary, imagery and sequencing of messages.

Industry experts similarly agree that “the inability to demonstrate an incontestable business case,” poses a significant risk to the long term viability of such projects, followed by political and social factors.

For many years, SA Water has been successfully running one of Australia’s largest non-potable re-use schemes, supplying water for agricultural use around Adelaide, and market research has been key to its continued success.

“Our advice is to research and ensure the demand is there before starting a non-potable recycling project,” says Jamie Hollamby, SA Water’s General Manager for Business Services.

REGULATORY RUTS While planning and market research are essential, Wright says poor regulation can also create economic barriers.

“In NSW, the Industry Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) make it uneconomical to treat and sell recycled water. If Sydney Water is forced to sell recycled water for under the cost of

production, why would they recycle if they lose on each litre?” he said.

Research Principle at the Institute for Sustainable Futures Dr Rachel Watson sees a need for changes to the regulatory framework in NSW to remove economic barriers and encourage further investment in wastewater recycling.

“For precinct level wastewater recycling schemes like Barangaroo and Central Park, residential wastewater charges are largely flat charges. They make no allowance for the massive reductions in discharge that these precincts bring. They greatly reduce the burden on the central water system,” she said.

A national framework for validating water recycling processes would also remove regulatory barriers to implementing water recycling projects.

Declan Page points to the 2011 NatVal project from the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence as a potential.

The project developed a national road map and validation framework for recycled water treatment systems based on the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling, but stalled during stage two.

WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN MAKE WHAT WE BUILD NOW MORE ADAPTABLE TO FUTURE SCENARIOS. DR RACHEL WATSON, UTS INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

Water Watersecurity Security

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“It didn’t get enough traction after the drought, and wasn’t fully implemented,” Page said.

Page said the design of such projects also needs to change.

“In the past, recycled schemes have been built to mimic the potable system, rather than to complement it. Building them fit for purpose, to complement the potable system, would reduce costs,” he said.

Ultimately, Watson says, there needs to be a change in mindset around how such infrastructure is planned and built.

“There’s resilience benefits to lots of smaller investments, rather than waiting till an absolute crisis and then investing in a huge desalination plant or potable reuse scheme that will set us up for the next 30 years, when really we don’t know what we’ll need in 30 years,” she said.

Watson points to Superstorm Sandy in the US, where a private water utility running 45 small-scale recycled water facilities was able to maintain operations through the storm, while the large centralised system lost power, failed, and was out of operation for weeks.

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“We need to think about how we can make what we build now more adaptable to future scenarios,” Watson said.

Parkes Shire Council is an example of what small scale municipal level water recycling projects can achieve.

The $8.75 million project centres on a solar-powered water recycling facility using chlorination, in-pipe UV and disc filters to treat wastewater for public space irrigation around town. 2ML a day are delivered, reducing demand on limited potable supplies and ensuring public spaces are green, even through periods of drought.

The plant runs only during daytime solar production and at off-peak energy hours. By designing a fit-for-purpose recycling plant, the project’s energy footprint is 46% smaller than the base concept design, with such sustainability measures costing only 1% of the total project cost.

LOOKING AHEAD Watson sees a strong need for research investment in technology, public engagement, regulatory frameworks,

and integrated water cycle management.

“Research dollars in the water sector in the past have had substantial benefit to cost ratios, and compared to other countries and industries, we are currently underinvesting in research,” Watson said.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Page: “Invest in good research trusted by the public and have well documented demonstration pilot sites in each state.”

Hollamby, too, calls for research focused on markets and economic viability: “Consultation with end users is paramount, to understand what their water needs are and whether implementing a scheme is cost effective and will be fit for purpose,” he said.

Ultimately, the worsening impacts of climate change and extreme weather events are already driving a consensus among businesses and the wider community that things need to change.

Hollamby said there’s already increased awareness that water is a constrained, variable and finite resource.

“More and more, people are recognising that a climate-independent source of water is a better alternative.”

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Hydrogen Market

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COUNTRIES ARE UNDER PRESSURE TO DECARBONISE THEIR ECONOMIES, BUT A NEW RESEARCH CENTRE COULD HELP AUSTRALIA PRODUCE AND USE HYDROGEN AS A VERSATILE LOW-CARBON OPTION.

SA/VIC GAS PIPELINE NETWORK n February this year, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced $1.28 million in funding to Australian Gas Networks Limited (AGN) to establish the Australian Hydrogen Centre.

The centre is being established to investigate blending hydrogen into natural gas pipelines in South Australia and Victoria. The project will undertake feasibility studies on the integration of hydrogen into existing gas networks with the aim of developing clear cost-benefit analysis for potential investment.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the natural gas network could be a key piece of infrastructure

I

to support decarbonisation of Australia’s energy system.

“The network has the potential to be used for the long-term storage of renewably produced hydrogen and limit the need for electrification alternatives, which can be costly,” he said.

“The development of a local hydrogen sector will underpin the investment in technology and skills to support the long-term export opportunity. These studies will go a long way to identifying the possibility of using and storing hydrogen in local gas networks.”

The feasibility studies are expected to be completed in January 2022.

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Gulf of

Birdum Carpentaria

Cooper Basin

Gladstone Port

Maryborough Basin GunnedahlSydney Basin

Perth Basin Indian Ocean

Prospective area Prospective basin

0

Miles

600

0

Km

965

Source: EIA World Shale Gas Resources, 2011, with author updates

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www.awa.asn.au

Gippsland Basin

Other basin

DID YOU KNOW? GLOBAL DEMAND FOR HYDROGEN EXPORTED FROM AUSTRALIA COULD BE MORE THAN 3 MILLION TONNES EACH YEAR BY 2040, WHICH COULD BE WORTH UP TO $10 BILLION EACH YEAR TO THE ECONOMY!

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BENEFITS INCLUDE: • Potential to create a national hydrogen storage system.

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• Low-carbon option for a decarbonised future.

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Water is purified.

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The electricity Hydrogen Synthetic required is is used locally natural gas is produced using as a fuel, or shipped abroad, wind, solar converted into then reconverted or tidal. synthetic natural gas to hydrogen and for transportation. used as fuel. www.awa.asn.au

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Stormwater

BRACING

THE STORM THE MILLENNIUM DROUGHT FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED MINDSETS, AND THE DRIVERS FOR URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT NOW RECOGNISE THAT STORMWATER IS NOT A PROBLEM, BUT AN OPPORTUNITY… CELESTE MORGAN, E2DESIGNLAB

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AS THE AUSTRALIAN WATER SECTOR SEEKS TO DIVERSIFY ITS SOURCES, STORMWATER HARVESTING PROJECTS ARE PRODUCING USEFUL INSIGHTS. SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT PROJECTS ARE HIGHLIGHTING THAT, WITH THE RIGHT APPROACH, STORMWATER HARVESTING IS A REALISTIC AND SUSTAINABLE OPTION.

By Martin Kovacs

s the sector tackles issues associated with climate change and water security, and as urban centres continue to expand to accommodate growing populations, a strong imperative has been created to re-examine stormwater management in urban design.

Historically, stormwater management has focused on pollution in waterways and local flooding, but E2Designlab Senior Associate Celeste Morgan said new drivers for improved stormwater management have emerged in recent years and, as a result, have changed the water industry’s mindset from management to resource recovery.

“In this context, stormwater has primarily been seen as a ‘problem’ to be fixed – where the focus is on alleviating the negative impacts that were becoming ever more obvious as our cities grew and intensified,” Morgan said.

“The Millennium Drought fundamentally changed mindsets, and the drivers for urban water management now recognise that stormwater is not a problem, but an opportunity, with the potential to capture stormwater as a local water resource, and to manage stormwater locally in a way that enhances liveability by creating greener, cooler places to live.”

A

BEYOND URBAN BENEFITS Morgan said stormwater harvesting is being pursued to deliver multiple benefits in Victoria, amid a growing recognition that the quantity of stormwater entering waterways needs to be radically reduced and its quality improved.

“Coupled with the increasing pressures of growth and climate change on Melbourne’s water resources, this makes stormwater harvesting an attractive option, particularly in growth regions where large-scale stormwater treatment and harvesting infrastructure can be integrated

with new development and transferred to bulk storages,” she said.

In addition to local stormwater harvesting for open-space irrigation, Morgan noted the opportunity exists to link stormwater treatment wetlands together, thereby creating a local water grid that can capture, transport and supply harvested stormwater on a regional scale.

Morgan said this is a leading concern for water utilities, councils and catchment management authorities working in partnerships, as stormwater volumes available from urban areas often exceeded local irrigation demands.

“There is potential to look beyond open-space irrigation uses to supply treated stormwater to peri-urban agriculture, non-potable water supply networks, or potentially to supplement regional water supplies from local reservoirs,” she said.

Morgan also pointed to growing recognition of the importance to retain and celebrate stormwater within the landscape.

“The potential to harness natural systems, including plants, soils and water bodies, to provide stormwater management provides important opportunities to introduce greenery and water into the urban environment, adding amenity and mitigating the urban heat island effect,” she said.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR INDUSTRY Stormwater Australia President and Bligh Tanner Director Alan Hoban said an increasing awareness of the impact of pollution on waterways has contributed to the push for managing water quality and water-sensitive urban design.

Hoban noted that a number of new factors have also emerged in recent years, which need to be addressed by industry.

“One is awareness of drought,” he said. “We’ve got limited water resources and, while you can’t

www.awa.asn.au

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Stormwater

capture all stormwater, you can capture a fair amount to sustain parks and gardens.

“Over the last few years, another factor has arisen – the urban micro-climate. If we can get water into soils, we can get healthier trees and plant growth. We’re starting to address the issue of urban heat mitigation.”

Hoban observed that, amid an increasing focus on the climate resilience of cities, the benefits provided by effective stormwater management can be far-reaching.

“There are a range of benefits that you can provide, and a part of that is urban amenity,” he said.

“Good management of stormwater and water-sensitive urban design potentially creates a way to solve several problems at once – getting a shadier urban environment, minimising run-off and providing a healthy waterway.”

BLUE AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) Liveable Communities Manager Erin Cini highlighted the health benefits provided by blue and green infrastructure, which she said has become an increasing focus for industry.

Released last year by WSAA, the Blue + Green = Liveability paper explores the role the water sector can play in contributing to liveable, sustainable and productive cities, and the benefits of integrated water management.

“The industry has put a lot of its attention into understanding the value that green and blue infrastructure contributes to liveable cities,” Cini said.

“We had a view that the benefits extended to the general physical and mental wellbeing of people who live in areas close to green and blue infrastructure.”

The paper found that liveability-related benefits attributed to integrated water management totalled up to $94 per person, with Cini describing the numbers as compelling.

“There’s clear health benefits, the urban cooling benefits, as well as urban amenity-type things,” she said. “That’s everything from increased activities, to proximity to open spaces, and the ability to walk and cycle places.

“As populations are growing, and we’re seeing increased temperatures, particularly in places like western Sydney, but also western Melbourne and other parts of Australia, these benefits are pretty clear.”

THE INDUSTRY HAS PUT A LOT OF ITS ATTENTION INTO UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE THAT GREEN AND BLUE INFRASTRUCTURE CONTRIBUTES TO LIVEABLE CITIES. ERIN CINI, WSA A

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CHALLENGES AHEAD Marc Noyce, CEO of stormwater harvesting systems company Biofilta, highlighted a range of challenges that urban stormwater harvesting projects typically need to address.

Noyce pointed to the issue of pollutants and the need to accommodate large volumes of water that, particularly during extreme weather events, can arrive in a short period of time.

“We have to deal with the pollutant, which is varied, including heavy metals, sands, pebbles and gravel,” he said.

“The water comes off paved surfaces very quickly and, with climate change, comes off in even more intense bursts, with huge amounts of water volume all at once.”

Biofilta’s vegetated planters are designed to act as a stormwater filter and, paired with an underground storage system, allow for both the catchment and treatment of stormwater.

A two-tank system captures the water, which passes through a gross pollutant trap and sedimentation chamber, before settling into a tank. The water is then filtered through the planter, and finally stored in a retention or recirculation

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Taylors offers unmatched value and convenience for hydrographic surveys conducting shallow water inshore bathymetric surveys using the Z-boat.

Instead of mobilizing a manned boat or putting people on the water in a hazardous location survey, simply launch the Z-Boat and start surveying immediately. The Z-Boat echo sounder and GPS are integrated with a radio modem data transmission system allowing the operator to view the boat track in real time on the shore laptop. Not only can soundings be reviewed as the data is collected, but survey lines can be easily followed with help from the laptop display ensuring consistent and accurate survey data.

The Z-Boat 1800 is particularly suited to conducting fast and convenient volume surveys in industrial water storage ponds such as frac water pits, wastewater ponds, or tailings storage facilities. Instead of mobilizing a full survey crew, a single operator can determine the water volume in a fraction of the time and at a much lower cost with no compromise in personnel safety.

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Fast Response Quick and easy deployment of the Z-boat system makes this an extremely responsive solution.

Further time can be saved by reducing the safety risks associated with launching a manned boat, making permits and SWMS easier to achieve.

Safety Z-Boat technology can reduce or sometimes eliminate the need for contact with water bodies significantly reducing the risk of drowning.

Stormwater

tank for re-use. The system has been employed at Melbourne’s Fitzroy Gardens, with Noyce stating the planter has been integrated into the landscape.

“We harness water that comes off the drainage system, gulping in large volumes quickly, and then deal with pollutants over time by pumping the water up and through a raingarden,” he said.

“Fitzroy Gardens gulps in four million litres of water at a time, and over a year produces 70 megalitres of water for parkland irrigation – that accounts for 60% of the whole Fitzroy Gardens water demand.”

NEED FOR SUPPORTIVE POLICY Cini pointed to the need for government funding to help deliver broader community benefits, and said the Blue + Green = Liveability paper’s overarching recommendation is the need to update the National Water Initiative (NWI).

Cini said the NWI needs to focus on liveability and collaboration in order to reflect the role stormwater management can play.

“This would represent a really big step forward across Australia,” she said.

“If we had a coordinating policy agenda that focused on liveability for our cities and regions, across the urban water cycle, everyone would have a clearer idea of where they’re headed.”

Hoban also highlighted the need for greater funding, and said there has been a lack of understanding and leadership around some stormwater harvesting and integrated water

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WE HAVE CHALLENGES WITH LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVING VARYING STANDARDS, WHICH BECOMES A REAL CHALLENGE FOR INDUSTRY. ALAN HOBAN, STORMWATER AUSTRALIA

cycle management issues since the demise of the National Water Commission.

“We have challenges with local authorities having varying standards, which becomes a real challenge for industry,” he said.

“The other real challenge is that we’re involving lots of different professions, especially when we’re trying to do things a little bit differently, and inevitably there’s a degree of friction about how you make change.”

Hoban said that now is the time to consider “a system-thinking approach to our cities, and using liveability as a driver for how we go about doing designs”.

“Our cities generally have really good water supply systems, most Australian cities have major dams and also some desalination, we’ve got a good backbone to our urban water systems,” he said.

“If we can start to look at these supplementary water systems, stretching out the amount of water that’s available from our dams, it means the whole system can work a bit more effectively.”

REGIONAL RE-USE: CITY OF SALISBURY WATER Located in northern Adelaide, the City of Salisbury offer a leading example of stormwater harvesting done right. Recycled water, which primarily comprises recycled stormwater and native groundwater, is treated to a standard satisfactory for its intended use, as defined by the National Stormwater Guidelines.

The city advises that during the winter high-rainfall period, excess stormwater, filtered and cleansed by wetlands, is pumped into an aquifer up to 220m below ground, to be later recovered as needed to supply customers during the summer months.

Managed by the Salisbury Water business unit, the water is distributed to parks, reserves and schools, along with some new residential subdivisions, and is also provided at a lower cost than mains water to industrial users, with the city having more than 150km of recycled water pipe network to supply its customers.

The city advises that the water can be used for toilet flushing, washing cars, garden irrigation, filling ornamental ponds and some industrial or commercial uses.

Among the environmental benefits provided, the city points to reduced demand on other water resources, and increased local biodiversity via the establishment of over 50 wetlands, in addition to reducing the volume of stormwater run-off, helping to protect the Barker Inlet of the Gulf St Vincent marine environment.

The city states social benefits include making the city a more beautiful place to live and allowing for unique recreational activities, with economic benefits delivered via cost savings when the water is used on the council’s sports fields, parks and ovals, and by attracting and sustaining local industry.

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Land Management

FIRE SEVERITY ACROSS SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY WORSE THAN THE LONG-TERM AVERAGES WOULD SUGGEST. IAN BAIL, WANNON WATER

A

SUNBURNT COUNTRY

Above: Aerial view of bushfire in valley, Echo Point, Blue Mountains, Australia. Right: Water Tanker helicopter protecting houses during a bushfire.

64

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THE DEVASTATING BUSHFIRES THAT RAGED ALONG THE EAST COAST OF AUSTRALIA IN 2019 AND 2020 HAVE BROUGHT THE ISSUE OF FIRE AND LAND MANAGEMENT INTO SHARP FOCUS. THE CATASTROPHIC EFFECTS OF THIS NATURAL DISASTER UNDERSCORED THE NEED FOR THE WATER SECTOR TO ACTIVELY ADDRESS THE STEPS IT CAN TAKE TO BECOME MORE RESILIENT IN DEALING WITH DROUGHT AND EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS.

By Martin Kovacs

ater provision professionals are well aware of the effects fire damage can have on catchments and water quality. As landowners and business managers, utilities need to ensure they are adequately prepared for fire and other environmental hazards, and typically work in conjunction with a range of organisations to assess risks, conduct maintenance and determine strategic goals.

The Australian Water Association, in partnership with the UNSW Global Water Institute, the NSW Water Directorate and the Water Services Association of Australia, conducted a survey of water utilities and regional councils affected by the 2019-2020 ‘Black Summer’ fires.

AWA CEO Jonathan McKeown said the broader water sector needs to ensure regional water providers have the resources to maintain resilience in times of extreme weather conditions and natural disaster.

“What we hope to achieve with these results is a way forward that empowers water utilities and regional councils to become resilient in the face of extreme weather events and adverse conditions,” he said.

W

PLANNING AHEAD The survey results reveal a clear difference between smaller regional councils and larger water utilities in their capacity to deal with bushfires and maintain water supply.

“The drought and the recent fires have set up the perfect storm. It’s been a real wake-up call to a number of local utilities,” AWA President Carmel Krogh said. “[It] highlights the need for more guidance and training to develop resilience as we move forward to the next 10 years.

The question and the challenge I have for us all is: how do we change this?

“The models that we have need changing. We have to recognise that areas of low population density may need a hand up, not a hand out.”

Fire poses a range of threats to operations, including direct impacts on water and sewerage assets and services, short and long-term reductions in the yield and quality of water supplies, and indirect impacts on catchments.

Wannon Water General Manager – Service Delivery Ian Bail highlighted the importance of detailed planning, with Australia predicted to experience an increasing number of bad fire weather days and longer lasting fire seasons.

“Fire severity across southern Australia has been consistently worse than the long-term averages would suggest,” Bail said.

“Wannon understands that our region will also be strongly impacted by reduced run-off as a result of climate change, and it is critical our long-term planning makes use of these predictions.”

Bail said Wannon’s Bushfire Plan, broadly encompassing prevention (including preparedness), response and recovery, forms a critical element of its approach, with the utility also involved in a number of local, regional and state planning committees.

Bail advised that Wannon provides feedback on the Fire Operations Plan released each year by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and Parks Victoria, and said the utility also has a number of assets listed in the Victorian Fire Risk Register (VFRR).

“The Emergency Management Manual Victoria outlines the roles that different organisations play in emergency management, including water corporations,” he commented.

“Municipal committees develop integrated fire management plans for the local regions, using the VFRR as the state register of fire risks.

“The VFRR identifies assets at risk from wildfire, assesses the level of risk, and provides a range of treatments to mitigate the risk.”

Preventative maintenance also involves collaborating with local Country Fire Authority (CFA) brigades, Forest Fire Management Victoria and Parks Victoria to undertake fuel-reduction burning.

“Fuel reduction and site maintenance are important activities to mitigate the risk of bushfire to individual assets,” Bail said.

“Wannon directly manages around 2000 hectares of land, and formal assessments have been undertaken to determine sites at higher risk from bushfires.”

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Land Management

OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE AN EXPECTATION THAT WE WILL, WHERE REASONABLY PRACTICABLE, MAINTAIN CONTINUITY OF SUPPLY DURING BUSHFIRE EVENTS. EVAN HAMBLETON, WATER CORPORATION

An early season habitat burn-off, a controlled hazard reduction fire.

CASE STUDY Kimberley Land Council (KLC) acting CEO Tyronne Garstone advised that the KLC’s Indigenous Fire Management Program facilitates work with traditional owners and Indigenous ranger groups across native title areas.

With traditional owners having used fire to manage land for thousands of years, Garstone said the program preserves cultural burning practices and maintains adequate fire breaks to protect assets.

Garstone said the techniques employed utilise both old and new technologies, with the majority of burning taking place during the early dry season, while fire can also be used throughout the year for different purposes.

While traditional owners perform fire walks using firesticks, allowing for careful burning where required, Garstone said new techniques also “incorporate satellite imagery and remotely sensed data on vegetation to improve environmental outcomes”.

With WA water sources often in native title areas, Garstone said Indigenous rangers can assist by performing protective burning around infrastructure, while late-season firefighting is also often conducted with Indigenous ranger and traditional owner assistance.

“Early ‘right-way’ fire management, with an emphasis on leaving shrubs and trees intact, and providing large remnant patches of perennial grasses in fire scars, can assist in controlling sediment run-off into water storages – with the emphasis being on protecting environmental and cultural assets, there are obvious shared benefits,” he said.

“Aboriginal people have always maintained a positive relationship with fire, rather than treating it as something which should be avoided,” Garstone said.

“Aboriginal people have understood fire is an essential part of the Australian landscape, and used it effectively to maintain balanced and fire-resilient ecosystems.”

LONG-TERM POLICY Bail said Wannon’s Dunkeld Sewage Treatment Plant long-term management plan, developed in collaboration with the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, utilises controlled burning as part of its objective to maintain and improve natural assets.

With the area home to several nationally threatened species, the burning is used to both reduce introduced species and enhance native flora and fauna.

“Wannon is one of the first private land managers to effectively utilise ecological burning as a management tool for this vegetation type, and a number of partnerships have been developed,” Bail said.

The program, established via a partnership with the local CFA, is now being extended to other areas of Victoria, offering other Australian utilities a case study for effective land management.

“It is a practical demonstration of using fire to achieve both ecological and asset protection outcomes on private land,” Bail said.

“This complements the established practices of implementing controlled burning regimes on public land, which have primarily focused on the protection of people and property.”

www.awa.asn.au

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Land Management

EXTREME RISKS

INAPPROPRIATE FIRE REGIMES ARE CAUSING A DIRECT IMPACT, THEY’RE BURNING THE WRONG WAY AT THE TIME, AND THEN AN INDIRECT IMPACT THROUGH THE SUPPRESSION OF FIRE. OLIVER COSTELLO, FIRESTICKS ALLIANCE INDIGENOUS CORPORATION

Water Corporation Assets Planning and Delivery General Manager Evan Hambleton also stressed the importance of long-term planning in dealing with extreme weather conditions.

As a significant landowner and manager across WA, Hambleton advised that Water Corporation is required to manage its land and assets in compliance with state-based bushfire acts and bushfire prevention regulations.

“Our customers have an expectation that we will, where reasonably practicable, maintain continuity of supply during bushfire events,” Hambleton said.

“Wildfire poses a significant risk to water and wastewater infrastructure, and has also at times caused damage to infrastructure and associated power supply, resulting in a loss of service delivery to the community at critical times.”

Hambleton said Water Corporation’s Bushfire Prevention Strategy and Implementation Plan has been developed in conjunction with experts, consultants and land managers.

“There are a number of ways that Water Corporation manages fuel

loads and bushfire risk on land and assets. This includes developing bushfire management plans, vegetation management strategies, clearing or establishing fire breaks and controlled burning,” he said.

“Detailed fuel load assessments are conducted where land meets high-risk criteria, and risk-reduction gap treatments and site maintenance regimes are developed and implemented.”

CHANGING TACK Water Corporation is developing a five-year program for 33,000 parcels of land, harnessing the latest available data, science and software to ensure evidence-based decisions are made to reduce bushfire risk.

“The process requires automation, and a Bushfire Risk Assessment Tool has been developed based on an objective risk-assessment methodology to make decisions about bushfire risk reduction on Water Corporation land.

The output of this tool, which is a GIS spatial layer containing data on each piece of land as well as a risk rating, can then feed into the investment decision processes to mitigate

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bushfire risk,” Hambleton said.

Along with utilising modern technologies, Hambleton said Water Corporation’s collaborative approach has also seen it work in conjunction with traditional owners.

“An example is in the Dampier Peninsula, where hazard reduction burns are planned for the Broome borefield, and where we have engaged with the Yawuru traditional landowners to be part of the teams undergoing the work,” he said.

“We anticipate that this engagement will expand to other traditional owners, as the traditional land management techniques are relearned in other parts of the state.”

CULTURAL BURNING Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation CEO Oliver Costello pointed to the potential for the water sector to utilise cultural burning as a land management tool.

Costello described cultural burning as a holistic process, encompassing a range of factors, including water systems, plants, animals and people.

“Cultural fire management is the

The Three Sisters and large smoke cloud at a bushfire in the Blue Mountains National Park, Australia.

cultural fire regime that has been in place in Australia for thousands of years. The way we burn, we protect the canopy, and we protect the right vegetation compositions, which improves moisture retention,” Costello said.

Costello highlighted concerns that incorrectly undertaken hazard reduction and prescribed burning can not only lead to erosion and loss of moisture, but also wildfires.

“Inappropriate fire regimes are causing a direct impact, they’re burning the

wrong way at the time, and then an indirect impact through the suppression of fire. So, then a wildfire comes that has an immediate impact,” he said.

Costello highlighted the importance of supporting a cultural framework that sees traditional owners in control of their own fire programs.

“When you have people in place, they’ll teach local landholders and agencies. People want to share. It’s about maintaining relationships through the cultural authorities,” he said.

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Mental Health

SAFE WORK IS DOING AMAZING WORK TO PREVENT INJURIES, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN SO AMAZING ON MENTAL HEALTH.

IN THE NUMBERS •

The suicide rate for male construction workers is 24.2 per 100,000 compared to 13.9 per 100,000 for males in all other occupations.

•

Tradies make up less than one-third of all Australians in employment, but represent 58% of serious claims for workers compensation.

shows that workplaces with • Research initiatives designed to enhance safety and effectiveness created a culture that released men from feeling the need to be ‘manly’.

Some 6% of workers compensation • claims are for work-related mental health conditions — with 37% of those a reaction to workplace stressors.

Reference: theconversation.com/risky-businesshow-our-macho-construction-culture-is-killingtradies, abs.gov.au

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DR DONNA BRIDGES, CHARLES STURT UNIVERSIT Y

M

ale-dominated industries are overrepresented in suicide rates across Australia. Researchers and mental health experts advise that beliefs about masculinity, as well as bullying and hazing in ‘macho’ culture, are largely responsible for mental strain on employees. And while a lot of work is being done to create more gender equality within the water sector, the industry still employs more men than women, particularly within construction, industrial and trade-related roles. In order to combat the devastating statistics, a number of organisations within the sector are focusing on changing their workplace culture and saving lives.

MURKY WATERS Charles Sturt University’s Dr Donna Bridges, a researcher on mental health in the workplace, said it needs to be understood that this is an industry-specific problem, yet also organisational and cultural.

“We were looking at barriers for women tradespeople, and in doing research on mental illness, found that bullying and harassment is the same for men — and that it is quite extreme,” she said.

“Construction, maintenance and utilities tends to be quite fragmented, with a mix of small businesses and big companies

BEATING

THE BLUES

WATER UTILITIES CONTRIBUTE POSITIVELY TO THE OVERALL HEALTH OF CUSTOMERS AND COMMUNITIES, BY WAY OF SAFE WATER PROVISION AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT, AS WELL AS WORKING TOWARDS GREENER, MORE LIVEABLE ENVIRONMENTS. BUT WHAT IS BEING DONE TO COMBAT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES WITHIN THE INDUSTRY?

By Elle Hardy

contracting people, so it is an issue that has proven difficult to regulate. Safe Work is doing amazing work to prevent injuries, but it has not been so amazing on mental health.”

Bridges said a number of cultural issues need to be addressed, and it needs to come from the top down rather than putting the onus on individuals to change behaviour.

“It could be the inflexibility of the workplace, the long hours, the expectation to hit the ground running and get jobs done no matter what. But there is also strong evidence that competitive environments can lead to stress and feelings of being overwhelmed and not able to cope, and that competitive behaviour is linked to hazing, bullying and harassment,” she said.

Bridges said that programs such as MATES in Construction, which is helping to bridge the disconnect between formal policy and cultures within organisations, is a positive step forward.

“If you can align objectives with the informal culture, it will be more successful. It needs to be noted that suicide is not necessarily a result of mental illness, but psychological distress, which is often a different issue that requires different solutions,” she said.

Furthermore, there is also evidence that diverse workplaces are more productive and effective.

“Monocultures end up becoming dysfunctional because everyone has to fit into it. There are problems with trying to fit the mould and becoming a clone. Difference becomes something that is discouraged and therefore judged, and a person can become a target for bullying and hazing,” Bridges said.

THE TOP DOWN APPROACH John Holland CEO Joe Barr believes the water sector has a lot of work to do to ensure employees are cared for more readily, not just in terms of physical safety, but mental safety, too.

“As an industry, we have a lot of work to do to catch up to where other professions are in terms of caring for the wellbeing of their people – not just the work they can produce,” Barr said.

Safe Work Australia has found that 92% of serious work-related mental-health claims are due to on-the-job stress, so the firm is conducting an industry leading trial of flexible working on site.

The trial is being rolled out at seven sites across Australia, including Airport North in NSW, Sunshine Coast Airport in Queensland, and Goulburn Murray Water in Victoria.

Barr has taken an active leadership role in light of the shocking statistics, with a view to structural as well as cultural change.

“The suicide rate is unacceptable, but I am seeing a real desire from the industry to tackle this head on,” Barr said.

While it is critical to tackle the issue of mental health in male-dominated industries, Barr said that it is also important to remember the strains on other marginalised groups in the workforce.

To this end, John Holland has worked to close the like-for-like gender pay gap and ensure that it is reviewed annually, as well as launching a women’s network and a Pride network.

“We know it is a tough industry, it doesn’t have to be a heartless one,” Barr added.

www.awa.asn.au

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Mental Health

TradeMutt founders: Ed Ross and Dan Allen

TRADEMUTT: OPENING UP FOR MENTAL HEALTH W

hen Ed Ross and Dan Allen met on a building site in 2014, they had no idea that the friendship they forged during long working hours would lead to transforming the construction industry. After one of their best mates committed suicide, the pair embarked on a plan to engage their peers in workplace support.

“That was the beginning of the mental health journey, as the two of us were working so closely together, and were each support network during that time,” Ross said.

The friends decided that they wanted to create a social enterprise, and TradeMutt was born. The company sells colourful shirts for tradies that act as a starting point for conversations about mental health.

Funds from sales of some 14,000 shirts so far are dedicated to creating workplace programs that remove the physical and financial barriers to gaining mental health support. The duo has also launched a podcast and is working to create positive messages on social media.

“We are creating a culture where people feel comfortable talking about their mental health, and encouraging workers to feel safe and comfortable.

It’s about cutting out the nonsense and not pretending that our lives are as perfect we make them out to be,” Ross said.

THE SUICIDE RATE IS UNACCEPTABLE, BUT I AM SEEING A REAL DESIRE FROM THE INDUSTRY TO TACKLE THIS HEAD ON. JOE BARR, JOHN HOLLAND

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PROACTIVITY IS KEY Seqwater People, Culture and Safety General Manager Melissa WIlliams said Seqwater is taking a clear and coordinated approach to mental health in its workforce, and is already beginning to see improvements in health and wellbeing of staff.

“We’ve seen an increase in the use of our Employee Assistance Program over the past three years,” Williams said.

“This indicates people feel safe to speak up and seek help for mental health concerns and are taking accountability and initiative for their wellbeing. To me this is positive progress as we continue to work towards having a mentally and physically healthy workforce at Seqwater.”

When it comes to moving the needle, no matter how incrementally, Williams said that Seqwater has found small wins in what it calls ‘Switch On Moments’.

“We still have a long road ahead, but we have people openly sharing their stories and experiences of mental ill-health during our ‘safety shares’. This helps to normalise conversations and promote help seeking,” she said.

CHANNELING LONG-LASTING CHANGE Australian Water Association Queensland Branch President Dr Sandra Hall said openness and inclusion are imperative factors in the fight against mental health concerns within the industry.

“The water industry has been built on respect, and building inclusive workforces are a priority,” Hall said.

“But it’s not enough to ask people to the party, you need to invite them to dance. Mental health and inclusion go hand in hand.

We also have seen evidence of the removal of stigma associated with mental health discussion, and we are training managers on how to have those conversations.”

Anecdotally, Hall believes that there has been gradual cultural change in the industry over the last few years. One critical factor is the emergence of a variety of programs and organisations working towards improving mental health across a diverse workforce.

“More and more water sector workers have an awareness of larger programs, not just Channeling Change, but things like R U OK? Day and TradeMutt. The awareness is bringing the mental health conversation into mainstream — and that can only be a good thing,” she said.

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Liquid Labs

RAPID REAL-TIME

DETECTION OF PATHOGENS IN WATER GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING GAME-CHANGING TECHNOLOGY IN AID OF PATHOGEN DETECTION.

By Elle Hardy

magine being able to plant technology into pipes to detect drinking water contamination, as and where it occurs. Associate Professor Helen Stratton is turning this idea into reality, leading research into rapid real-time detection of pathogens in water, and working with a cross-disciplinary team to expand on their discoveries.

“There is a big issue with how long it takes to transport a sample to, and then do a microbial test, in a lab,” Stratton said.

Traditionally, a utility will take a sample of potential contamination in drinking water and analyse it in a laboratory through a culture test or a conventional PCR test.

“This takes several hours to even a week for confirmation of what was in the water. And, with water, you can’t switch off treatment plants. Real-time monitoring of pathogens is essential,” Stratton said.

NEW METHOD, OLD TECH While there is currently real-time monitoring of pH levels and turbidity, which are generally seen as raising an alarm that something has gone wrong in a treatment plant, Stratton’s technology is both more agile and has far wider applications.

“We call it a lab on a chip. This is miniaturising what

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we do,” she said, citing her collaboration with Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen who developed the microfluidic device.

“We take what we do in the lab now, using either a culture-based method or trying to target a protein or a piece of DNA from a microbe, and put that on to the microfluidic chip, which is a pretty old technology, but it hasn’t been applied in this way before.”

Stratton and her team look to unique features of target pathogens, such as genes or proteins, that are unique to the organism of interest.

In miniaturising the process – putting the samples on a chip as big as two fingers put together – they have been able to also make the test incredibly sensitive, to the point where they can prove in a lab that they can detect a few cells of a harmful pathogen.

“The test is also what we call multiplex. One chip we’re currently working on can hold up to eight pathogen targets.

It’s one device, looking for multiple organisms. Not only that, but there’s a quick turnaround – we can theoretically do it in less than two hours,” Stratton said.

Stratton thinks that in two years this technology will be out on the market. Her team is also working on another project called ‘liquid marbles and core-shell beads’ with digital quantitative-PCR , where they take similar technology and miniaturise it even further.

“Those technologies could eventually be incorporated

THIS IS ENABLING US TO DETECT PATHOGENS AT LOW CONCENTRATIONS. THE APPLICATIONS ARE ENDLESS. HELEN STRATTON, GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY

HOW IT WORKS:

1

2

Gather lab results from microbial testing

3

Add data to a microfluidic chip

Install datatracking chip into water source pipelines

into pipe materials. Instead of having a probe into the water, that would then be real time. It would set an alarm off, take a sample, and look at it in more detail,” she said.

The inline core-shell and digital PCR technology would be adding to current online technology, which will take a sample and measure it at the source.

Stratton estimated that is around five to 10 years from being released because a lot of validation is necessary.

BROADER APPLICATIONS In the meantime, Stratton believes that the initial real-time pathogen technology they have developed is nothing short of “digital disruption” that will “turn labs on their heads”.

“We’ve developed a chip for a lot of the genes in E. coli, and we’re applying that to something we’re doing routinely in the lab called microbial source tracking,” Stratton said.

“This involves getting a genetic fingerprint and bacteria that have come from faecal contamination.

“We are able to measure against markers from different animals and humans, which means we can tell where the E. coli has come from.

“This is particularly important for drinking water supply, because if it’s not human, you can look to detect where it might have collected in a particular place.”

4

Read real-time contamination events as they occur

Another application for the technology is in recycled water, where they track what are referred to as reference pathogens that are commonly seen as waterborne from nine bacteria viruses.

“I want to make a chip that would cover these pathogens, so that when people are implementing a recycling scheme they can use it to validate their water supply,” Stratton said.

The Griffith lab is looking at creating prototypes for a miniature hand-held device that could revolutionise the way that utilities are able to test in the field, which would hook up to a laptop and get on-the-spot readings for contamination.

And that’s not all, as Stratton also sees applications for the technology in agriculture, aquaculture, and even medicine.

“Say with the coronavirus, we have this hand-held microfluidic device, you could do a blood or saliva test on it at the point of care for patients,” she said.

“This is enabling us to detect pathogens at low concentrations. The applications are endless.”

Helen Stratton is an Associate Professor and wastewater microbiologist at Griffith University, Queensland. Helen was awarded an AWA Life Membership in 2016.

www.awa.asn.au

75

Guntur Widyatama Industrial Development Manager Water Treatment, Process Chemicals, Mining & Oilfield Division

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REMOVAL OF TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS AND TURBIDITY: The DMI-65® also provides the perfect filtration coefficient resulting in excellent mechanical filtration lowering total suspended solids (TSS) to less than 1mg/L and turbidity levels less than 1 NTU. REDUCED COSTS: The total cost of the iron and manganese removal water filtration system is significantly less than alternative solutions, the effectiveness, but relative simplicity, of DMI65® based systems reduces the upfront capital expenditure on plant complexity as well as the ongoing operational expenditure in chemicals, power and backwash waste water recovery.

HIGH FLOW RATES: The infused technology of DMI-65® promotes the highest oxidation rate of any catalytic filtration media. This permits a significantly higher water flow rate to achieve the same level of iron and manganese removal. DMI-65 can operate at linear filtration velocities up to twice that of conventional media with a corresponding reduction in capital equipment costs.

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LONG LIFE: DMI-65® is not consumed in the process giving it an expected operational life of up to 10 years, providing considerable advantages over other processes or media. The media does not display a decaying capacity to do its catalytic work. Over the 5 to 10 year period, through many backwashing operations of the bed to remove retained solids, an attrition loss of the media occurs by contact between particles and mechanical abrasion.

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T H E AU ST R A L I A N WAT E R A S S O C I AT I O N M AG A Z I N E

T E C H N I C A L PA P E R S SUMMARIES OF THE LATEST TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES AND INSIGHTS FOR WATER PROFESSIONALS.

81 82 84 86 89

ENERGY MANAGEMENT Optimising and reducing power usage across the business.

ASSET MANAGEMENT A prediction mechanism for asset management programs.

PFAS An investigation into plastic pipes and water contamination.

PATHOGENS Using Bayesian models to assess exposure risks for aeration systems.

DROUGHT How looking back can help us look forward.

91 93 99 101 102

GREEN SPACES A choice modelling analysis in Perth, Western Australia.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT Tackling the sewage challenges of the future.

BIOSOLIDS Exploring Hunter Waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-term biosolids options.

ENERGY BENCHMARKING A benchmarking approach using the infrastructure sustainability rating.

FROM THE ARCHIVES A water quality paper from 2001 offering historical insight into contamination.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at bit.ly/water_ejournal www.awa.asn.au

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executive summary energy management

Energy management at Allwater OPTIMISING AND REDUCING POWER USAGE ACROSS THE BUSINESS J Dreyfus, G Oates

Subsequent implementation of initiatives has reduced Allwater’s imported electricity by 20%.

llwater operates and maintains Adelaide’s water and wastewater systems and has an electricity consumption of approximately 93,000 MWh per annum.

The majority of the energy consumption is from key processes such as treating raw source water to a drinking water standard, pumping drinking water through the distribution supply network, treating wastewater to a standard appropriate for discharge to receiving waters or for re-use.

In 2013, Allwater developed an ISO 50001 certified Energy Management Program to better meet its sustainability responsibilities through reducing electricity consumption, maximising power generation (electricity from biogas), and in turn reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, energy management was identified as a key area that can demonstrate both business and operational efficiency to the customer.

Key steps involved understanding existing energy consumption, deployment

A

of staff awareness initiatives and development of a system for ongoing staff input into energy improvements.

Subsequent implementation of initiatives has reduced Allwater’s imported electricity by 20%.

The Energy Management system has been a success and Allwater, SA Water, and its customers will benefit from these energy reductions identified and implemented, with potential for further savings in the coming years as more energy efficient projects and initiatives are completed.

Jennifer Dreyfus is a process optimisation engineer in wastewater and energy at Allwater.

Greg Oates is a process optimisation engineer for Allwater, working on water treatment and energy in Adelaide.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at bit.ly/water_ejournal

www.awa.asn.au

81

executive summary asset management

Survival analysis of water pipelines A PREDICTION MECHANISM FOR ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS G Carlyle

The first survival analysis model developed was the Kaplan-Meier survival curve estimate to provide a non-parametric estimate of the survival probability.

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sset management programs are required to enable water utilities to manage the costs of water main failures and water main replacements.

Survival analysis provides a defensible mechanism for the prediction of pipeline failures that can be used in a risk-based asset management program to plan pipeline replacements. The analysis can also identify differences in survival rates between pipelines that may suggest changes to improve the maintenance or operation of the water system to extend the life of a main.

This paper uses survival analysis to develop four models of survival for a fictional 10,000 water pipe dataset using R, a free statistics software program, and describes potential uses of survival analysis in asset management.

The first survival analysis model developed was the Kaplan-Meier survival curve estimate to provide a non-parametric estimate of the survival probability. A parametric Weibull survival curve model was then fit to the KaplanMeier curve. Various parametric models are used in survival analysis, including exponential, Weibull and log normal.

The Weibull distribution with an increasing hazard rate has been found to be the preferred parametric model for pipeline failure because the probability of failure per year increases over time.

A

The third model developed was a Cox proportional hazards model, which is a semi parametric model that can be used to estimate the statistical significance of covariates on the survival of water pipelines. Covariates could include pipe length, diameter, material, or any other characteristic of interest.

The Cox proportional hazards model provides hazard ratios that show a covariate’s effect on survival compared to the other covariates. Hazard ratios can be used to produce survival curves for the modelled covariates.

Finally, the fourth model discussed was a decision tree derived from a machine learning algorithm. Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) that can be used to conduct survival analysis. AI algorithms are useful to conduct survival analysis when the Cox proportional hazard assumption does not hold, or the power of the Cox regression is low or there are many predictors and a small sample size.

Gary Carlyle has worked in the water industry in NSW and Queensland for local government, state government and in the private sector.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at bit.ly/water_ejournal

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executive summary PFAS

Are PFAS an issue for permeation of plastic water pipes?

AN INVESTIGATION INTO WATER CONTAMINATION G Ruta, A Jayaratne, A McManemin

lastic pipes have been used increasingly for conveying drinking water in distribution systems.

Factors favouring the use of plastic pipes include: their ease of installation and handling; durability; and good resistance to the chemicals used in water treatment, such as chlorine. However, organic contaminants in soil may penetrate through plastic water pipes and adversely affect the quality of drinking water in a reticulation system. These contaminants include volatile hydrocarbons and chlorinated organic solvents.

With attention being given to PFAS (Per- and Poly-Fluorinated Alkyl Substances: hydrocarbon molecules with ďŹ&#x201A;uorine in place of most or all of the hydrogen atoms) as an emerging

P

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contaminant, the possibility of drinking water contamination has increasingly become a concern. In this regard there has tended to be a focus around potential source-water contamination, rather than possible contamination through localised penetration of reticulation pipe networks.

This paper describes an investigation of the latter scenario from two aspects.

The ďŹ rst being a desk-top review of the mechanism of penetration (permeation), the chemical nature of polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic pipes and their organic permeants, as well as a consideration of chemical properties of PFAS molecules and their likelihood to be permeants of plastic pipes. The second aspect describes a 2018 laboratory-based trial jointly commissioned by the three

Melbourne retail water businesses City West Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water, into possible permeation of high density (HD) PE pipe

by PFAS compounds.

The organic contaminants known to penetrate plastic pipes are volatile hydrocarbons of relatively moderate to low molecular weight and volume with similar chemical properties to the plastic pipes. With regard to the polymer properties of plastics, penetration by a contaminant is expected to decrease with increasing density, chain rigidity, and degree of cross-liking. New PVC pipes exhibit lower permeation rates than new PE pipes, primarily due to differences in the material matrices.

For practical purposes, there is no level

The laboratory-based trial involved immersing sections of HDPE in a commercially available PFAS solution and testing for permeation… of contamination at which PE pipe is resistant to permeation by gasoline, chlorinated solvents, hydrocarbons or aqueous solutions of gasoline, chlorinated solvents or hydrocarbons.

The greater than 6000 known PFAS compounds have varied physical and chemical characteristics, molecular structure, size and solubility.

The two most extensively produced and studied PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS) have markedly larger molecular weights as compared with the organic permeants. Besides consisting of carbon and fluorine atoms, PFAS molecules can also include oxygen, hydrogen, sulphur and nitrogen atoms as part of their molecular composition.

The laboratory-based trial involved immersing sections of HDPE in a commercially available PFAS solution and testing for permeation after one, three and six month’s exposure. Analyses were undertaken for 29 PFAS compounds (between four and 16 carbon chain length), including PFOA and PFOS. Despite minor, seemingly anomalous test results at six months, it is believed that permeation was not observed.

Based on the findings from the two aspects considered in this paper (desktop and limited experimental trial) it would seem that PFAS compounds are unlikely to be a water contamination issue in terms of permeating undamaged HDPE (and PVC) plastic pipe.

Georges Ruta is a Water Quality Scientist for City West Water Corporation.

Asoka Jayaratne is a Water Quality Specialist for Yarra Valley Water Corporation.

Anthea McManemin is Water Quality Manager at South East Water Corporation.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at bit.ly/water_ejournal

Safe Surge specialises in the Design and Supply of Bladder type and Compressor type Surge Vessels for potable and waste water ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ͘ ^ƵƌŐĞ sĞƐƐĞůƐ ĂƌĞ ƵƐĞĚ ĨŽƌ ǁĂƚĞƌ ŚĂŵŵĞƌ Žƌ ƐƵƌŐĞ ƉƌŽƚĞĐƟŽŶ͘ ^ĞǀĞƌĞ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞƐ ŝŶ ƉŝƉĞůŝŶĞƐ ĐĂŶ ĐĂƵƐĞ extensive damage such as leaking seals, burst pipes, valve and pump ĚĂŵĂŐĞ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĐĂŶ ďĞ ǀĞƌLJ ĐŽƐƚůLJ ƚŽ ƌĞƉůĂĐĞ͘ Safe Surge work very closely with Hydraulic Engineer Consultants in ƐĞůĞĐƟŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƌƌĞĐƚ ^ƵƌŐĞ sĞƐƐĞů ĨŽƌ ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ͘ With over 10 years’ experience we have had the opportunity in working and supplying some major projects around Australia and New Zealand including the QCLNG Project, Malabar Waste Water dƌĞĂƚŵĞŶƚ WůĂŶƚ ĂŶĚ ZŝĐŚŵŽŶĚ EĞǁ ĞĂůĂŶĚ tĂƚĞƌ dƌĞĂƚŵĞŶƚ WůĂŶƚ͘

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executive summary pathogens

Legionella exposure risk in groundwater treatment plants USING BAYESIAN MODELS TO ASSESS EXPOSURE RISKS FOR AERATION SYSTEMS D Yunana, A Branch, K Tng, I Bradley, L Zappia, P Le-Clech

Currently, there are no standards governing the management of Legionella risk in aeration systems.

86

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biquitous in freshwater environments, Legionella can also grow in a variety of engineered water systems that provide favourable conditions.

The growth of Legionella, coupled with the generation of aerosols by such systems, increases the risk of human exposure via inhalation of water droplets contaminated with the bacteria.

While cooling towers are often reported as a common source of Legionella exposure, aeration systems used in groundwater treatment plants are a potentially overlooked source. Despite no

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Legionella outbreaks having been linked to treatment plants, tray and spray aerators have been deemed to pose a potential Legionella risk to the health of operators and local communities by the Water Corporation Western Australia (WCWA).

The presence of fouling deposits in the aeration asset after prolonged operation can provide favourable conditions for Legionella growth. This condition is further exacerbated by warm temperatures (37â&#x20AC;&#x201C;42 C) of the source bore waters.

Currently, there are no standards governing the management of Legionella risk in aeration systems. In a proactive

attempt, WCWA developed a Legionella high-level risk assessment (LHLRA), based on the set of standards available for microbial management in air handling and water systems (AS/NZS3666, 2011; AS5059, 2006) to determine the risk level present in these assets. However, this approach is limited by its inability to categorise the risk of different exposure levels and account for uncertainties. To more accurately predict and quantify the risk of Legionella exposure, a Bayesian network (BN) model that incorporated the data collected during the site visits was introduced.

Guided by the LHLRA and observations from site visits, input variables of nutrient availability, stagnant water, system deficiencies, and location and access, as well as their associated weighting scores were represented in the BN model. The output parameter, ‘Legionella exposure’ represents the level of risk that is defined within the LHLRA. The states of Legionella exposure were discretised into three states (low, medium and high), using a

uniform distribution with low state implying that no mitigative action is required, the medium state prompting the review of operational parameters and the high state calling for immediate decontamination.

The initial version of the model evaluated the risk of Legionella exposure for tray and spray aerators by applying different input variables which subsequently predicted medium and low states as output for the two systems respectively. Given the difference in nutrient availability and stagnant water states of the two systems, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to better understand how the variables influence the risk of Legionella exposure.

The sensitivity analysis indicated that poor water quality presented the strongest influence on Legionella exposure followed by location and existing access to the system for maintenance. This assessment demonstrates the potential of BNs to model Legionella exposure and be incorporated into a consistent risk assessment for aeration assets to support practical decision-making for utilities.

Danladi Yunana is a Scientia PhD scholar at the School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney.

Dr. Amos Branch is a Research Associate at the Water Research Centre at UNSW Sydney.

Dr. Keng Han Tng is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney.

Ian Bradley is a Principle Asset Capability Manager for the Water Corporation of Western Australia.

Luke Zappia is a Senior Water Treatment Advisor for the Water Corporation of Western Australia.

Pierre Le-Clech is an Associate Professor at the School of Chemical Engineering at UNSW, Sydney.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at bit.ly/water_ejournal

Online Journal of the Australian Water Association

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executive summary drought

Planning urban water system responses to megadrought HOW LOOKING BACK CAN HELP US LOOK FORWARD D Verdon-Kidd, R Beatty, K Allen

his paper aims to highlight the need to plan for droughts worse than experienced in the limited instrumental record. Such ‘megadroughts’ are known to have occurred in regions with a similar climate to Australia and therefore, could conceivably occur in the future.

However, we cannot quantify the risk of such events using ~120 years of rainfall data (shorter for streamflow).

Against this background we suggest using natural archives of climate to extend the instrumental record in order to capture a greater range of drought duration and severity.

This paper focuses on the development and expansion of the Australian tree-ring network due to the precise dating and annual resolution offered by this proxy (required for water supply modelling).

We highlight the low density of existing datasets and the lack of hydroclimate reconstructions currently available in regions where our major water supply storages are located. This shortfall is partially due to a lack of species on the mainland suitable for traditional tree-ring width analysis.

Fortunately, recent advances in the dendro sciences has identified alternative climate sensitive parameters (e.g. stable isotopes, density, vessel size and arrangement), which has opened up a clear opportunity to expand the existing tree ring-based hydroclimate reconstruction network.

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The development of long rainfall or streamflow proxy records is only a first step in improving estimates of hydrological risk and uncertainty.

As detailed in this paper, the information available from these records still needs to be placed into a ‘megadrought’ context and management plans need to be developed that are flexible, responsive and adaptive as droughts progress.

To this end we suggest a workflow for developing a megadrought plan that consists of scenario development (based on palaeoclimate data), stress testing of existing infrastructure and management plans, followed by options assessment.

At the core of this assessment is the need to maintain the functioning of the reticulated supply system during prolonged and severe drought.

The Millennium Drought alerted us to the fact that our water supplies could

The Millennium Drought alerted us to the fact that our water supplies could be more vulnerable than informed by our limited rainfall record.

be more vulnerable than informed by our limited rainfall record. The current conditions across much of NSW are once again a stark reminder of this. There are significant populations at risk of potential dire economic and social consequences as a result of megadroughts. In palaeoclimate and hydrology assessment, we have a tool that can be applied to give us an understanding of the types of scenarios that we might be facing, and to improve risk estimates, and hence infrastructure. We also have the water infrastructure strategy approaches to do the necessary pre-emptive planning and infrastructure development work.

Danielle Verdon-Kidd is a hydroclimatologist at the University of Newcastle.

Russell Beatty is a principal water resources engineer and economist at Hydrology and Risk Consulting.

Kathryn Allen is a dendrochronologist at the University of Melbourne.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at bit.ly/water_ejournal

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executive summary green spaces

Community values for green public open space A CHOICE MODELLING ANALYSIS IN PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA M van Bueren, R Blamey ith a drying climate, Perth is facing difficult decisions about how to manage green public open space (POS) in the metropolitan area. At present, local councils irrigate POS with groundwater. But this resource is becoming depleted owing to reduced rainfall, prompting the state government to consider reducing licensed allocations.

In this study we use an online choice modelling survey of 525 Perth households to assess whether the community is willing to pay (WTP) for more expensive sources of irrigation water to keep POS green over summer or, alternatively, are willing to make compromises – for example, less green space, replacing grass with native groundcover, or improving public park facilities. The aim of the study is to understand how local councils and government should best respond to reduced groundwater availability.

The valuation methodology involved presenting a range of alternatives to survey participants through a series of controlled experiments. Participants

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could select a status quo option (in which council allocations are cut and the proportion of POS able to be kept green reduces by 20%), or an alternative change option involving a specified increase in council rates in return for maintaining (or increasing) the proportion of POS under irrigation, or changes to other park attributes such as improved facilities (BBQs, shade shelters, playgrounds, etc.) and more native landscaping.

The study results show that on average, Perth households are WTP $1.00 per annum to avoid a 1% reduction in the area of green POS in their local area.

Thus, if councils responded to a licence reduction by reducing the area of green POS by 20%, the cost of lost amenity to the community is estimated to be $20 per household each year. When extrapolated to the 154,000 households living in Perth’s Gnangara area (which is currently experiencing acute problems with declining groundwater), a 20% reduction in green POS over summer would imply a welfare loss of $3 million

The study results show that on average, Perth households are WTP $1.00 per annum to avoid a 1% reduction in the area of green POS in their local area.

per annum. Based on average irrigation rates, a 20% reduction in green POS in Gnangara translates to a water saving of 9200 megalitres, but at a cost to the community of $3 million (or just under $0.70 per kilolitre).

To put this in context, the current long run marginal cost of potable water in Perth is around $2.40/kL, so it would not be prudent or efficient to use potable water for maintaining green POS over summer.

However, the value estimated for green POS is higher than the average price paid

by Gnangara’s agricultural irrigators for groundwater in the trading market, which is around $0.25 per kL (or $250 per ML or an annual allocation).

This suggests that in a scenario where long-term adjustments are required in the allocation of groundwater between POS use and agriculture, community may be able to ‘out bid’ agricultural users for groundwater.

Martin van Bueren is a resource economist and Director of Synergies Economic Consulting.

Russell Blamey is Senior Director Insights Analaytics at DBM Consultants.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at bit.ly/water_ejournal

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91

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the collecting sump. The resulting differential pressure between atmosphere and vacuum propels the sewage towards the vacuum station.

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executive summary wastewater treatment

Pumping sewage sludge A CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTURE E Farno, N Eshtiaghi astewater treatment plants collect wastewater from municipalities and industries, separate the biosolid fraction (sludge) that still contain water and treat it in a series of biological processes.

Transporting sludge consumes a lot of energy in wastewater treatment plants and its failure can be significantly costly, leading to whole process shut down.

Because of that, the sludge transportation systems need to be accurately designed and well operated using sludge flowability or rheological parameters as a control. In this respect, the main challenges are the variability of the rheological data and the inaccurate prediction of sludge pipe flow.

This paper addresses the first issue by

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determining the actual variation of sludge rheology over one year and provides some useful basis for further research on the second issue.

This study covers digested sludge, waste activated sludge, and primary sludge all collected from the Eastern Treatment Plant (ETP) in Victoria. To validate these measurements, pressure drop data recorded onsite for an actual sludge pipeline in the ETP was compared with the calculated ones. Pressure drop calculation was performed based on the Re3 friction loss model for the pipe flow of thickened mineral slurries. This study also provides a flow curve of digested sludge for a higher solid concentration of 4% and 5.5% along with the calculation

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executive summary wastewater treatment

The observed variation in sludge rheology weakly correlated to the change of seasons.

of pressure drop for the selected pipeline.

The Herschel-Bulkley model was used to fit the sludge flow curve (i.e., relationship between the shear stress and shear rate).

Among the rheological parameters of the model, variation in consistency impacts more than others on the variation of pressure drop in the pipeline. Consistency shows 34% relative variation in digested sludge, 54% in primary sludge and 61% in thickened waste activated sludge.

While yield stress shows 20% relative variation in digested sludge, 40% in primary sludge and 40% in thickened waste activated sludge.

We showed that the residual error of sludge flow curve fitting where HerschelBulkley and Bingham models are used is not normally distributed and increases with shear rate. This means both models have errors in high range data which impact the fittings. To make fitting better for this system, one solution is to use robust algorithms (which systematically weight the data at the lower range).

Herschel-Bulkley model best fit sludge flow curve data between 10-300 s-1 with a robust fitting method while modified Herschel-Bulkley best fit sludge flow curve data between 0.1-1000 s-1 with either robust or conventional fitting method. Bingham Plastic model only shows acceptable performance for primary sludge.

Because of significant viscoplasticity (the state of showing yield stress which is minimum stress for material to flow) in sludge, Re3 friction loss model used for this calculation which was originally

developed for mineral slurries with similar rheological behaviour. In the original version of Re3 friction loss model, there are parameters appropriate for mineral slurries, one of them is pipe roughness correlated to the size of mineral particles.

To estimate this parameter, we set up optimisation to change the roughness values of the model to achieve the least average of errors for pressure drop predictions in a 900m sludge pipeline.

The result suggests a roughness of 256 μm provides the least error between the calculations and observations. But the accuracy of this optimisation needs to be verified in future investigations.

The observed variation in sludge rheology weakly correlated to the change of seasons. A black-box model can be used to correlate rheology with the parameters of sludge composition. The Re3 friction loss model estimated the actual pressure drop of dilute digested sludge flow through the ETP sludge pipeline with 10% error. The pressure drop calculations for higher solid concentration suggested high variations of pressure drop, which requires further study.

Dr Ehsan Farno is a Research Fellow in Chemical and Environmental Engineering at RMIT University.

Dr Nicky Eshtiaghi is an Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering at RMIT University.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at bit.ly/water_ejournal

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95

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rrigators across Australia are facing a number of challenges, with some impacted by water scarcity due to drought, and for those where water is available through irrigation schemes the increasing price of power is impacting their SURĆ&#x201C; W PDUJLQ 7KLV KDV UHVXOWHG LQ FDOOV IRU V\VWHP VROXWLRQV WKDW DUH HQHUJ\ HIĆ&#x201C; FLHQW save water and have a reduced carbon HPLVVLRQV IRRWSULQW 3XPSV DUH D NH\ SLHFH of equipment in irrigation systems and innovations in technology means that they will be important in helping irrigators meet these challenges while still maintaining SURĆ&#x201C; WDELOLW\ Innovation in pumping technology has come a long way and has fast become more DIIRUGDEOH DV WDNHXS KDV EHFRPH PRUH ZLGHVSUHDG 7HFKQRORJ\ VXFK DV YDULDEOH frequency drives (VFDs) and solar pumps are some of the innovations available to irrigators to help them manage and optimise WKHLU ZDWHU DQG HQHUJ\ XVH

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executive summary biosolids

Realising the economic value of renewable energy from biosolids EXPLORING HUNTER WATER’S LONG-TERM BIOSOLIDS OPTIONS L Randall, D Derkenne, C Lokuge, N Tawona, P Hillis, G Taylor, D Brauer, P Mukheibir

Four alternative futures scenarios were constructed to explore the resilience of various pathways under a range of plausible futures. iosolids management poses a range of financial, regulatory, environmental and social challenges for wastewater utilities.

However, alternative biosolids management approaches can offer opportunities to derive greater environmental and economic value from biosolids, improve resilience and enable a more circular economy through co-treatment of organic waste.

Hunter Water is a medium-sized utility, servicing an equivalent population (EP) of 550,000 through 19 wastewater treatment works (WWTWs). Approximately 45,000 wet tonnes per annum (tpa) of biosolids are recovered for beneficial re-use from 15 of the utility’s 19 WWTWs. Hunter Water, AECOM and the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) have assessed the economic case for moving away from the current biosolids management approach to an alternative approach involving energy recovery.

The financial and economic viability of a range of options for managing biosolids and co-treatment of biosolids with organic waste (such as post-consumer and commercial food wastes, and dry organic wastes such as timber waste) have been assessed.

The financial analysis included capital and operating and maintenance (O&M) costs, reduced electricity bills, avoided cost of upgrades, revenue from gate fees, sale of large-scale generation certificates,

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and sale of products. The economic analysis included avoided greenhouse gas emissions and diversion of organic waste from landfill, and considered gate fee revenue a transfer. Sensitivity testing was used to explore the impact of changes to key inputs including, capital and operating costs, market rates and biosolids energy content.

A key component of the work was the characterisation of relevant uncertainties in the assumptions about the future, including trends and plausible sudden events (shocks) within the planning horizon. Four alternative futures scenarios were constructed to explore the resilience of various pathways under a range of plausible futures. The study also assessed the resilience of each pathway to a range of market and regulatory shocks, such as changes to stabilisation requirements in the NSW Biosolids Guidelines.

A centralised anaerobic digestion (AD) facility with energy recovery is more cost effective than Hunter Water’s current biosolids management approach.

It will also improve resilience to future market and regulatory changes and reduce Hunter Water’s carbon footprint by up to 10%.

Thermal treatment offers greater resilience to potential regulatory and market shocks than both the current biosolids management approach and AD options. However, thermal treatment options have higher life cycle cost

and a relatively immature regulatory approval pathway.

The financial and economic benefits of co-treatment are countered by new commercial and financial risks.

Co-treatment is not critical to the business case for centralised biosolids treatment and energy recovery at Hunter Water.

A staged approach to centralised biosolids management, with anaerobic digestion as a likely first stage, provides a flexible and adaptive strategy that will improve resilience to regulatory and market uncertainty. This approach will not lock out future opportunities for thermal treatment or co-treatment of organic waste feedstocks.

Lauren Randall is a chemical engineer with a background in wastewater treatment.

David Derkenne is an environmental engineer with more than 15 years’ experience in the Australian water industry.

Chani Lokuge is a Technical Director in the AECOM Environment business line.

Neville Tawona is an Environmental Engineer at AECOM with a background and training in Chemical Engineering.

Peter Hillis is AECOM’s ANZ Sector Leader for Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment.

Gareth Taylor is an economist working for the Commercial Advisory team in AECOM’s Melbourne office.

Daniel Brauer is Principal Engineer and Water Sector Lead for AECOM’s Hunter Region business.

Pierre Mukheibir is a professionally registered civil engineer.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at bit.ly/water_ejournal

www.awa.asn.au

99

National

WATER WEEK 19-25 OCTOBER 2020

HOW ARE YOU

Reimagining our Water Future?

Events Resources Fact sheets Colouring pages

Open days Site tours Community activities

Competitions

www.awa.asn.au/nationalwaterweek

Short ďŹ lm Water science

executive summary energy benchmarking

Forecasting energy and carbon reductions A BENCHMARKING APPROACH USING THE INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY RATING TOOL G Fowler, J Logie, K Lockyer ydney Water has assessed infrastructure sustainability performance for the Lower South Creek Treatment Program (the Project) using the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating tool.

The Project includes the process and reliability renewal improvement project at Quakers Hill Water Recycling Plant (WRP) and St Marys WRP to address increased demands on the city’s wastewater treatment infrastructure due to growth in Sydney’s North West. The IS rating process involves detailed energy and carbon forecasting, measuring reductions in carbon emissions and generation of renewable energy.

The Project adopted several innovative process technologies that will deliver significant energy and carbon savings for Sydney Water, and help pave the way to a more sustainable water services industry. These include the installation of a thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment plant and a regional biosolids hub with a co-generation plant to recover energy from biogas. Other innovations delivering greater energy and material efficiency include the use of mechanical primary sedimentation and aerobic granular sludge processes.

Forecasting of energy and carbon was completed in line with the Infrastructure Sustainability Rating Tool v1.2 guidelines, using the base case framework for comparison against business as usual.

To measure improvements in energy and carbon performance, the Project has taken a new approach for the energy and carbon base case modelling.

Performance was benchmarked against Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) energy data from 245 wastewater

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treatment plants across Australia and New Zealand, with breakdown by WWTP type and size class, rather than individual plant data to represent a business as usual base case.

The energy and green-house gas (GHG) forecast modelling shows that the Project will achieve a significant 42% reduction in total GHG emissions (>712,000 tonnes CO2-e over construction and 50 years’ operation), including embodied GHG emissions from construction materials and treatment chemicals.

We also forecasted approximately 69% self-supply averaged across both sites, with St Marys WRP almost a net exporter with the anaerobic digestion plant treating the solids from both plants.

Consultation between the wider water An alternative benchmarking approach services industry (WSAA and AWA) and to the ISCA base case for wastewater ISCA would help to ensure a consistent infrastructure projects has been tested and fair benchmarking approach for future and presented, using the extensive wastewater infrastructure projects.

WSAA WWTP energy benchmark data to compare the energy consumption Gill Fowler is Lead Environmental forecasts for the Project.

Scientist at Sydney Water.

We suggest that the benchmarking approach can provide greater consistency James Logie is the sustainability adviser between projects, if an agreed and for the Lower South Creek Delivery consistent framework exists for how Partner. to apply the benchmark data.

This approach has potential to establish Kevyn Lockyer is a design manager who a data-based and more robust definition has delivered upgrade projects for water of ‘business as usual’ energy performance authorities throughout Australia. in the wastewater sector. It has potential to improve comparability between projects by offering a ‘level playing field’ when calculating energy and carbon savings To read the full article, visit the Water against a base case. e-Journal at bit.ly/water_ejournal

The IS rating process involves detailed energy and carbon forecasting, measuring reductions in carbon emissions and generation of renewable energy.

www.awa.asn.au 101

executive summary water quality

THE FROM IVES ARCH

THE WATERBORNE OUTBREAK WHERE NOBODY BECAME ILL!

TECHNICAL PAPERS PUBLISHED IN THE AUSTRALIAN WATER ASSOCIATION’S JOURNAL WATER FROM 1974 TO 2016 ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON THE ASSOCIATION’S WEBSITE. THE TECHNICAL PAPERS PROVIDE A VALUABLE RECORD OF CHANGES AND MAJOR EVENTS WITHIN THE AUSTRALIAN WATER INDUSTRY OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS. ONE EVENT WITH A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT LESSONS WAS A WATERBORNE OUTBREAK WHERE NOBODY BECAME ILL. IT WAS REPORTED IN THE JANUARY 2001 ISSUE. R Ford n three separate occasions over a three month period, Sydney Water issued a boil water notice for the whole metropolitan area following laboratory reports of high levels of Gardia and Cryptosporidium oocysts in the distribution and reticulation systems.

The concentrations reported were well in excess of those expected to cause infection. Additional sampling reported the occurrence of oocysts over a wide area of the reticulation system.

Yet despite increased monitoring by health agencies, no outbreak of disease was detected. Subsequently a serological monitoring study later confirmed no difference in exposure to Gardia and Cryptosporidium between about 100 blood donors from Sydney, and 100 from Melbourne. (Hrudy 2004) So what happened?

Sydney is supplied with water from reservoirs to the south and south-west of the city. The largest being Warragamba Dam. The catchment supplying these reservoirs was at that time home to about 100,000 people, and contained a number of small sewage treatment plants, many

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on-site domestic wastewater disposal systems as well as broadscale agricultural activity. In 1996 a contact filtration plant was constructed at Prospect to filter all water supplied to Sydney.

With contact filtration, there is no sedimentation stage between the addition of coagulant and the filters.

Prior to the commissioning of the contact plant, Sydney’s water passed through Prospect Reservoir which provided about 30 days detention, and was followed by chlorination. On completion of the filtration plant, the Prospect Reservoir was bypassed.

In June 1998 a major rain event resulted in the first inflow into Warragamba Dam for about 12 months. This was followed about two months later by a rainfall event causing Warragamba dam to overflow.

It was suggested these runoff events resulted in colder contaminated water, flowing below the warmer water already in storage, effectively short circuiting to the outlet works rather than dispersing and mixing with the existing stored water.

Consequently the contact treatment plant was put under stress.

However, Clancy (2001) suggested that particles detected by the laboratory were not oocysts but rather a series of false positive detections possibly compounded by cross contamination within the laboratory by additional unskilled staff urgently brought in to meet the high demand for additional testing. Clancy goes on to argue why reliance on pathogen monitoring as the primary indicator of safe drinking water is inherently unreliable. In the same issue of WATER, Hawkins (2001) strongly defends the laboratory’s methodology and maintains that the items detected were Gardia and Cryptosporidium oocysts.

If the laboratory results were correct, it would appear the species detected were not infective to humans.

Whatever the cause, the incident is important as it demonstrates the difficulties and pitfalls of relying on monitoring and surveillance of pathogens as the primary indicator of the safety of the public water supply. A third paper

by Hrudy (2001) provides a valuable discussion of the risks and pitfalls of water supply monitoring.

Collectively these papers demonstrate the importance of the risk based, multibarrier approach, as set out in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

This approach requires the recognition and maintenance of a series of barriers to pathogens, commencing with a high level of source protection (including strong land use controls over catchments and bore fields), management of reservoirs to achieve maximum detention time for pathogen die-off and minimal human contact to prevent reinfection, treatment processes, disinfection before distribution, and management of the distribution system to prevent contamination during water transport and infrastructure maintenance interventions.

Should any one barrier be breached, the remaining additional barriers should be adequate to protect public health.

Such a system requires identification of all the various barriers between the catchment and tap, and the establishment of monitoring systems to promptly detect and correct the failure of any one barrier.

Pathogen monitoring has an important role in verifying the integrity of the barriers,

but as Clancy points out, it should not be the primary health indicator.

The direct cost to Sydney Water from this outbreak, where nobody became ill, was estimated at about $37M (about $60M in today’s money). Beside the substantial cost, the lessons from the incident are important for water supply protection, and should not be forgotten.

The papers published in the January 2001 issue of WATER are worth reading as they provide a valuable history lesson for current and future water managers.

As Edmund Burke once said: “Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it”.

REFERENCES Clancy J. L. (2001) ‘Lessons from the 1998 Sydney Water Crisis’, WATER, Journal of the Australian Water Association, 28 (1); 33-36.

Hawkins P (2001) ‘The 1998 Sydney Water Crisis - An Alternative Point of View’, WATER, Journal of the Australian Water Association, 28 (1); 37.

Hrudy S.E. (2001) ‘Drinking Water Quality, A Risk Management Approach’, WATER, Journal of the Australian Water

Association, 28 (1); 29-32.

Hrudy S.E and E.J (2004), Safe Drinking Water, Lessons from Recent Outbreaks in Affluent Nations, IWA Publishing, Chapter 4 Water Outbreak case Studies’, 351-368.

National Health and Medical Research Council (2011, updated 2018) ‘Australian Drinking Water Guidelines’ https://www. nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/ australian-drinking-water-guidelines

Robert Ford is currently a member of the AWA Water e-Journal Editorial Committee.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at www.awa.asn.au/ journalarchive

www.awa.asn.au 103

Delivering essential services shaping our communities Broadspectrum delivers a diverse range of essential infrastructure and operational services that support economic and social development across Australia and New Zealand. We work collaboratively with the water sector to support the safe and reliable delivery of water to local communities.

We leverage more than 60 years of experience in the Australian Infrastructure sector to deliver clients a better solution.

We have been delivering design, construction, operations and maintenance services to the water sector since 1976, starting with the construction of the North Pine Dam in Queensland.

Our cross-industry expertise and ability to work collaboratively with clients generates meaningful business outcomes, including production assurance, transparent and bestpractice systems and processes, continuous improvement and long-term cost effectiveness.

Broadspectrum has a sophisticated approach, using local knowledge and experience in funding, designing, building, operating and maintaining water and wastewater assets to deliver integrated end-to-end services that are tailored to the challenges of the asset owner.

Underpinned by the values of integrity, collaboration, challenge and ingenuity, clients can rely on us to deliver a better solution for local communities across Australia and New Zealand.

Our core services f Design and construction of water, wastewater and recycling infrastructure f Plant and process upgrades f Programs of capital works f Optimising energy consumption and chemical usage f Operations and maintenance capability across both water and wastewater treatment and networks f Asset management f Water quality f Smart data and technology

For more information, visit our website:

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noun. The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.

Complete harmony in what one thinks, says, and does. synonyms: strength, honour, cohesion, undividedness

collaboration

{col•lab•o•ra•tion}

noun. The action of two or more people or organisations working towards a common goal. A focused effort to accomplish a task or project together. synonyms: cooperation, partnership, participation

innovation

{in•no•va•tion}

noun. The introduction of new things, ideas or ways of doing something that can create value and/or gain a competitive advantage. synonyms: change, revolution, break with tradition

Comdain delivers quality engineering and asset management services to Australia's leading utilities and energy providers ӱ and it has been that way for over 50 years.

We approach everything we do with integrity and an unwavering commitment to collaboration and innovation.

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T H E AU ST R A L I A N WAT E R A S S O C I AT I O N M AG A Z I N E

A S S O C I AT I O N E V E N T S SHARING EXPERTISE ACROSS THE WATER INDUSTRY

108 112 114 117

EVENTS CALENDAR Plan your continuous learning with the latest listing of the Association’s events calendar.

NT WATER IN THE BUSH Last year’s Water in the Bush Conference celebrated its 30th anniversary.

WA WATER AWARDS Western Australia’s water industry talent were named during National Water Week.

VIC AWARDS LUNCHEON AWA partnered with Stormwater Victoria to include more award categories and winners.

119 122

CAMBODIAN CONFERENCE International delegation enjoyed the best the Cambodian water sector had to offer.

127 129

TAS GALAH DINNER Once again, the Tasmanian AWA Galah Dinner brought out the industry’s finest.

QWATER CONFERENCE Queensland’s water professionals enjoyed networking and thinking about the state’s water future.

YWP CONFERENCE Future leaders of industry, research and government shared their water story.

www.awa.asn.au 107

Association Events

EVENT CALENDAR A PR I L

23 30

WEBINAR STAYING OPTIMISTIC IN CHALLENGING TIMES (hosted by VIC) WA BRANCH COMMITTEE AND YWP SUB-COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS CLOSE

M AY

6 7 15 19 20 EVENTS ONLINE & LIVE

22

In light of COVID-19 and the impacts on face to face events, the Association is introducing a more comprehensive webinar program. No matter where you are located in Australia, you will be able to access great content live and online.

Keep checking our webinar page for the latest events: awa.asn.au/webinars

27 31

WEBINAR AUSTRALIAN STOCKHOLM JUNIOR WATER PRIZE FINALIST PRESENTATIONS AND WINNER ANNOUNCED LIVE WEBINAR NEW LAWS TO BETTER PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT (hosted by VIC) NSW STATE CONFERENCE: CALL FOR PAPERS CLOSES WEBINAR DEALING WITH DISASTERS (hosted by VIC) VIC BRANCH COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS OPEN NSW BRANCH COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS CLOSE WEBINAR WATER IN THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY (hosted by WA) (TBC) WA MENTORING PROGRAM: REGISTRATIONS CLOSE

JUNE

10 17

WEBINAR TECHNICAL MEETING (hosted by QLD) WEBINAR BUSHFIRE RECOVERY SOLUTIONS HACKATHON KICK OFF (hosted by VIC)

FOR MORE DETAILS AND TO REGISTER, VISIT BIT.LY/AWAEVENTS 108 www.awa.asn.au

FROM NETWORKING TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE AUSTRALIAN WATER ASSOCIATION’S CALENDAR IS OVERFLOWING WITH EVENTS FOR EVERY TYPE OF WATER PROFESSIONAL.

S EP T EM B ER

J U LY

15 15 16

WEBINAR TECHNICAL MEETING (hosted by QLD) WA SUNDOWNER SA SUNDOWNER

30-31 July QLD NQ Regional Conference, Mackay

The theme this year is ‘Reefs, Catchments and Climate Resilience’, aligning with the Association’s strategy to share, connect and inspire professionals across the water industry.

TBA

WA IN-LAND WATERS SYMPOSIUM

AUGU ST

5

QLD: TECHNICAL MEETING

13-14 August NSW State Conference, Tamworth

The theme is ‘Planning and Building a Resilient Water Future’ for NSW and aligns with the Association’s strategy to share, connect and inspire water professionals.

20 20 20 27

SA SUNDOWNER TAS WHERE THE WATERS MEET CONFERENCE, HOBART (TBC) WEBINAR BUSHFIRE HACKATHON PITCH PRESENTATIONS (hosted by VIC) QLD WOMEN OF WATER NETWORKING EVENING

10 11 17 24

WA STUDENT WATER PRIZE PRESENTATION EVENING QLD GALA DINNER & AWARDS NIGHT SA SUNDOWNER ACT WATER LEADERS DINNER

O CTO B ER

8 14 15 15 15-16 19-25 21 23 30 30

VIC TECHNICAL EVENT: MELBOURNE’S UNDERGROUND WATER CHALLENGES QLD TECHNICAL MEETING SA SUNDOWNER TAS TECHNICAL EVENT NT WATER IN THE BUSH CONFERENCE NAT NATIONAL WATER WEEK WA SUNDOWNER WA WATER AWARDS DINNER QLD WOMEN OF WATER NETWORKING EVENING VIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE

SAVE THE DATE

Many of the events hosted by the Australian Water Association offer early-bird discounts for members!

Make the most of your membership by saving the date ahead of time.

For more information about upcoming events and ticket pricing, visit awa.asn.au/events

FOR MORE DETAILS AND TO REGISTER, VISIT BIT.LY/AWAEVENTS www.awa.asn.au 109

A completely digital program of webinars, live-streamed sessions and podcasts

Stay tuned for further announcements at

www.ozwater.org

Out and about LEGENDS OF WATER 2019 | NSW eturning again to celebrate the NSW water sector, the Legends of Water Dinner recognises the achievements of water industry leaders committed to creating a more sustainable water future. Last year’s event celebrated water professionals who have dedicated their careers to promoting the importance of water in their respective fields.

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MC Annalisa Contos (Atom Consulting)

Attendees enjoy dinner with industry peers Annalisa Contos (Atom Consulting), Bernard Clancy (GHD), Christobel Ferguson (The Water Research Foundation), Andrew Francis (Parkes Shire Council) and Carmel Krogh OAM (AWA)

HEADS OF WATER FORUM & DINNER 2020 | NSW his year’s NSW Heads of Water Dinner brought together leaders of the NSW water industry to celebrate the impressive achievements of water professionals and organisations from across the state.

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Melinda Pavey (NSW Minister for Water) and Jonathan McKeown (AWA CEO) Yidaki Yulugi

Tasfia Shikdar (Diona), Vincent Roe (Diona) and Suzana Jolak (Diona) Michael McNamara (Comdain), Vivienne Norton (Comdain) and Fraser McMillan (Lendlease)

Sean Gilchrist (AECOM), Darren Romain (Aurecon) and Gemma Keane (Aurecon)

Nicola Nelson (Sydney Water), Prof Fang Chen (UTS Data Science Institute) and Michael Blumenstein (University of Technology Sydney)

Above: Ian Fyfe (Parkes Shire Council), Wayne Diemar (Ampcontrol), Dr Tanja Rosenqvist (RMIT), Prof Sarath Kodagoda (University of Technology Sydney), Steve Barclay (Sydney Water), Alana Saliba (The University of Sydney), Daniel Lambert (Arup), Ivan Reolon (Abergeldie Complex Infrastructure) and Grant Leslie (Balmoral Group)

www.awa.asn.au 111

Out and about WATER IN THE BUSH CONFERENCE 2019 | NT ransforming the Darwin Convention Centre into a hub of leading water experts last October, the Water in the Bush Conference returned to celebrate its 30th anniversary! Delegates from around the territory also enjoyed the trade display, which featured the latest products and services on the market, as well as taking the opportunity to network with peers.

The Hon Eva Lawler presenting a keynote address

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Carmel Krogh OAM (AWA), Christina Bruno (Tonkin) and Peter Makris (TRILITY)

Torres Webb (Indigenous Energy Australia) presenting on the Original Water Story

Catherine Vero (PSD), Peter Dennis (Hunter H2O), Nerida Horner (CSIRO), Carmel Krogh OAM (AWA) and Louise Dudley (Urban Utilities)

Above: Allan McKean showcasing Xylem in the exhibition

30 Years of Water in the Bush panellists: Dr Kevin Boland (Tropical Water Solutions), Darryl Day (ICE WaRM), Prof Karen Gibb (Charles Darwin University) and Amy Dysart (Power and Water Corporation)

2019 NT Water Award Winners: Alea Rose (Charles Darwin University), Joel Spry (Power and Water Corporation), Jethro Laidlaw (Power and Water Corporation) Chris Young (SUEZ), Vishal Pandey (SUEZ) and Christina Bruno (Tonkin)

Joel Spry (Power and Water Corporation), Tracy Ward (Department of Health), Jane Dellow (Power and Water Corporation) and Kylie Climie (Power and Water Corporation)

Above: Mark Vis showcasing Hydro-dis in the exhibition

Right: Natalie Fries (GHD), Lindsay Smith (Department of Local Government, Housing and Community Development), Amy Dysart (Power and Water Corporation), Darryl Day (ICE WaRM) and Carmel Krogh OAM (AWA)

Vishal Pandey (SUEZ), Darron Nutt (GANDEN Engineers and Project Managers), Trevor Nel (GANDEN Engineers and Project Managers), Jasper Hennekens (GANDEN Engineers and Project Managers) and Chris Young (SUEZ)

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Out and about WATER AWARDS DINNER 2019 | WA

Indigenous elder Neville Collard JP performed the Welcome to Country Ceremony

Malcolm Robb, Kieryn Kilminster, Anya Lam, Cassie Paxman and Matthew Awang (DWER)

MC Verity James (ABC)

ast year The Westin, Perth, hosted the AWA WA Awards Dinner, which celebrated the outstanding achievements of water professionals and organisations around the state.

The event included the WaterAid Wine Wall fundraiser, including a lucky dip and raffle, and organised by the WaterAid Committee.

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Renee Blandin, Lisa Chan and Halinka Lamparski (WA WaterAid Committee)

Bradley Allpike, Richard Fourie, Justin Tan, Rachel Wallington, Colin Percival, Alan Toomey, Ben Mitchell, Adam Leedman, Mark Tonkin and Luke Murphy (Jacobs)

Carmel Krogh OAM (AWA), Peter Moore (PD Moore Consulting)

Garth Walter (The Walter Group), Connie McCafferty (Colin Cook and Associates) and Peter McCafferty (ChemCentre)

Mike Rowe (Department of Water and Environmental Regulation), Danni Haworth (Wallbridge Gilbert Aztec), Steven Harding, Cr Michelle Rich, Carl Done and Alan Rajah (Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale)

Jason MacKay, Nicole Locke and Suzanne Brown (Water Corporation)

Stephen Hall, Amir Vahdani, Eric Wong, Russel Blakely, Peter Read, Dean Connell and Chetan Gajera (Steel Mains)

Martin and Barbara Brezger (Moerk Water)

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Out and about AWARDS LUNCHEON 2019 | VIC

Water Professional of the Year, Terry Dalgleish (South East Water)

Young Water Professional of the Year, Dr Paul Satur (Monash University)

David Kirby (KBR), Tony Belcher and Tracey Slatter (Barwon Water), and the Hon Lisa Neville (Minister for Water)

he annual AWA VIC Water Awards Luncheon brought together water professionals from around the state to recognise major individual and project achievements. Partnering with Stormwater Victoria, the AWA Victorian branch were proud to recognise more achievements in Victoria.

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Meredith Gibbs (Baker McKenzie) taking registrations

Student Water Prize winner, Matthew Kube (RMIT) Lisa Lowe, Rae Moran, Pandora Hope, Grace Mitchell, Geoff Steendam (DELWP), David Kirby (KBR) and Lindsey Brown (GHD)

The Hon Lisa Neville (Minister for Water)

The Hon Lisa Neville (Minister for Water), Lindsey Brown (GHD), John Thwaites (Monash University)

Steve Lennox, Andrew Edney and Pat McCafferty (Yarra Valley Water) winners of the Infrastructure Project Innovation Award

Tiburce Blanchy (Adour Advisory), Brett Millington (formerly IWN), Tracey Slatter (Barwon Water), Steve Reddington (Intelligent Water Network), Terri Benson (formerly South East Water), Paul Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donoghue (Central Highlands Water), Simon Prunster (Yarra Valley Water), Philippe du Plessis (South Gippsland Water), Ben Spedding (South East Water) www.awa.asn.au

117

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Out and about CAMBODIAN WATER CONFERENCE 2019 | INT

Paul Smith (AWA)

Chiva Thlang (3i), Mark Forbes (Akvotek) and Sok Samedy (CWA)

Cambodian dignitaries opening the conference

ssociation representatives and an international delegation were delighted to attend the Cambodian Water Conference last year.

The delegate program included expert briefings and utility introductions.

A

Representatives from Cambodia and Australia with the Cambodian secretary of state and Australian Ambassador

Carolyn Schulz (Saltfree Desalination Australia) and Angela Corcoran (Australian Ambassador to Cambodia)

Delegates at the welcome reception

Matt Redshaw (Heritage Water Tanks) with Angela Corcoran (Australian Ambassador to Cambodia)

Doug Stewart, Paul Wilson, Anthea McManemin and Josh Quinn (South East Water) with Cambodian water operators

Matthew Robertson (TasWater) (left) and Stephanie Lym (Palladium) (middle right) with conference delegates

Cambodian university students attending the Young Water Professional workshop

www.awa.asn.au

119

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Out and about VIETWATER 2019 | INT osted by the AWA, the Australian delegation to last year’s Vietwater’19 enjoyed international networking and business opportunities, including having their company profiles added to the Vietnam National Digital Technology Exchange Platform. The platform helps connect international businesses with Vietnamese agencies. Australian delegates also benefited from one-on-one business and utility introductions.

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Carmel Krogh OAM (AWA), Robyn Mudie (Australian Ambassador to Vietnam) and Vietwater delegates

Andrew Riches and Dirk Kuiper (AMS Water Metering) with John Barilaro (NSW Deputy Premier)

Representatives from Vietnam and Australia at the Young Water Professionals Workshop

Mark Forbes (Akvotek) with Robyn Mudie (Australian Ambassador to Vietnam)

Harshil Patel (Pioneer Water Tanks) with Vietwater delegates

Katie Hardy (Singleton Council) with Young Water Professionals

Australian delegates to Vietwater with John Barilaro (NSW Deputy Premier)

Representatives from Whitsunday Regional Council, Singleton Council and Riverina Water meeting their partner utilities for the first time

www.awa.asn.au 121

Out and about QWATER CONFERENCE 2019 | QLD osted at the Brisbane Sofitel Central, the 2019 QWater Conference offered delegates presentations from the full range of perspectives within industry. From engineering and operations to legal, accounting and human resources, the insights provided a broad range of expertise and research. Delegates also enjoyed the social side of the conference, with plenty of time to unwind, share insights and meet new peers.

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Michael Lawrence (Bligh Tanner), Justin Simonis (Promethean Projects) and Jeff Ballard (NWM Projects)

Chee Terng Lee (Aqseptance Group), Michael Johnston (Pensar)

Robert Stringfellow (Moody Civil and Pipe), Scott Lowe (Unitywater), Andrew Schoenmaker (Veolia) and Paul Kwong (Aquatec Maxcon)

Jessica Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hare (Downer), Anton Bardak (SMEC) and Kunal Bagchi, (SMEC) 122 www.awa.asn.au

Alice Connell (SMEC), Rita Vieira Lemos (UQ) and Paula Andrea Hernandez (UQ)

Richard Savage (GHD), Justin Simonis (Promethean Projects)

Ian Fisher and Christie Cole (TYR Group)

Matt Hardy, Angela Gadja, Christopher Janzen, Peter Degens and Chantal Keane (Urban Utilities)

Back: Linda Dobe (DNRME), Jurg Keller (UQ), Katrin Doederer (UQ), Justin Simonis (Promethean Projects), Kirsty Blades (AWA) and Katie Trevor (AWA) Front: Sandra Hall (UQ), Richard Petterson (Urban Utilities), Sharon James (AWA) and Steve Comey (AWA)

Elana Huthnance (AWA), Greg Kennedy (Steel Mains), Steve Comey (AWA), Andrew Mavrik (Viadux) and Simon Wadsworth (AVFI)

WAT E R

SCIENCE

TECHNOLOGY

Out and about YWP AMAZING RACE 2019 | QLD oung Water Professionals gathered for the Amazing Race, with last year’s event aiming to increase participant knowledge on local Indigenous history and culture. The race was themed ‘Dandiiri Maiwar’ and encouraged participants to consider the significance of water to all people.

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Alycia Moore and Thakshila Balasuriya (Urban Utilities), Shaw Abrey (E2 Design Lab), Katie Macintosh (UQ) and Shao Dong Yap (Aurecon)

Will Speirs (Urban Utilities), Aidan Symons (SMEC), Johanna Johnson (Logan), Jannah Baker (Urban Utilities), Sandrika Ryan (Unitywater), Alice Connell (SMEC), Rita Vieira Lemos (UQ) and Courtney Brown (Urban Utilities)

Cassandra Mai, Paul Daly, Tanu Kaur, Ronida O’Brien and Louise Muneretto (WSP)

Gerard Smith, Amie Aldred, Thomas Schultza and Mark Thomas (WSP), Matthew Walsh (Logan City Council) and Brenton Gibbs (Downer)

Sam Stegman, Joshua Frank, Dave Somasunderam and Ed Barry (UQ)

Joel Khouri, Charlene Wong, Robert Bowd, Claire Sotiriadis and Julia Scholz (Engeny Water Management)

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Out and about GALAH DINNER & AWARDS 2019 | TAS

Lance Stapleton, Dean Page (TasWater) and Dan Spackman (SMEC)

Cassie TicknerSmith, Kate Guard and Jemma Lawrence (Tasmanian Irrigation)

he Galah Dinner and Awards night is the Tasmanian water industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest event of the year, and last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event was no exception. The long awaited evening delivered on entertainment, continuing the tradition of debate, laughter and reflection.

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Tim Gardner (AWA Tasmania President) Tony Hourigan (TRILITY) and Chris Thompson (Macquarie Franklin)

Dale Cokely (Stornoway), Cassie Tickner-Smith and Andrew Kneebone (Tasmanian Irrigation) Mark Hallsworth (Netco Pumps & Equipment) and Rob Casimaty (pitt&sherry)

Sarah Jones (Macquarie Franklin) and MC Ryk Goddard (ABC)

Ada Espiritu, Ang Davey, Chris Davey, Sarah Brunskill and Jesse Brunskill (Hazell Bros)

AWA TAS Committee

Cassie Tickner-Smith (Tasmanian Irrigation) and Jesse Webster (NRM North)

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Out and about

AWARDS DINNER 2019 | SA

Winners of the 2019 Hodgson Medal/Student Water Prize: Amber Smith and Anthony Cox (University of Adelaide)

he SA Awards Dinner returned again to showcase the outstanding work that is being carried out across the state. The awards night celebrated the winners of the 2019 SA Water Awards and attendees took the chance to relax, unwind and enjoy dinner with peers.

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2019 winners and ďŹ nalists of the South Australian Water Awards celebrate their achievements

Karlene Maywald, Trevor Pillar, Sursh Sripada and Michelle Ha (ICE WaRM)

Caroline Hermann, Meena Yadav, Steve Nettle (Allwater) Back: Christina Dalla Valle, Lionel Ho, Shaun Ledson, Ann-Marie Csortan, Rachael Nuttal and Amy Radford (Allwater) Front: Angela Meola, Uwe Kaeding, Caroline Hermann, Mal Brown (Allwater) The Hon David Speirs (Minister for Environment and Water)

SA Chair Elsie Mann (Stantec) and SA President Mark Gobbie (SA Water)

Kevin Yerrell (Waternish) and Neil Palmer (Tonkin Consulting)

Steve Mattiazzo (Guidera Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor)

Renata Rix, Joanna Rex, Anna Baulderstone and Tanya Milne (Department for Environment and Water)

Mark Vince (Fulton Hogan), Phuong Nguyen and Jonathan William (Tonkin Consulting), and Kat Reid (SA Water)

AWA/IWA YWP CONFERENCE 2020 | NAT

YWP Conference delegates Alice Connell (SMEC)

athering the future leaders of industry, research and government, delegates engaged with the theme: Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your water story? Young Water Professionals enjoyed technical presentations, workshops and plenty of networking opportunities.

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YWP Conference dinner Aidan Symons, Ben Thwaites, William Speirs, Emily Ryan, Jannah Baker, Elyse Bishenden, Diana Gonzalez Botero, Christina Bruno, Joan Davidson and Matthew Robertson (YWP Conference Organising Committee)

Rosie Barber (keynote speaker)

YWP Conference delegates (Unitywater)

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The Last Drop

SA WATER GENERAL MANAGER ANNA JACKSON BRINGS A SMORGASBORD OF EXPERIENCE TO THE ROLE. HERE, JACKSON REFLECTS ON HER MOTIVATION FOR JOINING THE WATER SECTOR. ANNA JACKSON

I STARTED MY CAREER AS A JOURNALIST. It’s funny, you just don’t know where you’re going to end up. I feel lucky because I’ve worked in a range of different roles. I have touched along the edges of water work previously, but I haven’t been as involved in it until I came to SA Water three years ago.

I’ve worked in international development, defence, social research, politics and media before that. All of this experience, even journalism, has come togetherr to help me in my current role.

It’s interesting. I still use those core skills I learnt as a journalist most days that I work here; I’ve learnt to walk in the shoes of the public and how to think about things from a public point of view.

But I actually came to work in the water sector because of the purpose and integrity of the work, and because I’d come out of international development.

Water and wastewater are everything, they touch every part of life. And to me that was a really attractive prospect. I’ve got a strong preference towards working on anything that addresses basic human needs and equity issues.

There are many moments I’ve been proud of and there are many moments I’ve learnt from, and would therefore do differently now. I don’t see one as being better than the other because all experiences help me to become a more developed business leader.

One of my biggest achievements in the water sector is a project at SA Water where we have made a really significant positive impact in community.

This reconciliation action work is delivering services into very remote communities in the APY lands. I am

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Water and wastewater are everything, they touch every part of life ... I’ve got a strong preference towards working on anything that addresses basic human needs and equity issues. also really proud of the work we are doing on liveability.

We are looking at a warming planet and we’re doing some trialling around efficient water use, reducing our urban temperatures, increasing green spaces, and actually really changing people’s lives. To me, that’s really important work.

One of my biggest learnings so far has been that we have to be incredibly agile.

Every single week something new or different will happen.

I cannot think of a week that’s gone by where that hasn’t occurred. And you need to, as an organisation, be able to deal with it and keep delivering that essential service.

The recent bushfires we’ve had are an example, and we also had a statewide power blackout, but there are all sorts of small things that happen along the way that have the potential to become an issue for our customers or our stakeholders if you don’t deal with

them quickly. The thinking that goes on in the room during those situations is so impressive; to have customer service focus in those moments is just great.

People need the connection; it doesn’t matter where they work in the water sector, they need the connection to what they are doing day to day for the end user.

If you’re in the finance team or the IT team, you still need to understand what you’re supporting. And if you can bring that purpose to work, it changes the culture of an organisation.

It is a great sector, not just in terms of our organisation, but nationally. It is full of people who are really committed.

They’re prepared to collaborate and there’s really proactive representative bodies like AWA, who are helping to facilitate and support that collaboration. It’s timely for a broader national water discussion with community.

As utilities, we can do more to support our national representative bodies, but also our state governments, to start that discussion. Because it’s a discussion that needs to be had with the community and we’ve got a role in supporting it.

Appointed General Manager of Customers, Strategy and Innovation at SA Water in 2017, Anna leads the team consulting and engaging with the customers and the communities they work in, transforming customer insights into actions to improve customer experience.

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