CRC
annual report 2010-2011
the ewater story
evolving water management
eWater CRC gratefully acknowledges the Australian Government’s financial contribution to this project through its agencies, the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and the National Water Commission.
eWater Ltd Governing and managing eWater Cooperative Research Centre Set up and supported under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Program Images: Andrew Sikorski TRaCK CERF Luke McPhail MDBC BoM Please cite this report as: eWater CRC Annual Report 2010-11. eWater Ltd, Canberra, Australia. © eWater Ltd 2011 ISSN 1834-3279 This report may be reproduced for purposes of research, discussion, record keeping, educational use or other public benefit, provided that any such reproduction acknowledges eWater CRC. Design, typesetting and print management Giraffe Visual Communication Management Pty Ltd PO Box 669 Mitchell ACT 2911 Canberra, ACT
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Contents Our vision statement
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R&D in action – problem solving with partners
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Delivery highlights
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Chair’s report
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Chief Executive’s report
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Addressing national priorities
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Delivering value in partnership
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Our Board of Directors
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Executive Team
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eWater Innovation
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eWI Board
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eWI Executive Team
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Our research and industry partners
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Our Research & Development Leaders
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The future of water management: Our students
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Vale Professor Richard ‘Chuck’ Norris
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Industry engagement
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Evolution of eWater
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Crcch: How our hydrology capacity evolved
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CRCFE: Science-management-policy divide
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eWater CRC: The eWater story
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Evolving water management: Our products 61 Case studies
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Financial summary
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ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products
eWater Annual report 2010-11
CASE STUDIES
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Our vision statement eWater’s vision is to be a world class water resources modelling organisation supporting our national modelling platform eWater Source.
Our approach is to provide professional software, support, training and maintenance services through our customer support arm eWater Innovation, backed by advice from leading experts in hydrology, hydraulics, water quality and ecology through the eWater parent. We currently provide professional support to nearly 2000 customers.
eWater does this through a range of next generation models, expertise, support and training. We deliver a suite of industry resources through our Toolkit, helping support the water industry around the world.
eWater is governed and managed by eWater Limited (ACN 115 422 903), a company established by the eWater CRC participants, with an independent, skillsbased Board.
Our expertise is captured in our products. It builds on a heritage of collaboration between industry and research which goes back over 20 years. This underpins our development and application of software products for truly integrated water cycle management. We seek to advance the leading edge of water management tools and applications in Australia in support of the National Hydrologic Modelling Strategy.
Based on new knowledge and innovative thinking, science, engineering and management practice, our product portfolio includes:
eWater’s rapidly expanding product portfolio is the result of a partnership between the knowledge of leading scientists in the Australian water sector and the practical experience of frontline water managers from Government and Industry. eWater offers products for: • Integrated catchment management • Complete River System management • Stormwater quality modelling • Urban water management • Ecological response management.
OUR HERITAGE products CASE STUDIES
• eWater Source, designed to facilitate integrated management of water in Australia over the next decade; • eWater’s urban water management software products Urban Developer and music aid the regulation, design and assessment of water systems in urban developments; • eWater Toolkit, designed to provide utility products to help those involved in land and water management or related research and development; • Eco Tools suite (Eco Modeller, eFlow Predictor and Concept). Accessed by users in more than 120 countries, the Toolkit is a web-based distribution point for hydrological, ecological and catchment management models, databases and other resources useful to all involved in land and water management or related areas of R&D. Over 5000 new users have joined Toolkit in the last two years. eWater’s products support all those involved in managing part or all of rivers, water supplies, wetlands, catchment runoff and salinity, urban waters, monitoring programs and catchment restoration programs. eWater technical solutions integrate environmental management of water quality and quantity, as well as river health, with day-to-day water resources planning and operation.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Today, six years of intensive research and development work are coming to fruition. We are delivering research-based software into the hands of industry users, and further research to the scientific community via numerous conference and journal papers.
ABOUT US
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R&D in action – problem solving with partners ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products CASE STUDIES
eWater’s groundbreaking forecasting and decision tools for the water management industry have been built through strong partnerships with government and industry, ensuring our products align with water industry requirements. During the product refinement processes we continually reassess product flexibility and check to ensure product fitness for purpose. Our products integrate new knowledge from eWater research with a wide range of existing scientific information and natural resources management knowledge. Our highly flexible product offerings allow us to accommodate the full range of user preferences and regional biophysical diversities. eWater comprises project teams made up of natural resource managers, scientists, researchers and modellers from our partner organisations. eWater researchers worked with partners at the local level applying our tools to real world simulated situations, across a range of locations referred to as focus catchments. This work has facilitated testing and enhancement of products to ensure their suitability while enhancing local understanding of the capability of eWater products in the operating environment. The CRC has scientific expertise in: • surface and groundwater modelling in rivers and catchments; • software engineering; • aquatic ecology; • hydrology; • risk management and analysis; • monitoring and assessment;
eWater Annual report 2010-11
• urban water management.
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eWater CRC was established in July 2005 as a technology development initiative by the Australian water industry and water research organisations, in partnership with the Australian Government through the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program. We have forged partnerships with 36 industry and 11 research and education partners, all leaders in water R&D. We are governed and managed by eWater Ltd, a company established for that purpose by eWater CRC’s participants.
The organisation arose out of the merger of the CRC for Catchment Hydrology and the CRC for Freshwater Ecology. In operation from the early 1990s, these CRCs provided eWater with a strong culture of industry-focused research and development, knowledge exchange and technology adoption, as well as a valuable portfolio of innovative software products and expert knowledge. eWater is developing its utilisation and commercialisation strategies based on a business delivery model that has strong market orientation. eWater is an incorporated joint venture between leading water cycle management, research and consulting organisations. Our industry partners are major water industry organisations based in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. These include water authorities, natural resource management agencies and consultants.
Andrew Sikorski
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Delivery Highlights ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products
After an extended period of development, eWater today is focused on capturing scientific expertise through our modelling products. Industry partners are applying and improving eWater’s core products, and we are working to incrementally improve product functionality and utility.
CASE STUDIES
October 2010
eWater Annual report 2010-11
October 2010 Source for catchments released Source for managing catchments released to the public.
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October 2010 Groundwater 2010 eWater is a sponsor of the Groundwater 2010 conference at the National Convention Centre, Canberra. October 2010 Asian Development Bank Chair Don Blackmore gives presentations to the ADB in SE Asia, highlighting the case for integrated water modelling across national boundaries.
NOVember 2010
November 2010 Milestone celebrated The National Water Commission and eWater issue a joint statement to mark the key Source for rivers delivery milestone. November 2010 Eco Tools released The rollout of the new eWater modelling capability continues full speed with the public release of our Eco Tools suite (Eco Modeller, eFlow Predictor and Concept). Demonstration Roadshows held in key states. November 2010 Limnology conference eWater is the Platinum Sponsor for the 49th Annual Limnology Congress.
january 2011
January 2011 DECCW gets Eco Modeller Modified Eco Modeller product delivered to NSW DECCW (now Office of Environment & Heritage). January 2011 World Bank CEO Gary Jones presents a seminar on eWater to the World Bank’s water team on eWater’s integrated modelling system Source. This was part of the G’Day USA Australian trade mission for the water industry.
february 2011
February 2011 eWater Roadshow The eWater Roadshow visits Hobart in conjunction with our Annual Planning Workshop and eWater Board meeting. February 2011 waterAUSTRALIA eWater subscribes as a foundation sponsor of the new waterAUSTRALIA marketing and promotions initiative, set up with the support of AWA and several other foundation sponsors to promote and facilitate Australian water enterprises internationally. February 2011 Urban Developer beta launched eWater releases the beta version of Urban Developer for testing to partners, joining the well-known music urban stormwater software in the eWater Toolkit.
We seek to ensure product relevance and delivery, responsiveness to the latest scientific challenges, improvements in operational efficiency and a valuable return on investment to industry partners.
ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE products CASE STUDIES
February 2011 UK music beta released The beta UK version of music released in conjunction with UK partner Jeremy Benn & Associates. April 2011 eWater confirms plans for future Statement delivered to partners and to the broader water industry confirming a strong continuing role for eWater beyond 2012.
july 2011
July 2011 Urban Developer released Public release of Urban Developer launched at Singapore International Water Week. July 2011 music released to UK Commercial version of music launched to the UK market. July 2011 Prototype version of Source released Prototype version of our integrated modelling suite Source released to partners.
AUGust 2011
August 2011 NSW briefings eWater Source briefings for senior managers in the water industry. August 2011 music v5 launched New capabilities included in the latest version of music. These update the science and provide new features.
september 2011
September 2011 Water Quality Analyser released Water Quality Analyser – an integrated software tool for monitoring and analysing in-stream water quality – released. September 2011 Guidelines for water management modelling released Guidelines released promoting a best practice, quality assured approach to application of modelling tools to water management problems.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
april 2011
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Chair’s report ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products CASE STUDIES
It was pleasing to note that after eight years of drought we finally received rainfall over most of Australia. It certainly highlighted the highly variable nature of Australia’s climate and reinforced the need for the products that have been developed by eWater. The continued debate about the Murray-Darling Basin Plan also reinforced the need for credible and repeatable models to help communities understand and maximise the impacts of water that has been made available to the environment.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
It has been a landmark year for the CRC with a total of eight products launched. I would like to offer special thanks to our partners for their active engagement in trialling these products. This real world testing adds great value to the finished products and also enables a group of professionals to train with the use of the products.
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I often speak with those involved in tackling some of the most challenging water management issues around the world. They are impressed by what has been achieved in Australia and feel there are aspects of our approach which they should apply in their own countries. An important part of this for eWater has been the active collaboration of partners, essential to the development of our enterprise product eWater Source. It has allowed us to combine their science and management expertise, effectively encapsulating the best of Australian capability in integrated water resources management (IWRM). I would like to take the opportunity to offer special thanks to three groups of people whose individual and collective contribution has made the success of eWater possible.
I would like to thank the partners for their continued active engagement in the CRC and in supporting discussions around its future. The high level Steering Committee of State and Commonwealth representatives, which has supported the development of Source for rivers, is to be commended. Without this high level support and direction it would have taken much longer to deliver this complex and world leading product. It is the staff of eWater and their colleagues in the partner organisations that are the real engine of innovation and delivery. So to Professor Gary Jones and his extended team I would like to thank you on behalf of the Board for your efforts during the year and in particular in delivering seven new modelling products over the last year to support the Australian water industry. The success of the CRC augers well for a long and productive future for eWater. There are now well developed plans in place for eWater post the CRC program. The Commonwealth, with support from States, has developed a National Hydrologic Modelling Strategy and is negotiating ways to support the maintenance of the eWater products into the future. Work is well underway on developing a Business Plan to support this vision. Once again my thanks must go to all participants in the CRC. Well done on another very productive year.
Don Blackmore AM Chair, eWater CRC
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Chief Executive’s Report ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products CASE STUDIES
eWater ... past, present and future In this, the penultimate year of operations under the CRC program, as well as reporting on eWater performance highlights for the year, I wish to take the opportunity to provide a strategic look to the future. I will also reflect on the achievements and key people who have helped get the CRC where it is today: poised for life as an independent organisation providing modelling products and services to its water industry members, beyond the CRC program.
Our past - the history and legacy of the CRCs
eWater Annual report 2010-11
The research and industry partnership we know today as the eWater Cooperative Research Centre opened its doors in 1992, under the banner of the CRC for Catchment Hydrology. Its sister CRC for Freshwater Ecology set up operations a year later. Thirteen years on, in 2005, we merged those two CRCs to form a single, integrated water science and management CRC: eWater.
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It was the research and industry teams from the two former CRCs that came together in eWater to blend the best hydrological and ecological knowledge that had arisen inside and outside the CRCs, and to integrate this into a new national eco-hydrological modelling system. This system was to support implementation of the National Water initiative and be built not only on the strongest scientific and management foundations but on the highest professional software quality and useability standards. Finally, it was our task to support the adoption of this new national eco-hydrological modelling system by our industry partners and to ensure it is maintained and supported for the next twenty years or more – certainly well beyond the life of the CRC.
Now, 19 years after our foundation and three rounds of CRC Program and partner funding later, we have entered the final phase of CRC life, preparing for the future as an independent self-sustaining organisation. I hope that readers will enjoy the reflections on the CRC’s history and on the people, some great; all good, who contributed to our success. Names like Cullen, Mien, Hart, O’Loughlin, Lake, McMahon, Bunn, Vertessy, Lawrence, Arthington, Grayson and Gawne, to name only a handful of key contributors. All major figures in the Australian water science community, with none more so than the late Peter Cullen, foundation CEO of the CRC for Freshwater Ecology and without doubt the country’s most influential water scientist over the past 20 years. There are many important achievements of the CRCCH-CRCFE-eWater pedigree extending across important new research findings, new hydrological and ecological models, influential reports to government and industry, and influence by our work and by our people on government policy and management, not least in the area of environmental water management. On the people side of our business, we brought together researchers, industry technical specialists and government water managers to work in collaborative, multi-organisation, multidisciplinary teams focussing on real world water science and management problems. These were people and groups that had not consistently worked together in the past. It is these networks, relationships and friendships that have been built over the past 19 years that will provide an enduring foundation for eWater’s future success. We have also played a role in developing future water leaders. eWater provides educational and financial support and professional development training for postgraduate students at our eight partner universities. Many former students have moved on to influential positions in the water industry. I hope you enjoy reading about these achievements and these people in the stories inside this Annual Report.
ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE products CASE STUDIES
Gary Jones explains eWater Source to Senator The Hon Don Farrell at Singapore International Water Week.
2011, our 19th year of research and development activities, has been a strong year for delivery of research and development outcomes and for application of eWater’s new modelling suite. As promised, we have continued the strong model completion and partner adoption focus that commenced in 2010. We completed eight new modelling products in the past year, all of which have either been publically released via the Toolkit or made available to partners for trialling in focus catchments. Most importantly, on-going development and trialling of Source - our new integrated water resources modelling system - has progressed on time and on budget. Version 2 of Source, referred to internally as the ‘Planning’ version, will be completed by the end of the year (Version 1 was released as Source – Catchments in 2010). Significant additional funding provided to eWater by the Commonwealth Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Planning and Communities (SEWPaC) and the National Water Commission (NWC) has allowed us to accelerate the development of Source functionality central to the implementation of the National Water Initiative and the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. This funding has also
allowed us to more actively engage with ‘non-CRC’ state agencies in Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. One particular area of delivery this year which I am very pleased to report on is the public release and growing adoption of our ‘Eco-Tools’ package. Eco-Tools consists of three science-based software utilities: • Concept – a tool for building conceptual understanding and consensus on ecological response to changes in flow regime and water quality • Eco Modeller – a tool for capturing best-available, ecological science in a form that allows scientists and environmental water managers to first understand, and then predict, ecological response to flow regime management , on a transparent and repeatable basis, and • eFlows Predictor – a hydrological tool that allows non-hydrologists to design and ‘game’ different environmental watering regimes required to meet ecological targets set in water sharing or other environmental and water management plans. Finally, eFlows Predictor functionality – the ability to design specific flow regimes to meet ecological targets - has been incorporated as an ecological ‘demand’ module into Source. This means that,
eWater Annual report 2010-11
The present – achievements in 2011
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ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products CASE STUDIES
for the first time, ecological water needs can be analysed and delivered as part of a normal, hydrological planning and operational process, and be optimised with other water demands, whether they be for irrigation, cities, hydro-power or other purposes. Alongside the release and trialling of new modelling products, was the release of our new ‘Guidelines for water management modelling: Towards bestpractice model application.’ This publication supports an important aspect of eWater’s work that is not often fully recognised – the desire to facilitate and support a national ‘community of practice’ and to build shared capability in hydrological modelling. Looking further outside the organisation, eWater this year has been proud to be a sponsor for the Australian Society for Limnology Annual Conference (2010), for the International Association for Hydrological Research (2010) and for the 2011 International Riversymposium. We were also pleased to become a foundation member and supporter of the new Australian international marketing organisation, waterAUSTRALIA. We have also continued our international outreach and promotional activities on a number of fronts including exhibitions at Singapore International Water Week and the International Riversymposium, and
participating in Australian Government water industry delegations to the World Bank in Washington DC and to the Asian Development Bank in Manilla. Under CEO Tim Blackman’s leadership, our fullyowned software distribution and support company eWater Innovation has had a good operating year. Highlights include the release of the new UK version of our highly successful stormwater management tool, music, in partnership with leading UK water consultants Jeremy Benn and Associates. This work was generously supported by an export development grant from the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science and Research through Commercialisation Australia. eWI also released music version 5 in Australia, with new science and functionality in many important areas of sustainable stormwater management. In July Urban Developer made its debut at Singapore International Water Week. Urban Developer is a next generation tool which allows urban water managers to compare integrated water management options, ranging in scale from the allotment to the cluster level. In September, eWI was also pleased to release ‘Water Quality Analyser’, a suite of utility tools integrated into a single software package developed by our Queensland government partners, to
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Rob Vertessy, Director eWater, with Gary Jones at OzWater’11.
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eWI also continues to provide professional help desk, support and training services for our software model users.
The Future – life beyond the CRC agreement The current Commonwealth CRC contract between eWater Ltd and its partners will complete in June 2012. R&D project funding completes at the end of this year, with the final six months focussing on adoption, communication and final CRC reporting to DIISR. By mid 2012, eWater will establish itself as a commercially viable, not-for-profit organisation supporting the Australian and International water industries to apply and build capacity in ecohydrological modelling. Our first major job will be to support the implementation and use of Source and Toolkit models in Australia. To that end, starting in 2012, our COAG partners will contract eWater to provide these ‘adoption’ services in support of the new National Hydrological Modelling Strategy. Over time, eWater will also build strategic relationships with international river and water management organisations to facilitate the use of Source and Toolkit models around the world, especially in developing and emerging countries. As part of that commitment we aim to make Source available on a free ‘open-source’ basis to public water organisations, universities and other research institutes in these countries. eWater Limited is already an incorporated business and can continue on that basis with only minor changes to its constitution. We will remain a member-based organisation, with a revised mix of core and associate members – existing and new - that retains the positive research-industry collaborative approach of the CRC. Critically, as a not for profit, public organisation, we will retain our fundamental commitment to ecologically sustainable water management in Australia and countries around the world, and also
ensure that we remain a highly attractive place to work for innovative scientific, engineering and business minds.
My thanks As ever, the participation and support of our partners, other collaborating organisations and their participating staff is vital to eWater’s outputs and achievements. I sincerely thank all those staff, whether project leaders, researchers, software developers or water technical specialists.
ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE products CASE STUDIES
Yet again, I want to thank the outstanding eWater executive team – Gareth Lloyd, Ralph Ogden, Aapo Skorulis and Peter Wallbrink – for their hard work, dedication and personal support throughout the year. In March, we also welcomed Robert Carr to the eWater executive as Business Development Manager. Robert brings more than 25 years national and international water consulting experience to eWater – experience that will be invaluable as we move forward. Thanks also to Tim Blackman, and his small team at eWater Innovation for their commitment to providing professional software services to our partners and other software users. My special thanks also to the eWater head office staff for their commitment and good humour in the face of significant uncertainty for them about the future. I thank the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Innovation and Science for its financial support to eWater under the CRC Program, and the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and the National Water Commission for the generous funding they have provided to eWater to accelerate and enhance the development of Source. Finally, I want to pay tribute to Professor Richard Norris, CRC researcher, educator par excellence, and personal friend, who passed away after an alltoo-brief battle with cancer in September. Richard was one of only a very small handful of people who had been with this CRC since its beginning. He was a passionate and gifted researcher, and always gave 100% to his CRC work and commitments. He is deeply missed by all of us at the CRC. Professor Gary Jones Chief Executive
eWater Annual report 2010-11
inform and simplify water quality guideline setting, monitoring and reporting.
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addressing National Priorities ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products CASE STUDIES
eWater CRC activities are strongly aligned with two of the four National Research Priority Goals: 1. An environmentally sustainable Australia: • Water – a critical resource: the application of eWater products by our partners and commercial customers will generate increased environmental benefits at lowered cost, leading to better protection of surface and groundwater and more efficient reuse of urban and industrial wastewater; • Transforming existing industries: our modelling and decision support systems will allow water dependent businesses and industries to deliver substantial increases in company and national wealth while minimising environmental impacts on catchments, rivers and coasts; • Overcoming soil loss and salinity: our products will let managers prioritise management solutions to erosion and salinity problems, and optimise investments in river and catchment restoration; • Sustainable use of Australia’s biodiversity: our river operations and restoration products will provide more cost-efficient and targeted environmental outcomes for river ecosystems, leading to enhanced aquatic biodiversity and more valuable ecosystem goods and services provided by river systems in urban and rural Australia;
eWater Annual report 2010-11
• Responding to climate change and variability: we will enable better risk-based investment decisions in water resources, through research leading to understanding of the impacts of climate change and climate variability on water resources and aquatic ecosystem management across eastern Australia.
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2. Frontier technologies for building and transforming Australian industries: • Breakthrough science: our research targets the fundamental processes underpinning landscape scale management of water resources and aquatic biodiversity, and we aim to be a world leader in this area; • Frontier technologies and smart information use: we will build capacity in frontier technologies especially in the areas of ICT (distributed data networks and sensor webs) and complex systems (advanced methods for determining and representing risk and uncertainty in complex systems models); • Promoting an innovation culture and economy: Our diverse range of innovation activities have included working with several SMEs to maximise Australia’s creative and technological capability in integrated water management and monitoring, and also exporting Australia’s world-leading know-how in water management to other parts of the world.
Delivering Value in Partnership eWater’s business structure reflects the key components of eWater’s value chain, with key business units covering product research, development and application; communication and marketing; and business operations.
The eWater CRC has brought together leading Australian organisations to build next generation water management tools for both domestic and global markets, allowing governments and private companies to deliver water of a higher quality, more efficiently and at vastly reduced costs. eWater is an incorporated joint venture between leading water cycle management, research and consulting organisations.
OUR HERITAGE products CASE STUDIES
Our research partners include Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Universities and State and Commonwealth research organisations across eastern Australia. Their focus ranges from climate through to water supply and natural resources, mathematics, socioeconomics and modelling. eWater partners inform the strategic direction and management of eWater through the Participants’ Forum, which advises the CEO and the Board. The Participants Forum is the key mechanism for consultation among the participants, and decides special majority issues and matters referred to it by the eWater Ltd Board. Each participant can formally nominate one representative to the Participants Forum and one alternative representative. Twenty-seven participants are members of eWater Ltd. The Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment represents itself and 12 other Victorian core participants, while the South Australian Research and Development Institute and Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation represent the State of South Australia. eWater operates to terms laid out in the Participants Agreement and by the Commonwealth Agreement. As company members, the participants play an important corporate governance role in electing directors to office.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
eWater clearly understands its underlying knowledge value chain and the water industry’s need for more than just state-of-the-art decision tools. There needs to be strong quality assurance, stakeholder acceptance, support for industry adoption and application, training and capacitybuilding, with an assurance the decision tools will survive in the marketplace. These are the principles that guide our operations.
ABOUT US
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Our Board of Directors ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products CASE STUDIES
eWater CRC is governed and managed by eWater Ltd, a company established for that purpose by eWater CRC’s participants. The company has a nine-member Board of Directors. The eWater Ltd Board is skillsbased, with directors appointed from the partners, and five other independent directors, including the Chair. The directors are selected to augment eWater’s strategic skills in commercial business activities.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
All eWater partners have input into the strategic direction and management of eWater through the Participants Forum, which advises the Board.
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1. D on Blackmore AM Chair Don Blackmore has chaired the Board since the formation of eWater in 2005. He was Chief Executive of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) from 1990 to 2004 and has been Deputy Chair of Land and Water Australia. In 2004, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to the environment. Don has advised The World Bank on river basin management. He also Chairs the Advisory Council of CSIRO’s Water for a Healthy Country flagship program and sits on a number of other boards. 2. H on. David Wotton Deputy Chair For 27 years, David Wotton was a member of the House of Assembly in South Australia, where he held various ministerial portfolios including Environment and Natural Resources (including water resources). He was lead minister for South Australia on the Murray-Darling Ministerial Council from 1993 to 1997. Following his retirement in 2002 David was appointed Chair of the River Murray Catchment Water Management Board, and in 2004 he was appointed Chair of the South Australian MurrayDarling Basin Natural Resources Management Board. 3. Dr Jane Doolan Dr Jane Doolan is the Deputy Secretary, Water Group, Department of Sustainability and Environment. Prior to this she was Executive Director, Sustainable Water Environments
in the Department of Sustainability and Environment since 2008. Dr Doolan has provided expert advice to Government on environmental issues associated with water resource management, including protecting and improving the condition of Victoria’s high value rivers and managing the environmental water reserve to maximise environmental outcomes. Dr Doolan has over 20 years experience working in the field of waterway management, as an exponent of Australian river health, driving key policy in issues of environmental water allocations and river-related catchment management, both in the state and at the national level. 4. David Dreverman David Dreverman is the Executive Director, River Murray at the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. David joined the former MurrayDarling Basin Commission (MDBC) in 2000 as Manager, Assets, and was appointed General Manager, River Murray Water in 2003. David transferred to the Authority in late 2008, when the functions of the former Commission were subsumed by the Authority. David has worked in the consulting engineering industry with SMEC; the Hydro Electric Commission, Tasmania; and Australian Power and Water. For more than 35 years he has been involved with large dam and hydro power projects, both in Australia and overseas, and more recently in the management of the River Murray System.
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5. Garry Smith Garry Smith is the Managing Director of DG Consulting. He has had 30 years of experience in the water industry, both with DG Consulting and GoulburnMurray Water and its predecessor organisations. This experience covers a wide range of managerial and engineering activities associated with the delivery of rural water services, and includes specialisation in water resource assessment, irrigation supply management, salinity management and community participation in decision making. He has also contributed to Victorian Government water policies such as its Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy. Garry is a member of the advisory Board of the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training. 6. Keith Steele Keith Steele is Managing Director of Steele Business Solutions, Chair of the Board of eWater Innovation, Deputy Chair of Beef CRC, and a Case Manager for Commercialisation Australia. He was Chief Executive Officer of AgResearch Ltd (1997 to 2003), and Chief Scientist and then Executive Director of Primary Industries for the Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Environment (1991 to 1997). He has more than 30 years experience in commercialisation of new products and services in more than 80 companies across a diverse range of industries.
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7. Kerry Stubbs Kerry Stubbs was appointed the first Corporate Human Resources Manager of Sydney Water in 1998 and from there moved to a number of operational roles in the water industry. In 2007 Kerry was the New South Wales winner of the Community and Government Award in the Telstra Business Women’s Awards. In 2008 Kerry commenced a new role as Chief Executive Officer of Northcott Disability Services, a leader in the provision of services to people with disabilities in New South Wales. Prior to her appointment at Northcott, Kerry was the Executive Director of St. Vincent’s Hospital and Sacred Heart, where she was responsible for overseeing significant increases in services, funding, new technology and improvements in patient care. Kerry has significant governance experience and serves as a Director on the boards of several companies including NAATI, Ability First Australia Ltd, and Cerebral Palsy Australia. 8. Associate Professor Rob Thomas A/Prof Rob Thomas is the Chief Scientific Advisor for the Olympic Dam Task Force, responsible for coordinating assessment, approvals and indenture for the BHPB Olympic Dam Expansion Project, involving potential expenditure of $20B over 11 years. He has 35 years’ experience as a consultant, environmental regulator, natural resource manager and research manager. His previous roles include Chief of two divisions of
SARDI; Chief Executive of the South Australian Department for Water Resources; Commissioner of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC); and Executive Director and founder of the South Australian Environment Protection Authority. Rob has played a leading role in developing SARDI’s Sustainable Systems Division (including water resources and climate applications) and its specialised capability in biofuels and microalgal production systems. He is also a director of Blue Sky Water Partners.
ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE products CASE STUDIES
9. Dr Rob Vertessy Rob Vertessy is Acting Director Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and recently Deputy Director (Climate & Water). Prior to joining BoM, Rob worked for 20 years as a Research Hydrologist at CSIRO Land and Water. From 1992 he led a research team in the CRC for Catchment Hydrology and was its Deputy Director from 1996 and it’s Director from 2002. Rob was Chief of CSIRO Land and Water from 2004 to 2007. In 2006 he was seconded to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to advise the Government on a national water information strategy. In 2007 Rob joined BoM to implement the new Government policy that arose from that assignment.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
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ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products
eWater Annual report 2010-11
CASE STUDIES
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ROLE OF THE BOARD
• appoints and manages the performance of the Chief Executive;
The Board’s role is to govern and manage the company in accordance with its constitution and the Corporations Act 2001, and to manage the CRC according to the provisions of the Participants Agreement and Commonwealth Agreement. The Board sets and oversees strategic direction and goals; monitors performance; ensures compliance with all laws, regulations and contracts; and manages strategic risks. It is responsible for and has the authority to determine all matters relating to the policies, practices, management and operations of eWater Ltd and eWater CRC. In assuming these responsibilities, it:
• reviews the annual progress and performance of eWater in meeting the objectives of the company, including statutory and contractual reporting of the outcome of such reviews.
• acts as an interface between eWater and its members and stakeholders; • determines the overall strategic direction of eWater and sets short-, medium- and long term objectives, consistent with the Commonwealth Agreement; • approves the annual and life of CRC budgets; • agrees policies and procedures for the conduct of eWater activities and for the governance and management of eWater;
The Board has developed a corporate governance charter that outlines a code of conduct for directors, the requirement to avoid conflicts of interest, expectations of directors in Board processes, and expectations towards induction and continuing education of directors. The Board and company have specific responsibilities and compliance requirements derived from the constitution, the Participants Agreement and the Commonwealth Agreement. The Board monitors these and its decisions are framed by them.
Board Committees Two Board committees, both with independent directors as Chairs, help the Board perform its functions: • Audit and Compliance Committee; • Remuneration Committee.
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Executive Team
1. Professor Gary Jones Chief Executive After a distinguished research career in Australia and overseas, he became the Chief Executive of the CRC for Freshwater Ecology in 2002 and CEO of eWater CRC at its establishment in 2005. Gary has extensive experience in environment and water management. He chaired The Living Murray Scientific Reference Panel and was a member of the 2006 Australian State of the Environment Committee. He is a Director of eWater Innovation, of the International Water Centre, and is a Director and chairman of the International Riverfoundation. 2. Dr Robert Carr Manager, International Business Development Robert was formerly President of the USA arm of DHI Water and Environment and director Australia, New Zealand and Canada. He has a bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from the University of Queensland and was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 1990 to investigate Drainage and Salinity modelling systems. Robert’s expertise includes hydraulic investigations and design, hydrologic assessment, flood estimation and contaminant transport investigations.
3. Gareth Lloyd Executive Manager, Marketing and Communication
6. A apo Skorulis Executive Manager, Business Operations
Gareth has more than 20 years’ experience of both marketing and communications in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Prior to joining eWater he was Head of Communications for BBC English Regions. In the not-forprofit sector he was responsible for leading one of the UK’s most successful environment campaigns. As Director of Communications for National Grid he produced the company’s first sustainability report
Aapo has been responsible for eWater’s business operations since November 2006. His previous position was with the University of Wollongong where he held various research related roles including General Manager of Innovation and Commercial Development, Director of Research Office and Director of Incubator Initiative. Aapo was Chair of the Welded Structure Foundation Ltd, the revenueholding spin-out from the CRC for Welded Structures.
4. Dr Ralph Ogden Executive Manager, Toolkit Ralph leads a team with its focus on the delivery of products and expertise via the Toolkit. He was formerly the Director of Knowledge Exchange in the CRC for Freshwater Ecology, forerunner of eWater CRC. He has studied the impacts of resource development on billabongs, influences driving physical habitat in rivers, and flooding effects on floodplains. A special interest is how scientific knowledge becomes embedded into policy and management.
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7. D r Peter Wallbrink Executive Manager, Source Peter leads a multidisciplinary team developing the Source IMS, the core eWater enterprise platform. Peter was formerly the Deputy Director of the CRC for Catchment Hydrology. He has led diverse teams–drawn from many agencies and disciplines– working on issues of national significance. This includes leading teams on behalf of CSIRO, the Land and Water R&D Corporation, Melbourne Water and the Sydney Catchment Authority.
5. Joel Rahman Technology Manager Joel has more than 10 years’ experience in model development and software engineering and is leading the development of broadscale hydrological modelling tools. He has been involved in the development of several integrated hydrological models delivered via the Toolkit website.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Our management team’s passion is to deliver technologies and advice that help the industry make decisions that are costeffective, transparent and scientifically defensible.
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eWater Innovation ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products CASE STUDIES
eWater Innovation (eWI) is the customer support arm of eWater CRC. A wholly owned subsidiary of eWater Ltd, eWI was formed in October 2008 and began full operation in April 2009. Its purpose is to provide products and support, train users and focus on product development of eWater products launched in the market. It also provides professional product distribution and customer support for eWater products and ensures the potential of eWater CRC products is realised. eWI ensures the wider water industry enjoys appropriate user support and training in eWater tools. eWater seeks to ensure its products have long-term value beyond the life of the CRC. To this end it has a clear long-term strategy to sustain ongoing product support and product improvement to meet market needs as well as providing product training and support services.
Chief Executive’s Report This year was our first full year of operational trading. It was marked by the launch of new products, capability building and staff growth In Australia we launched Source for catchments into the market. Following this we launched the integrated urban water management tool Urban Developer and a new version of the stormwater quality tool, music v5. Overseas we launched music into the UK market with our partner JBA Consulting. This was achieved with the assistance of a government development grant from Commercialisation Australia. The grant helped us to modify music to suit global market needs. We have built a new proactive sales capability and now have a team of three dedicated sales staff. We have had a big focus in maturing processes especially in the way we conduct and manage our sales and support activities. We continue to support our parent, eWater Limited, in providing support, distribution and training services. We work closely with eWater Limited to ensure products enter the market with the right level of support and professionalism.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Tim Blackman CEO eWI
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eWI Board
Professor Gary Jones After a distinguished research career in Australia and overseas, he became the Chief Executive of the CRC for Freshwater Ecology in 2002 and CEO of eWater CRC at its establishment in 2005. Gary has extensive experience in environment and water management. He chaired The Living Murray Scientific Reference Panel and was a member of the 2006 Australian State of the Environment Committee. He is a director of eWater Innovation, of the International Water Centre, and is a director and chairman of the International Riverfoundation.
Tony McAlister As Managing Director of BMT WBM, Tony oversees more than 185 staff within the company’s six Australian and two international offices. He has been with the company for 24 years, in which time he has been actively involved in water quality and environmental management studies in Australia, the UK, the Middle East and South-East Asia. He is industry leader of eWater CRC’s Urban Water program. Tony has considerable experience in the areas of numerical modelling, data collection and assessment, urban and non-urban diffuse source pollution assessment and management, integrated water cycle management, and sewerage and water supply investigations. Murray Rankin Murray founded The Distillery Software in 1997 and, as Chief Executive Officer, grew it to 130 staff globally with operations in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Africa and Asia. He has won numerous national business awards including the Telstra Small Business of The Year. He is an occasional lecturer in business strategy at the Australian National University, Macquarie University and Melbourne Business School. Murray is a director and Chair of numerous boards of innovative Australian companies and also sits on a number of Government boards as a technology adviser. Murray was awarded an Australia Day Medal for achievements in the national security and intelligence sector.
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eWater Annual report 2010-11
Dr Keith Steele Chair Keith Steele is Managing Director of Steele Business Solutions, Chair of the Board of eWater Innovation, Deputy Chair of Beef CRC, and a Case Manager for Commercialisation Australia. He was Chief Executive Officer of AgResearch Ltd (1997 to 2003), and Chief Scientist and then Executive Director of Primary Industries for the Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Environment (1991 to 1997). He has more than 30 years experience in commercialisation of new products and services in more than 80 companies across a diverse range of industries.
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eWI Executive Team ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products CASE STUDIES
Tim Blackman Chief Executive Tim brings to eWater a strong background in online/ digital services, software and database development and commercialisation. He has worked for a number of major companies including Nine-MSN, Telstra Bigpond and Optus, where he was responsible for several successful commercialisation projects. Tim holds a degree in oceanography and computing science (University of New South Wales), and a Masters of Business Administration (Australian Graduate School of Management). His early career included five years with the Navy as a ship’s executive officer, navigator and gunnery officer.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Luke McPhail Senior Product Manager Luke has five years’ business experience managing the eWater music product and the eWater Toolkit. He has a commercial product focus. He is the key manager in the launching and supporting of products to market including; music v4, music UK and music v5. His background before eWater was primarily in sales and customer support.
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Colin Felien Manager, National Sales & Business Colin joined the eWater team in December 2010 as the National Sales & Business Development Manager. He has a proven sales and business development record gained across multiple sectors of the Australian water industry. His experience in growing markets for other early stage companies in Australia and the UK brings the skills and business acumen required for eWater Innovations’ exciting future. Colin holds a degree in Systems Agriculture from the University of Western Sydney and his early career included the running of his own recruitment business.
Our industry and research partners ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE products
eWater also thanks the 10 Victorian catchment management authorities.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
CASE STUDIES
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Our Research & Development Leaders ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products CASE STUDIES
Dr Matthew Bethune Matthew Bethune is with the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, currently seconded to the eWater CRC to manage the delivery of the River Systems project. He has 17 years experience leading, developing and delivering projects that deal with water resource management issues in Australia.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Dr Nick Bond Nick Bond is with the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University, with 15 years experience in freshwater ecology. His primary research interests are in the effects of flow variability on stream biota, and integrating this knowledge into catchment scale planning and restoration. He has published extensively on his research in the international peer-reviewed scientific literature and his active engagement with national and international water and natural resource management agencies provides him with a strong understanding of water resource and ecosystem health issues across a broad range of geographic contexts. Nick plays a strong leadership role in eWater’s freshwater research team, and in 2009 he won the Australian Society for Limnology’s Early Career Excellence Award.
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Guy Burkitt Guy Burkitt is a Software Developer with engineering and environmental consultants BMT WBM and leads the software team making Urban Developer, a new urban water modelling application. Guy joined eWater from Maptel where he helped create Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software for mobile devices. Previously Guy
held software roles at Optalert where he contributed to the development of drowsiness detection technology. Guy began his software career at Axon Instruments making neuroscience instrumentation. Prior to that Guy completed his PhD in neuroscience at Swinburne University and worked as a research scientist at Rockefeller University in New York. Dr Freeman Cook Freeman Cook is an environmental physicist with Freeman Cook & Associates and is the researcher team leader in the aquatic and catchment modelling group. He leads a group within eWater studying constituent dynamics, the science behind application of Source for catchments. Freeman has worked on a wide range of environmental physics problems from microbial respiration in soils to catchment hydrology. Professor Graeme Dandy Graeme Dandy is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Adelaide. He obtained his PhD in Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA. He led the University of Adelaide’s involvement in the decision sciences team of the eWater CRC and was involved in the development of multi-objective optimisation tools and their integration with Urban Developer and other eWater products. He has 40 years experience in research into the application of optimisation and artificial intelligence techniques to water resources planning and management and has more than 180 publications in this field.
Mathew J Hardy Mathew is the Urban Systems Project Manager for the eWater CRC, and recently completed a Masters of Environment at the University of Melbourne. His background includes extensive study in terrestrial, evolutionary and behavioural ecology, conservation and natural resource management. Prior to working at eWater, Mat worked for both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. Dr Phillip Jordan Phillip Jordan is a Senior Hydrologist with Sinclair Knight Merz and is a project leader with eWater involved in developing the catchment modelling and rainfall-runoff model calibration capabilities within Source IMS. His research and consulting interests include flood hydrology, rainfall runoff modelling and applications of meteorological radar in hydrology. He has 16 years of experience in hydrology and water resources modelling and has applied Source IMS and its predecessors to several water quality modelling projects in Australia.
Alistair Korn Alistair Korn is a hydrological modeller with the MurrayDarling Basin Authority, currently assisting eWater CRC with the design and delivery of hydrological and water resource management functionality in the River Systems project. He has 10 years experience in hydraulic and hydrologic modelling in the UK, Vietnam and Australia.
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Professor George Kuczera George Kuczera is Professor of Water Engineering in the School of Engineering at the University of Newcastle. He obtained his PhD from Harvard University in 1980 and spent five years in the water industry before joining the University of Newcastle in 1986. His research interests cover a range of areas including Bayesian calibration and testing of hydrologic models, stochastic hydrology and risk assessment, water resource systems analysis and multi-criteria optimisation. He has published extensively on these topics and has developed a range of software for use in research, education and industry. George has been recipient of the G.N. Alexander and Warren Medals from Engineers Australia and has served as chairman of the National Committee on Water Engineering. Dr Nick Marsh Nick Marsh is a physical process scientist with a keen interest in providing science based tools to support natural resource managers. Nick is project leader with eWater’s restoration, planning and prioritisation products, which include the tools Eco Modeller and Catchment Planner. Eco Modeller allows the coupling of physical processes models such
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Dr Matthew Hardy Matthew Hardy is with BMT WBM and is product leader of eWater’s Source for urban software. He is involved in generating knowledge and tools to support integrated total water cycle management in urban areas and in regions surrounding them.
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ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products
eWater Annual report 2010-11
CASE STUDIES
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as Source for catchments or Integrated Quantity and Quality Model (IQQM) to quantitative models of ecological response. Nick is based at CSIRO Land and Water and Griffith University in Brisbane. Previously, he was Chief Scientist for Freshwater and Marine Sciences with the Queensland EPA. Sue Nichols Sue Nichols is a researcher and lecturer with the Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra. Sue has 17 years experience in freshwater ecology with particular interest in biological assessment of river condition. She has worked extensively on the development of the Australian River Assessment System (AUSRIVAS), which comprises standardised macroinvertebrate sampling methods, predictive models, and software to assess the biological health of Australian rivers. Her current research focuses on the scientific principles underpinning ecological assessment for river management; and the use of causal criteria techniques adapted from epidemiology to promote the application of ecological knowledge in managing the environment. eWater’s Eco Evidence is based on these causal criteria techniques, which have evolved from a desire to make better use of the vast pool of scientific research to aid informed management decisions concerning our natural environment.
Philip Pedruco Philip is a hydrologist with BMT WBM who has been involved in water engineering throughout Australia and internationally for over a decade. He holds a Masters Degree from Imperial College where he undertook research on Flood Forecasting for Ireland. He has also undertaken research for organisations such as Melbourne Water and National Parks and Wildlife (NSW). As well as undertaking research for various organisations he has been part of the team responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Thames Water network. Philip leads the Regional Urban Team which is developing the urban aspects of the Source Platform to assist water resources managers in its operational and planning capacities. This includes the development of tools to assess the needs over the coming decades such as the impacts of alternative water sources and climate variability. Geoff Podger Geoff Podger is a Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO Land and Water and research program leader within eWater’s River System Modelling project which is developing the next generation of Australian hydrological models. Geoff has had 28 years experience in hydraulic and hydrologic modelling, including 9 years in coastal engineering and 19 years in river basin management and planning. He has been involved in the development of numerous hydraulic and hydrologic computer models and is principal author of the wellknown Integrated Quantity and Quality Model (IQQM).
David Waters David is a senior hydrologist with the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management. He also leads the eWater CRC Source for catchments Applications Projects. He has worked for a number of years undertaking runoff, erosion and water quality research work for the grazing, cotton, and cropping industries. Dave also has first-hand experience applying the eWater Source for catchments model across Queensland with CMA’s assessing water quality impacts due to on ground works investment.
Dr Angus Webb Angus Webb is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Resource Management and Geography at the University of Melbourne. Angus has 10 years experience in the study of landscape scale impacts on freshwater systems, focusing currently on the ecological impacts of flow regulation and restoration. His principal research interests are the application of novel analysis techniques to make better use of the data and pre-existing knowledge that we already have on these systems. This includes the use of Bayesian modelling techniques for analysing large-scale environmental data sets, and the use of Causal Criteria Analysis – through eWater’s Eco Evidence product – to systematically analyse the literature.
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Dr Wendy Welsh Wendy Welsh is a river system and groundwater modeller, and a research team leader with CSIRO Land and Water Division. Wendy has been involved in developing the Source Integrated Modelling System since 2007. She leads the hydrology and specifications team.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Dr Jai Vaze Jai Vaze is a Principal Research Scientist in CSIRO Land and Water in Canberra where he leads the catchment hydrology team within the surface water hydrology research program. Jai has more than 18 years experience in the field of water resources management, inland landscape modelling, distributed hydrologic modelling, predictions in ungauged basins, hydroclimate modelling and spatial modelling and he has published more than 70 scientific papers and reports. Jai has worked on various projects that contribute to key national initiatives including the CSIRO Sustainable Yields projects, eWater CRC’s Source for rivers project and the South Eastern Australia Climate Initiative.
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The future of water management: Our students ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products CASE STUDIES
eWater provides educational and financial support and professional development training for postgraduate students at our eight partner universities. The postgraduate program, an integral component in eWater’s organisational framework, involves a talented network of water scientists and researchers. At 1 July 2010 eWater had 27 postgraduate students in the education program. During 2010–11: • Three students had their degrees conferred • Seven students submitted and had their theses passed by reviewers • Two students’ theses were in review • Six students took leave of absence • Four students returned from leave of absence • Eight students received six-month scholarship extensions to complete their projects • Ten students presented their research at international or national conferences
eWater Annual report 2010-11
• Four students published papers in peer reviewed journals
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Our postgraduates receive research operating funds and occasional support to attend relevant conferences. In 2010-11 eWater students represented us at the following national and international conferences: • Water 2010, Quebec City, July 2010: Joanna Szemis and Jeffrey Newman • Society of Limnology and Oceanography, and North American Benthological Society Meeting, Santa Fe, New Mexico USA, July 2010: Susie Ho and John Morrongiello • 9th International Mycological Congress Edinburgh, August 2010: Janice Williams • 9th International Conference on Hydroinformatics, Tianjin, China, September 2010: Mohammad Mortazavi • Practical Responses to Climate Change National Conference, Melbourne September, 2010 : Fiona Paton: (winner of the Best Paper Award for Paton, Dandy & Maier (2010)) • 12th International Conference on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control, Venice Italy, October 2010: Michael Newham
• Two current or completed students were especially newsworthy: Fiona Paton won best paper award at a National Conference on Climate Change; and Jeffrey Newman won a Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Award and deferred study one year to work in Harbin, China.
• American Geophysical Union Fall meeting, San Francisco USA, December 2010: Petter Nyman
• A further 19 of eWater’s 37 students are in employment in the water industry or in research positions.
• North American Benthological Society ‘Responding to the global water crisis’, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, May 2011: Ben Woodward.
• With this funding Petter also spent January– February 2011 working at US Ecological Survey in Boulder Colorado.
Vale Professor Richard ‘Chuck’ Norris eWater mourns the death of Emeritus Professor in Freshwater Ecology Richard Norris, research scientist, consultant, lecturer, supervisor and educator extraordinaire. As program then education leader with the CRC for Freshwater Ecology, education leader for eWater CRC and head of the Institute of Applied Ecology, Richard’s contributions during 30-plus years of research and consulting were unparalleled. His dedication, energy and passion will be sorely missed. Working in the biological assessment of rivers, including metal and coal mine effluents, heated water, agricultural effects, sewage effluents, siltation, environmental flows and predictive modelling, he had 70 international and 140 national conference presentations, two books, 95 internationally refereed publications and 260 technical reports to his name.
Managing the eWater education and training program, he developed training material for water industry professionals as well as students – employing online and blended teaching methods. The AUSRIVAS accreditation course, eWater and the University of Canberra all benefited from his innovative training approaches.
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All in all, Richard made a remarkable contribution to the scientific community, on both a professional and personal level. His achievements were indisputably impressive. His work influenced hundreds of people on a direct professional level, and contributed to knowledge and management nationally. He leaves an impressive legacy professionally, as well as an interesting and memorable personal legacy.
Richard’s endeavours, either directly or indirectly, contributed to major Australian water initiatives, including the first National Land and Water Resources Audit (2000) and the snapshot of the Murray-Darling Basin River condition. More recently he had input into the development of a framework for the Assessment of River and Wetland Health for nationally comparable reporting for the National Water Commission. Richard passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on 19th September 2011. Richard will be sadly missed by his friends and colleagues in Australia and around the world.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Richard officially retired as Professor of Freshwater Ecology (UC) on 1 May 2011, after earlier stepping down as the Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology (UC) and Postgraduate Education Leader of eWater CRC. Richard was appointed by the late Professor Peter Cullen in 1980, following completion of a PhD on ‘The Ecological Effects of Mine Effluents on the South Esk River (North East Tasmania)’ at the University of Tasmania. His contributions to freshwater ecology and river management from that point on were both measurable and immeasurable. The ripple effect of his work in contributing to our knowledge base and informing better management, education and training of the next-generation of scientists will continue to add value for many years to come.
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Industry engagement ABOUT US OUR HERITAGE Products CASE STUDIES
eWater CRC is engaging with the industry to promote adoption of its products and sharing its expertise with partners, stakeholders and potential users.
Australia Interstate Roadshows In August 2010, panels of industry experts convened in both Brisbane and Sydney to present on water management and water systems modelling. The presentations provided real world examples of an eWater modelling system that will support analysis and decision-making across the full water cycle. eWater took its Roadshow to Hobart at the end of February 2011. This included presentations on key products and demonstrations by eWater product leaders. Tony Weber (BMT WBM) focused on a case study done on the Tamar using Source for catchments. A Board dinner followed the Road show, which proved an excellent opportunity to meet senior decision makers within the Tasmanian water industry. A workshop on Water Sensitive Urban Design was also presented in Tasmania, with the support of the Derwent Estuary Program.
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ASL Congress
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In early December 2010, eWater was well represented at the annual Australian Society for Limnology (ASL) Congress in Thredbo. eWater’s Dr Nick Bond’s address outlined his team’s substantial work on refuge pools in drying landscapes. Professor Richard Norris won the ASL Medal for 2010 for his outstanding contribution to Australian limnology and David Crook won the ASL Early Career Excellence Award.
IAHR Congress eWater exhibited as this Congress, held in Brisbane at the end of June 2011. The Congress provided a strong technical and networking opportunity for eWater among government, research, and consulting organisations.
Riversymposium We also exhibited at the International Riversymposium in Brisbane in September 2011, where we focused on
the relevance and application of eWater Source as well as our Urban and Ecology products. We also launched Water Quality Analyser to an appreciative audience.
International Outreach Abu Dhabi Gary Jones spoke at the Arab Water Academy Leaders Forum in Abu Dhabi in July 2010. This meeting aimed to facilitate dialogue on innovative solutions that the Arab regions can use to secure a sustainable water future in changing climatic and economic conditions. Gary Jones spoke on water management in Australia as well as eWater’s role in developing water decision-support systems.
China eWater’s Senior Hydrologist Dave Waters visited China on behalf of eWater to promote the suite of eWater products to a Chinese delegation from the Lake Taihu Nonpoint Source Nutrient Management Project. The visit was part of the Australian China Environmental Development Partnership (ACEDP). Dave covered how eWater products could help to identify and target nutrient management for the basin. As a result of this visit, eWater has been invited to undertake a pilot project in the region over the next 12 months. The aim of the project is to demonstrate how our Source software can be applied to catchments to establish the relative nutrient contribution from existing land uses and assess a range of improved management practices aimed at reducing nutrient export to Lake Taihu.
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In January 2011, Austrade held an Australian Water Forum, hosted by the World Bank in Washington, at which Chairman Dr Don Blackmore and CEO Gary Jones presented. They covered the challenges in integrated river basin management and eWater’s product portfolio. Other presenters from eWater partners included David Downie (DSE), Scott Ashby (Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation) and Scott Keyworth (CSIRO). This US trip aimed to build recognition and establish new strategic partnerships for eWater, both commercial and government. In June, Institute for Applied Ecology and eWater CRC staff, Sue Nichols and Ralph Ogden, attended a meeting in San Francisco aimed at developing a method for sharing and exchanging database records that describe evidence of ecological cause and effect. The meeting also aimed to foster a greater acceptance of data sharing and better use of the extensive pool of published scientific literature. A globally accessible ecological database could add considerable capacity and rigour to environmental decision-making and could be used in combination with tools like eWater’s Eco Evidence model.
UK In February, following the US visit, CEO Gary Jones, joined by eWater Innovation CEO Tim Blackman, met with Jeremy Benn of JBA Consulting (UK) to discuss reseller agreements on music. This is a key commercial alliance for eWater in the UK. Gary also met with Ian Barker, Head of Water, UK Environment Agency, to discuss eWater products, especially music and Urban Developer and Water Sensitive Urban design in the UK. The Agency is
interested in the advances being made by eWater and its partners, both in water modelling and in integrated water management, in the light of policy changes in the UK.
Manila In early June 2010, Gary was part of an Australian Consulting Services Mission to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). An Austrade-organised event to access key development consulting opportunities in the Asia Pacific, this was an opportunity to discuss how eWater could be involved in ADB projects to address poverty in the region, specifically projects improving access to clean water and natural resource management.
Singapore In the first week of July 2011, eWater exhibited at Singapore International Water Week, where we launched Urban Developer. More than 100 of the delegates requested further information about eWater’s products and services. Major companies were present, offering excellent opportunities to meet senior decision makers.
Asia Pacific eWater continues to be an active partner in the International WaterCentre’s (IWC) Knowledge Hub for Healthy Rivers and Aquatic Ecosystems in the Asia Pacific region, launched in 2009. The Knowledge Hub aims to connect people and organisations concerned about creating healthy rivers and aquatic ecosystems. It facilitates dialogue with Queensland and Australian-based leading academics and practitioners with a view to developing long term collaborative projects and information sharing.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
United States
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eWater Annual report 2010-11 : evolution of ewater 32
“ Amongst the reasons that the CRC for Catchment Hydrology and the CRC for Freshwater Ecology were viewed as amongst the more successful CRCs was that the industry science collaboration was there. The big wins of those two CRCs were about the true collaboration that occurred.� Rob Argent, AWRIS Project Director, Bureau of Meteorology (BoM)
Evolution of ewater eWater’s modelling products build on a heritage which goes back more than 20 years. Created by eWater, they incorporate the science and expertise developed by our predecessors, the CRC for Freshwater Ecology and the CRC for Catchment Hydrology. All three organisations have benefited from strong collaborations across the industry and states.
• Building industry & research links • Knowledge of basic processes
CRC for Freshwater Ecology MARK 1
1990
1995
COAG water reforms
our heritage products CASE STUDIES
CRC for catchment hydrology MARK 2
eWater CRC
• Hydrological tools • Large river ecology • Science to support policy
• Whole of water integrated tools
CRC for Freshwater Ecology MARK 2
2000
2005
2010
• Integrated solutions • Industry focused • Not for profit
2015
COAG water reforms
eWater Annual report 2010-11
CRC for Catchment Hydrology MARK 1
about us
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CRC for Catchment Hydrology:
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCCH
how our hydrology capacity evolved
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t couldn’t have come at a better time. With a turbulent and fragmented industry suffering a dearth of technical skills during a period of economic slowdown, the CRC for Catchment Hydrology (CRCCH) got underway in 1992 with a visionary and hugely ambitious agenda.
“It was a time when the industry was in disarray,” recalls eWater CRC Board member Rob Vertessy, one of the CRC’s foundation program leaders. “The water industry was not being well serviced by R&D, and was very fragmented, as was the research community. There were lots of small groups all around the country doing their own thing. There was a lot of competition between groups. There wasn’t a pipeline of students coming out, so industry wasn’t getting refreshed with new blood. It was a time of fiscal contraction for a lot of agencies: agencies were getting reorganised and downsized, so there was a lot of turbulence in the industry and it was very difficult to find people with good technical skills. “There was also a huge gap between research and its adoption by the industry. All that really provided an impetus for a CRC.” Onto this fractured and occasionally fractious landscape fell the newly formed CRCCH, tasked with a mission both courageous and historic: “To deliver to resource managers the capability to assess the hydrologic impacts of land-use and water management decisions at whole of catchment scale”. The industry-identified issues to be addressed by the CRC’s research program were defined as: • water allocation (sustainable allocation of water resources and more efficient water use) • land-use impacts on rivers (addressing the consequences of land clearing in the historical past)
our heritage products CASE STUDIES
• climate variability (the potential to reduce hydrologic risk) • urban runoff quality (the opportunity to improve city rivers and bays) • river restoration (to halt and reverse the degradation of streams and waterways). The performance of the new CRC was to be judged by the level of adoption of research outcomes. The vehicle for facilitating this adoption would be a series of focus catchments, via the direct involvement of catchment managers and community groups in the research at those sites. Bringing together the biggest assemblage of hydrologists ever seen in Australia, the CRC effectively sought to deliver water managers the capacity to manage catchments in a totally new way. Its central goal was something previously inconceivable: the production of a decision support system capable of predicting the movement of water, particulates, and solutes from land to rivers, linking the impact of climate variability, vegetation, soil, and water management in an integrated package. The system had to be capable of allowing catchment and water managers to fully evaluate the short- and long term outcomes of policy decisions at regional scales. The mission recognised that the management issues to be tackled by this predictive capability were national ones, involving the direct expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCCH
I
about us
Image: courtesy MDBC
making science useful to land and water managers
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about us our heritage products CASE STUDIES
“It was a visionary agenda I would say, a really big one,” Vertessy says. “Even to this day predicting catchment behaviour is still very tough to do well, but we’d be nowhere if it weren’t for that CRC. The concentration of effort that we brought to bear: really we made huge progress in the years of the CRC and we couldn’t have done so without the CRC program.” CRCCH was highly successful by any measure. Even at the time of its 2000-2001 annual report the CRC could boast, with considerable justification: “Our CRC has a reputation for delivering science in forms that are useful to land and water managers.”
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCCH
By the end of its 13 short years, the science had matured and the tools had evolved to the point where the focus of the CRC had moved from knowledge acquisition to predictive capability. Under Program Leaders Geoff Podger, Robert Argent, Peter Wallbrink, John Tisdell, Tim Fletcher, Francis Chiew, Mike Stewardson and David Perry and their project teams, it had created a Catchment Modelling Toolkit, then boasting around 4000 members and featuring more than 20 products; supported the training of around 100 graduate students, and catered for more than 3000 people in training courses. It had also sold some 12,000 copies of reports, with many more copies downloaded from the web site.
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“ After 12 years of Catchment Hydrology, it is easy to forget that by international standards, we have been involved in an avant-garde experiment... As our North American-based external reviewers noted in 2001, there was ‘nothing comparable’ to our CRC in the United States... clearly we have something very special.” Rodger Grayson, Director, 2005
“It was a very exciting mix of field experimentation and modelling work involving a large number of diverse researchers with different ideas. We also had a very large cohort of students that we could get to help us out to test the ideas and bring their own innovations to bear,” Vertessy says. The efforts of two of its leaders: Chairman John Langord and Russell Mein, Director from 1995 to 2002, had proved so stellar that they were influential in winning both men the honour of AM in the 2005 Queen’s Birthday honours list. The newly developed CRC model, the brainchild of then Chief Scientist Ralph Slatyer and Prime Minister Bob Hawke – both determined to address the huge and growing gulf between industry and research – had proved the perfect vehicle to address such ambitions. “After 12 years of the CRC for Catchment Hydrology, it is easy to forget that by international standards, we have been involved in an avant-garde experiment,” reflected then Director Rodger Grayson in the penultimate issue of Catchword in May 2005. “…As our North American-based external reviewers noted in 2001, there was ‘nothing comparable’ to our CRC in the United States. This was reiterated last year when a senior overseas colleague reviewed the
eWater business case for us, noting that he knew of ‘no other effort internationally’ that brings together science with well defined industry needs in such an integrated manner.”
“These projects have not only resulted in improved allocation of resources and environmental outcomes, but also served as a terrific vehicle for expanding institutional capacity and providing feedback on how research outputs can best serve industry,” he said. “Other outcomes from our work have included: changes to manuals of practice (e.g. the Australian Rainfall and Runoff), new guidelines and manuals (e.g. river restoration), the application of Water Sensitive Urban Design for stormwater management (via music), and savings to infrastructure costs resulting from new design methods. “Perhaps the most enduring legacy of our CRC though, is the extent to which it has broken down barriers across institutions and states, and the way the CRC has developed a broad family of people who enjoy working with each other. This was certainly highlighted at the CRC’s Annual Workshop and is something that will continue to have a profound influence into eWater and beyond.” Links to industry and knowledge exchange were key strengths of the model. Both were reinforced when, in 1996, Ray Leivers from the (then) Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Environment was seconded to the new position of Technology Transfer Coordinator. Leivers engaged in a series of planning and delivery activities that encouraged and supported project teams in developing an industry perspective for delivering research outcomes. This culture of ‘delivery to industry’ was cemented in 1997 by the Board’s direction to introduce a target of 25 per cent of total CRC expenditure towards technology transfer.
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“Driven by strong commitment from project staff, and support from the Board and Executive, the CRC was already well regarded within the industry by the time I arrived as Technology Transfer Coordinator in May 1997,” Program Leader David Perry recalled in Catchword newsletter. “One outstanding example of the success of the approach was the CRC publication ‘Hydrological Recipes – Estimation Techniques in Australian Hydrology’ by Grayson et al. published in 1997, providing a range of quick estimation techniques identified by researchers and industry. The publication had sold more than 520 copies within nine months of publication, and is still in demand today.” Another amongst many enduring legacies was the CRC-Forge Method for Extreme Rainfall estimations, which addressed high uncertainties in extreme flood estimation and supported the revision of industry standard guidelines. Since its completion in Victoria, the CRC-Forge methodology has been implemented in Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. Years after the research project was completed, Project Leader Erwin Weinmann continues to assist the application of this research across the country. A benefit-cost analysis by independent consultants ACIL later revealed a benefit-cost ratio of 4.9 based on its contribution to dam spillway upgrades alone.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCCH
He cited the CRC’s Development Projects as prime examples of the application of its methods and tools.
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Grayson said the CRC could point to tangible effects on land and water management in Australia and improved environmental outcomes as a result of applying methods it had developed.
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Luminaries
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s potent as the strength of the CRC model proved to be, Vertessy says much of the success of CRCCH can be sheeted home to the drive, knowledge and ambition of the industry giants who variously led it. A key “mover and shaker” was John Langford, who was Board Chairman through the life of the CRC, and who also helped galvanise the Freshwater Ecology CRC by pulling together its key senior researchers. Langford’s efforts were bolstered by the vision and energy of the three “luminaries of hydrologic research” who led it: Foundation Director Emmet O’Louhglin, Russell Mein from Monash University and Tom McMahon from Melbourne. For Rob Argent, who led the Toolkit work and acted as “Chief Integrator”, the resultant community of knowledge remains one of the most outstanding achievements of CRCCH. “Amongst the reasons that CRCCH and the CRC for Freshwater Ecology were viewed as amongst the more successful CRCs was that the industry science collaboration was there,” Argent recalls.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCCH
“The real outcomes included that community of knowledge: so the understanding of scientists of each other’s work, the understanding of scientists of the interests of industry, and the understanding of industry of the nature of science and how it gets across to them.”
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Collaboration and linkages with international groups and researchers in land and water management was also a feature of CRCCH, with leading international researchers and specialists participating in review panels at major stages over the life of the CRC, providing comprehensive advice on the direction, nature and quality of the science being undertaken. “Throughout all the (three water) CRCs there was always a great accent on sharing the knowledge and coaching people to use the tools,” Vertessy says. “All of the participants in the CRC were really fair dinkum about adoption of research outcomes. And that was manifested in a very active outreach program. We did everything. We did intensive seminar series, we video recorded them and sent them around, we ran field days, we ran specialist workshops – dozens of them. We published very user-friendly, readable reports to take the geek factor out of them to try and reach senior managers. We did special briefings for senior managers. We really experimented a lot. We pioneered I think some really good outreach work that has since been mimicked widely in the industry. We really were pioneers, I thought, in that area.”
CRCCH at a glance • Griffith University
Founding Director Emmett O’Loughlin (1990-1995)
• Monash University
Director Russell Mein (1995-2002) Director Rob Vertessy (from July 2002) Director Rodger Grayson (from July 2004)
• Melbourne Water • Murray-Darling Basin Commission
Waterway Management Peter Hairsine CSIRO Land and Water
• National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand
Round 2
• Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Qld
Predicting Catchment Behaviour Geoff Podger
• Sinclair Knight Merz
The CRC for Catchment Hydrology (1992-2005) focused on hydrological modelling for catchments.
• Southern Rural Water
Among the valuable outcomes of CRC for Catchment Hydrology was the Catchment Modelling Toolkit, which eWater CRC now manages and supports.
• The University of Melbourne
• Sustainable Water Resources Research Center, Republic of Korea • University of New South Wales • Water Corporation of Western Australia • WBM
CRC Participants Program • Australian National University Leaders • Brisbane City Council • Bureau of Meteorology • CSIRO Land and Water • Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources, NSW
Round 1 Forest Hydrology Rob Vertessy CSIRO Land and Water
• Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
Flood Hydrology Russell Mein Monash University
• Earth Tech
Urban Hydrology Tom McMahon The University of Melbourne
• Ecological Engineering • Goulburn-Murray Water • Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water Authority
Salinity Glen Walker CSIRO Land and Water
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Land-use Impacts on Rivers Peter Wallbrink Sustainable Water Allocation John Tisdell Urban Stormwater Quality Tim Fletcher Climate Variability Francis Chiew River Restoration Mike Stewardson Communication and Adoption David Perry Education and Training Tim Smith
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCCH
Chairman John Langford
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CRCCH Highlights Over Two Grant Periods about us our heritage products CASE STUDIES
I
n the initial CRC for Catchment Hydrology from 1992 to 1999, the research programs embraced Salinity, Forest Hydrology, Waterway Management, Urban Hydrology, and Flood Hydrology. With the successful bid in 1998-1999 for a further round of funding, the CRC’s programs evolved to include research on Predicting Catchment Behaviour, Land-use Impacts on Rivers, Sustainable Water Allocation, Climate Variability, and River Restoration. The CRC for Catchment Hydrology’s concept of a whole of catchment modelling capability is reflected in the Catchment Modelling Toolkit as well as the E2 software platform which has evolved to become eWater Source.
Many people played a role in the success of the CRC and made significant contributions to tools for industry and to the knowledge pool. This is but a taste of some of those many achievements. Our thanks go to all who played a part for a terrific job well done.
From the science building blocks of the initial CRC, progress on the Catchment Modelling Toolkit accelerated, culminating in the delivery of 20 products via a dedicated Toolkit website, with more than 4000 registered users by June 2005.
In 2002-2003 the Catchment Modelling Toolkit (Robert Argent) reached a major milestone with the adoption of TIME (‘The Invisible Modelling Environment’) as the framework for the development of CRC software modelling products.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCCH
The functionality of TIME was improved and expanded with industry parties, other CRCs, and software developers having shown strong interest in using the modelling framework.
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2004-2005 was spent integrating CRC products using the E2 software platform. E2 enables users to build ‘tailored’ whole of catchment models to suit their particular modelling objectives. The CRC’s E2 platform for integrated modelling capability arrived at a time when there was no such capability on the market.
Catchment Modelling Toolkit – Prediction Tools in an Efficient Modelling Framework The central objective of the CRC was to produce an integrated, whole-of-catchment modelling capability for land and water managers, and to deliver this to them via the Catchment Modelling Toolkit.
Improving Water Quality in Reservoir Catchments Work in the Waterway Management Program, led by Peter Hairsine, on understanding the sources and mechanisms for sediments and nutrients transported to waterways led to a CRC Association Award for Technology Transfer.
The 1999 Award acknowledged the success in having had 90% of a target market – the 100 or so landholders within Victoria’s Tarago catchment in West Gippsland – implement remediation works as part of a catchment-wide strategy to improve water quality in the Tarago Reservoir.
Improved Understanding of Water Use by Forests and Other Vegetation The variations in water use from different sorts of vegetation were a major focus of the Forest Hydrology Program led by Rob Vertessy.
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The CRC work contributed substantially to understanding why forests with different age stands use different amounts of water. The research also covered water use of grass versus trees; impact on water availability of logging, fires, regrowth, and afforestation; and trade-off in quantity and quality from tree planting. Tools were developed to estimate the effect of different land uses at several scales – from stand and forest scale, through catchment scale to the assessment of regional impacts.
The CRC developed its CRC-Forge methodology for reliably extending design frequency curves for rainfall. This approach led to reductions in the estimated extreme event rainfall/flood definition, saving some millions of dollars on the anticipated spillway expenditures around Australia based on earlier methods of estimating extreme flows. Revised Areal Reduction Factors based on Australian data were also developed as part of the Flood Hydrology Program and built into industry practice via revisions to ARR (Australian Rainfall and Runoff). The work allowed major savings on infrastructure investment across Australia.
Water Sensitive Urban Design The CRC’s work in its Urban Hydrology and Urban Stormwater Quality programs, led by Tony Wong and then Tim Fletcher, was reflected in the construction of an integrated urban design project involving a bioretention stormwater quality treatment system and a wetland built at Lynbrook, east of Melbourne. The system, serving part of a 300-lot residential development, was an Australian first and used an ecologically sustainable stormwater drainage system built to initial CRC specifications. CRC research and development with Melbourne Water, the Urban and Regional Land Corporation, Victoria (now VicUrban), and Brisbane City Council challenged conventional approaches to urban stormwater management by applying Water Sensitive Urban Design in Melbourne and Brisbane suburbs. In 2001, the CRC was awarded a CRC Association Technology Transfer Award for excellence with its work on Water Sensitive Urban Design.
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CRC-Forge Computer Software Methodology for Extreme Rainfall Analysis
This work had a major impact on policy directions in Australian such as planning the future water availability in the Murray-Darling Basin and threats to the long term sustainability of resources, the Victorian White Paper on Water, and the National Water Initiative (NWI).
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More accurate short-term forecasts for rainfall
Environmental flows in streams
A central part of the CRC’s Climate Variability Program, under the leadership of Francis Chiew, was to develop methods for forecasting weather, seasonal climate and streamflow from several hours to several months ahead.
The CRC’s Flow Events Method, developed as part of the River Restoration Program led by Mike Stewardson for determining and establishing appropriate environmental flows in streams, was applied in several Victorian studies and recommended for use as part of a State-wide environmental flow setting procedure.
At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the CRC’s S_PROG rainfall forecasting (nowcasting) model and five other nowcasting systems from Canada, the US and the UK were tested as part of the World Weather Research Program Field Demonstration Project. The systems were connected to the Bureau of Meteorology network in Sydney during the Games, to demonstrate state-of-the-art forecasting of rainfall amounts.
EMSS – predicting the impacts of land management on water quality Under the leadership of Rob Vertessy, the CRC developed an Environmental Management Support System (EMSS) to predict land management impacts of water quality in 175 sub-catchments covering 22,670 km2 of south-east Queensland.
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This regional water quality model was applied in the Brisbane Focus Catchment to predict sediment and nutrient fluxes through the river network and into Moreton Bay.
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Brisbane-based consultancy group, WBM used the EMSS as part of the South East Queensland Regional Water Quality Management Strategy (now Moreton Bay Waterways and Catchment Partnership). EMSS provided invaluable experience to guide development of E2.
The CRC team published a special issue of the ‘Australian Journal of Water Resources’ on ‘Environmental Flows’ to follow up on an Environmental Flows workshop held in November 2001 – the largest such event ever held in Australia to that date.
Mwater – experimental water markets In 2002-2003 the Sustainable Water Allocation Program completed operational development of an experimental water market environment, ‘Mwater’ (John Tidswell). The software and methodology allows policy makers to explore alternative water trading instruments under controlled conditions. Mwater has been used in several irrigation areas, including Emerald, Qld; Goulburn-Murray, Vic; and Yanco, NSW, and to provide examples of simulated water trading markets.
music – decision support system for urban stormwater management The Decision Support System music for planning and managing urban stormwater was launched to 700 urban stormwater managers in May 2002 (Tony Wong). The music software and methodology brought together the CRC’s Water Sensitive Urban Design research, and supports stormwater managers in a risk-based approach to water quality target setting and evaluating stormwater treatment options.
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music consolidated its position as a leading edge tool for analysis of urban stormwater management improvement strategies. With a third version released in 2005 and some 400 licensed users, the software is in widespread use within Melbourne Water, Brisbane City Council and other water and land managers, and by consulting engineers throughout Australia.
Second Year Review highlights
Industry Reports and Industry Seminars
• Uptake of Environmental Management Support Systems (EMSS) by South East Queensland (SEQ) stakeholders;
For example, seminars held in 1998-1999 each attracted an average of 120 people, with some attracting more than 200. The CRC worked with other organisations including the CRC for Freshwater Ecology to present industry seminars in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, and Brisbane on ‘Constructed Stormwater Wetlands: from Design to Construction’ and a series on ‘Rehabilitating Streams in your Catchment: Priorities and Possibilities.’
• The CRC Association Excellence in Technology Transfer Award 2001;
• Evapotranspiration maps of Australia; and • Establishment of focus catchments as a means of ensuring that research produced ‘outcomes in addition to outputs.’ By June 2005, development projects had proved an outstanding model for adoption of CRC research and technology and providing user feedback. Substantial involvement of industry parties including Brisbane City Council, Natural Resources and Mines, Department of Natural Resources, NSW, and Goulburn-Murray Water provided the resources to build up modelling capability within those organisations and to successfully extend the scope of development projects.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCCH
The CRC developed its popular Industry Report and Industry Seminar series, which aimed to bridge the gap between research outcome and industry practice.
The November 2001 Second Year Review Panel noted that ‘the CRC has achieved a number of important awards and achievements, e.g.:
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CRC for Freshwater Ecology:
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCFE
Bridging the sciencemanagement-policy divide
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hey didn’t even share a lexicon. When the CRC for Freshwater Ecology (CRCFE) opened its doors in 1993 the hydrologists, biologists, chemists and geographers each had their own unique concepts, indicators and terminology. Tasked with addressing the ecological basis for the sustainable management of Australian waters, the CRC’s participants first had to learn how to communicate then collaborate. In doing so, they transformed the research culture, instilled a generation of managers with confidence in the science and injected hard science into policy making.
“ One of the first hurdles we faced as a CRC was the lack of a common language,” affirms Ian Lawrence, who was seconded from the ACT Government to the CRC at its inception. “Then during the work on sediments we found some commonality in methodologies and approach which we turned into Conceptual Models – tools that came to be used extensively throughout the CRC. Indeed Barry Hart and Bill Maher took them into the National Water Quality Guidelines where they remain a very powerful component.” And so it went once the CRC for Freshwater Ecology (CRCFE) set out, under the leadership of Chairman John Langford and the late, great
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CEO Peter Cullen, to help improve the health of Australia’s inland rivers and wetlands. Problems found solutions which found their way into the hands of water managers in a triumph for collaboration, inter-disciplinary scientific research and the process of putting science into the hands of all those who needed it. The CRC linked major land and water management agencies, including the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment; the NSW Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources; the Sydney Catchment Authority; Griffith University, and the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines, with key freshwater researchers. It completed two six-year terms, with Cullen at the helm for nine of those 12 years. Its aim was simply expressed but dauntingly ambitious: to help improve the health of Australia’s inland waters, particularly rivers and wetlands. The CRC program recognised the urgent need for engagement between research and industry in order to address some of the major ecological challenges facing Australia’s rivers, lakes and wetlands. It also brought together a number of sizable collaborative multidisciplinary teams to tackle large and complex problems. The fruits of that work provided vital new insights to a powerful cohort of land, water and river managers and a variety of policy makers. Gawne says those relationships endure today, with managers now empowered to approach key researchers directly for new ecological knowledge.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCFE
“ By working together over an extended period, researchers were able to develop a common lexicon and work out how their research needed to be modified in order to integrate the work with the other components of the project,” reflects Dr Ben Gawne, now Director of the MurrayDarling Freshwater Research Centre. “…those different perspectives meant new insights and additional outcomes could be achieved.”
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Equally importantly, he says, the strategic research the CRCFE undertook continues to have a significant influence on management, with examples including: • Campaspe River project, where knowledge of fish recruitment and system’s response to flow still influences environmental flow determinations; • algal blooms, with knowledge of factors that influence blue-green algal blooms still informing reservoir and river management; • decomposition, where much of the early work on leaf decomposition has informed the response of management to blackwater events over the last few years; • wetland acidification, where the CRC investments in sediment biochemical process laid the foundation for understanding wetland acidification in MDB wetlands; • food webs, with work by Stuart Bunn and others having helped us understand the movement of carbon through river food webs.
Cultural Transformation
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCFE
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ike sister organisation the CRC for Catchment Hydrology, CRCFE worked hard to build bridges between scientists, policy-makers and managers, says Barry Hart, now with Monash University’s Water Studies Centre. The result – after an early battle to win over some initially dubious scientists – was not only a transformation in the research culture but also the management and policy culture. Managers learnt to put greater emphasis on evidencebased and knowledge-based decision-making, and to better frame questions, even as scientists became more adept at conceptualising important issues. “With the researchers we pushed really hard – with the assistance of Jean Likens from the United Sates – for it to be standard research practice to really conceptualise the issue before you started plugging away at trying to get additional knowledge.
“The Scientific Reference Panel, the Living Murray work, Victorian Environmental Flows Monitoring and Assessment Program (VEFMAP); all were underpinned by good conceptual models/ conceptualisation,” he says. The application of its research to help support sustainable management was fundamental to the CRC’s goal of helping to improve the health of inland waters. With knowledge exchange a personal passion, Cullen invested significant time and energy developing the CRC’s Knowledge Exchange program and finding people who were willing to be part of the experiment. Other research highlights of the program include major advances in our understanding of floods and droughts in arid Australia from the two projects examining the role of refugia in maintaining biodiversity in dryland rivers. The late Christy Fellows, along with Nerida Beard and Stuart Bunn, conducted research which provided key insights into the relationship of waterholes to each other and as refugia for aquatic organisms in dryland river catchments, as well as identifying processes that sustain biodiversity in these waterholes. Sadly, Christy passed away, too young, in December 2008. The CRC’s knowledge brokering efforts proved both innovative and highly effective. Under the leadership of first Gary Jones as Director of Knowledge Exchange, and then Associate Professor Ralph Ogden (when Jones became CEO), the knowledge brokers were a team of independent scientists whose role was to synthesise acquired knowledge of freshwater ecology and convey it to stakeholders, while listening to and learning from the water industry and community.
Unique to CRCFE, the knowledge brokers showed the immense value in scientists making direct contact with the end-users of their research in pursuit of significant management outcomes. “Being a knowledge broker was a challenge but it was good: it demonstrated that the CRC was committed to having the knowledge it generated taken on board or at least put on the table in terms of decisionmaking,” says Peter Cottingham, who became the CRCFE’s first knowledge broker in 1998. That approach, and the co-location of knowledge brokers in organisations like Melbourne Water and the Sydney Catchment Authority, gave managers much higher levels of confidence in the judgements they made.
Major projects where knowledge was applied to management issues included the review of the Murray-Darling Basin cap, the development of the Sustainable Rivers Audit (SRA) and The Living Murray Initiative (TLM), as well as a number of expert panels.
The effectiveness of the approach was clearly seen in the TLM program, which built on work undertaken through the River Murray expert panel (Martin Thoms, Jane Doolan, Gary Jones and others from CRCFE), and which rates among the CRC’s highest profile achievements.
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“Gary took over as the leader of Knowledge Exchange program and led the CRC’s TLM project,” Gawne says. “He had a very clear vision of what was required and both coordinated the researchers within the CRC and got them to address the challenges – even though this was a very uncomfortable experience for many of us. Gary was also the main contact with the MDBC who managed the process and then helped the MDBC communicate the outcomes to ministers and the community.”
Policy Impact
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hat knowledge exchange produced many fruits. In a report produced for Environment Australia, the CRC identified the likely ecological outcomes of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) water reforms. This information, along with the consideration of emerging issues, assisted development, implementation and assessment of the COAG Water Reform Policy. In mid 2002, the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council established the Living Murray initiative to redress the decline in river condition. The CRCFE led the environmental part of a ‘triple bottom line’ analysis examining the benefits arising from three potential environmental flow scenarios for the Murray River, for the MDBC’s Living Murray initiative, culminating in a report of the Scientific Reference Panel (SRP). The CRCFE coordinated input from over 70 scientists across the Murray-Darling Basin involved in the SRP assessment, and linked this to a new decision support system, the Murray Flows Assessment Tool, developed with Bill Young’s team at CSIRO, which was used to assess the environmental flow scenarios. The CRC also developed a framework for the Sustainable Rivers Audit (SRA) in close consultation with water industry representatives, which was to become a significant part of future reporting
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCFE
By the end of the CRCFE the full team consisted of Peter Cottingham (Melbourne), Amanda Kotlash (Sydney), Michelle Bald (Mildura), Ruth O’Connor (Canberra), Janey Adams (Goondiwindi), Sylvia Zukowski (Mildura) and Bronwyn Rennie (Canberra). John Hawking (MDFRC, Albury), and Glenn Wilson (Northern Basin Laboratory, Goondiwindi) also committed time to knowledge brokering.
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on river health in the Murray-Darling Basin. This work was an extension of the CRC’s review “Ecological sustainability of rivers of the MurrayDarling Basin”, undertaken as part of the MurrayDarling Basin Ministerial Council’s “Review of the Operation of the Cap”. CRC staff also played a major role in the development of the new ANZECC/ARMCANZ water quality guidelines, and presented workshops in all capital cities around Australia explaining the guidelines’ philosophy and approach. CRCFE also set up three regional laboratories: the Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre at Albury, the Lower Basin Laboratory at Mildura, and the Northern Laboratory at Goondiwindi specifically to operate in partnership with the communities.
Cullen was also in large part the architect of the regional model of national resource management. CRCFE also proved capable of assembling rapid response teams to address urgent environmental or river management problems, such as the massive slump of peat into the Wingercarribee Reservoir. “You could put together a team very quickly to provide a rapid response and advice into a crisis,” he said. “You could take someone like a Terry Hillman or a Sam Lake or a Peter Cullen to a river; they could have a look and within an hour or so they had probably worked it all out. That technique enabled governments to move quickly on difficult decisions.” By the time it gave way to eWater CRC in 2005 then CEO Prof Gary Jones could confidently assert than in its 12-year history the CRCFE had helped make a real difference to the effective management of the Australian water environment.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCFE
“I can say with certainty that CRCFE has helped improve Australia’s inland waters, and that we have made a difference to water management in Australia,” wrote CEO Gary Jones in the final issue of the Watershed newsletter, in a piece aptly titled ‘So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish’.
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John Whittington, now Deputy Secretary, Resource & Information with the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Tasmania, says the CRC had such a great policy influence because of its credibility. Such was the reputation of Cullen, and hence his team, that he was able to directly impact Government policy at the Ministerial level. Such high level advice was the genesis of the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, a multimillion dollar program. Peter Cullen (left) at his retirement function with wife Vicky and John Langford.
CRCFE at a glance Founding CEO Peter Cullen (28 May 1943 – 14 March 2008) CEO from 2002 Gary Jones
• Environment ACT • Environment Protection Authority, NSW • Environmental Protection Authority, Victoria • Goulburn-Murray Rural Water Authority • Griffith University
The late Professor Peter Cullen AO FTSE (1943-2008) helped establish the CRC for Freshwater Ecology in 1993, and led it as Chief Executive until mid-2002. Peter was well-known to many Australians as a clear-thinking and direct-speaking person whose influence helped raise awareness of water issues and drive Australian sustainable water policy initiatives, from the 1990s right up until his death in March 2008.
• La Trobe University • Lower Murray Urban & Rural Water Authority • Melbourne Water • Monash University • Murray-Darling Basin Commission
• Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland • Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria • Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, South Australia
Flowing Waters Sam Lake Monash Standing Waters and Eutrophication Rod Oliver MDFRC Floodplain and Wetland Ecology Terry Hillman MDFRC
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Education Richard Norris
Conservation ecology Arthur Georges UC/Margaret Brock
Round 1
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Technology Transfer Peter Cullen
• The University of Adelaide
• ACTEW Corporation
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Fish Ecology and Management John Harris NSW Fisheries
Round 2
CRC Participants Program (as at 2004-05) Leaders • Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources, NSW
Urban Water Management Ian Lawrence ACT Government, and Peter Breen Melbourne Water
• Sydney Catchment Authority
• University of Canberra
• CSIRO Land and Water
Water Quality & Ecological Assessment Barry Hart Monash
Flow related ecosystem processes Gerry Quinn Monash Restoration ecology Stuart Bunn Griffith/Nick Bond Water quality & ecological assessment Richard Norris UC Education Ian McKelvie Monash/Jane Hughes Knowledge Exchange Ralph Ogden
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCFE
Chairman John Langford
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CRCFE Highlights Over Two Grant Periods about us our heritage products CASE STUDIES
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he Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology (CRCFE) was a national research centre specialising in river and wetland ecology. The CRCFE developed ecological understanding to improve and protect Australia’s inland waterways by collaborative research, education, resource management, policy advice and community liaison. The knowledge base of the CRC for Freshwater Ecology, absorbed into eWater CRC, has helped build a picture and understanding of rivers, catchments, floodplains, wetlands and the effects of urban stormwater. This new knowledge takes the form of datasets, conceptual models, technical reports, publications and the software AUSRIVAS and Watercourses Online.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCFE
Many people played a role in the success of the CRC and made significant contributions to tools for industry and to the knowledge pool. This is but a taste of some of those many achievements. Our thanks go to all who played a part for a terrific job well done.
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CRCFE’s ‘snapshot of MDB river condition’ derived from its work for the first National Land & Water Resources Audit, played an integral part in advancing the Living Murray Initiative, which saw 500 million dollars invested to recover 500 GL of water for the environment.
Living Murray Initiative
Biological Assessment Methods
On 14 November 2003 the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council agreed to a first-step environmental allocation of 500 gigalitres for the River Murray system. The Ministerial Council’s decision balanced a complex array of environmental, economic and social concerns.
The CRCFE developed and applied biological assessment methods based on fish, algae, macroinvertebrates and rates of key ecological processes. In doing so, it transformed biological methods for measuring water quality into practical tools. Of those the most widely applied by the end of the CRCFE’s life were macroinvertebrate methods, which made their mark via the AUSRIVAS (Australian River Assessment System) method for river assessment, developed with the assistance of CRCFE as part of the National River Health Program.
Led by Gary Jones, CRCFE staff drove the provision of scientific advice to guide the Ministerial Council’s November decision. At the request of the MDBC senior researchers from the CRCFE and elsewhere across the Murray-Darling Basin formed the Scientific Reference Panel (the SRP). The panel’s role was to oversee the scientific assessment process and to write the interim report submitted on 1 October. The Knowledge Exchange team held the whole process together through many busy and often turbulent months. CRCFE staff were instrumental in the writing of the revised National Water Quality guidelines and the Australian Guidelines for Water Quality Monitoring and Reporting. The conceptual frameworks CRCFE helped develop were the basis of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission’s Sustainable Rivers Audit.
The University of Canberra team (including Richard Norris, Sue Nichols and many others) developed, tested and packaged the methodology as AUSRIVAS. The demonstrable rigour and scientific strength of the assessment tools, together with the provision of training and quality assurance programs, and the fostering of partnership across Government, academia, industry and the community, resulted in the acceptance of these tools as the national basis for assessment of waterway health.
In 2001 the seminal Assessment of River Condition: an audit of the ecological condition of Australian rivers, which focused on the aggregate impacts of resource use on Australia’s rivers, was published by the CRC’s Richard Norris, Peter Liston, Nick Bauer, Nerida Davies, Fiona Dyer, Simon Linke and Martin Thoms in collaboration with Ian Prosser and Bill Young. The assessment incorporated a range of attributes that are considered to indicate key ecological processes at the river reach and basin levels. Equally significant was the Snapshot of the Condition of the Rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin (Norris et al. 2001a) which employed methods developed and data collected in the National Land and Water Resources Audit. This report was also an important component contributing to the decision to provide more water to the Murray-Darling Rivers.
Role of Particulates in Absorption of Nutrients etc CRCFE research yielded a number of major shifts in our understanding of water quality/ecology processes in rivers, lakes and estuaries, enabling major advances in waterway management in Australia and internationally.
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The recognition of stream flow (environmental flows) as a major driver of biodiversity and waterway health achieved a major breakthrough in building an understanding of Australian waterways ecology and health. Key contributors to this research were Monash University (Gerry Quinn, Ian Rutherford), MDFRC (Terry Hillman, Paul Humphries, Ben Gawne), CSIRO (Ian Prosser), University of Canberra (Richard Norris, Martin Thoms).
Decision Trees for Algal Blooms During the 1980s and 1990s, water authorities struggled to respond to widespread occurrences of nuisance Blue-green algal blooms in lakes and rivers, impacting on water supplies and recreational use of waterways, and on waterway health. Factors triggering algal blooms, and determining the composition of algae, were complex and poorly understood at the time. Two algologists: Rod Oliver (MDFRC) and George Ganf (University of Adelaide) developed ‘decision trees’ which linked a range of physical, chemical and biological factors to nuisance Blue-green algae. This enabled water managers to assess the risk of occurrence of nuisance Blue green algae, and pointers on which factors might be modified to reduce this risk. CRCFE Mk I (1993–1998) had a major research program on the ecology and control of toxic algal (cyanobacterial) blooms. The Chaffey Dam study led by CSIRO and MDFRC was one of the first very detailed studies of the efficacy of artificial mixing to control algal blooms in Australia. Similar work on the Murrumbidgee River found that flow could potentially be manipulated to minimise temperature stratification in weir pools and, therefore reduce the frequency and severity of blooms.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCFE
Building on the body of growing knowledge regarding waterway processes and ecology, and on the success of the AUSRIVAS assessment tool, a number of research institutions: University of Canberra (Richard Norris, Fiona Dyer, Peter Liston, Ian Lawrence, Martin Thoms), Monash University (Barry Hart), Griffith University (Stuart Bunn), Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre MDFRC (John Whittington), CSIRO (Ian Prosser) collaborated in the development of a ‘waterway health assessment’, as the basis for undertaking national and Murray-Darling Basin sustainable rivers audits.
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Reservoir Management In the early 1990s, there was little scientific information available to reservoir managers to guide them in managing large water supply reservoirs, Lawrence recalls. The CSIRO Land & Water team (Phillip Ford, Brad Sherman, Ian Webster, Myriam Bormans), MDFRC (Rod Oliver, John Whittington), Dept LWC (Bob Crouch), University of Canberra (Ian Lawrence, Bill Maher), and ANU (Bob Wasson), collaborated in undertaking studies of Chaffey Dam, Burrinjuck Reservoir and Murrumbidgee River Weir Pools. Based on the research findings from these studies, and a series of national workshops with reservoir managers, Management Guidelines were published by the CRCFE in 1999.
Carbon By the mid-1990s, carbon was emerging as the key driver of productivity of waterways. Teams of MDFRC scientists (Ben Gawne, Darren Baldwin, Paul Humphries), University of Canberra (David Williams, Bill Maher, Ian Lawrence) undertook studies of carbon fluxes in the Murray and its tributaries. The research established the importance of links to the floodplain and anabranches in respect to distribution and recruitment of carbon.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCFE
Urban Waterway Ecology
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At the inception of CRCFE in 1993, urban waterway ecology was identified as a key area requiring urgent research. The Monash University team (Chris Walsh, Peter Breen), together with the CRC Catchment Hydrology team (Tim Fletcher, Hugh Duncan, Tony Wong) identified urban imperviousness and hydraulic connectivity as major drivers of impairment of urban waterways. This research become the scientific underpinning of a more sustainable approach to urban development. This approach is now accepted internationally as the urban design benchmark. Research undertaken by University of Canberra (Ian Lawrence) and Monash University (Peter Breen) on the performance of urban ponds and wetlands led to the wide adoption nationally of ponds and wetlands in urban development, and the retention of natural creeks and streams, as the basis
for more sustainable urban futures, and protection of downstream waterways. The research provided planners and designers with improved pond, wetland and waterway design guidelines. Through the 1990s and early 2000, Monash University (Barry Hart), assisted by University of Canberra (Bill Maher, Ian Lawrence), played a major role in the evolution of the Australian and New Zealand Water Quality Guidelines, from a simplistic set of predominantly chemical based water quality criteria, to an ecosystem, issue or major threats to health, and risk assessment based management framework. The research undertaken by MDFRC (Terry Hillman, Ben Gawne) and Griffith University (Stuart Bunn) on floodplains, enabled the development of integrated waterway health assessment methodologies, and the national river health audit programs outlined above. Understanding of the ecology and pathways to restoration in urban waterways was greatly advanced during the life of CRCFE. Rigorous studies in Melbourne’s streams by Chris Walsh clarified the factors that lead to ecological decline of urban streams, showing that it is runoff from impermeable surfaces that are directly connected to the streams by drainage pipes or channels that causes the ecological damage, largely via the frequent inputs of stormwater, coming even from small rain events. A quantitative relationship was developed between this ‘effective imperviousness’ of the urban catchment and the waterway ecological health, proving to be a powerful tool for urban planners and managers.
Measuring Biodiversity Via the MDFRC, the CRCFE developed around 50 taxonomic identification (ID) guides to numerous invertebrates and larval fish. At the same time, researchers at Griffith University adopted molecular genetic approaches in their taxonomic studies. The research is providing valuable advice for the management of waterways and in particular for projects where inter-basin water transfers or recolonisation by rare and endangered species are being contemplated.
organisms respond in a range of ways to various aspects of flow regimes. These observations added support for the hypothesis of many aquatic ecologists that flow is a key driver of ecological condition, including water quality, in rivers and floodplain wetlands.
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Education
Ben Gawne, Paul Humphries (MDFRC) and colleagues found strong evidence in lowland rivers of Victoria that warm slackwaters, in macrophyte beds or backwaters, act like incubators for native fish and water bugs. CRCFE studies by John Koehn (Dept of Sustainability and Environment, Vic), Paul Humphries and associates, suggested the spread of alien aquatic invaders is hindered more by natural flow regimes than by regulated flows.
ENVIRONMENTAL Flow regimes Environmental flows (e-flows) are an important ingredient in the management of healthy working rivers. The CRCFE and its partner organisations developed and strengthened both the concept and the science, with research and river management staff helping devise eflow regimes for rivers in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory, including the River Murray. The CRC tried to define the ways in which river ecosystems respond to flow regimes. It found there were often complex relationships, and discovered strong evidence that riparian plants and trees, fish, macroinvertebrates, waterbirds and microscopic
Almost 100 PhDs emerged from the two periods of the CRC. Many are now successful Government water managers, technical specialists, consultants or research scientists in their own right.
Threatened species CRCFE scientists were members of threatened species scientific committees Jane Hughes (Qld), Margaret Brock (NSW) and had input to the design and revision of the legislation for Commonwealth and State Acts. Angela Arthington took part in an international program of biodiversity science, DIVERSTAS. Increased awareness of the need for freshwater biodiversity conservation and a heritage river system were derived from the Fenner Conference and from other CRCFE publications such as Conserving Natural Rivers: A Guide for Catchment Managers (Cullen 2002) and Biodiversity in Inland Waters — Priorities for its protection and management (Georges and Cottingham 2002). Research on adaptive management in restoration ecology (C210) and in fish recovery (C220, C715) also fed into policy implementation. In 2004 Mark Kennard and Angela Arthington, with Brad Pusey, all of Griffith University, won the Whitley Award for zoological publishing, from the Royal Zoological Society of NSW, for their book Freshwater Fishes of North-eastern Australia.
Rivers Survey The NSW Rivers Survey, led by John Harris and his team from NSW Fisheries, was a groundbreaking study that assessed the health of fish populations across the State. This showed that many rivers were degraded; especially the more heavily managed southern rivers of the Murray.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : CRCFE
Fish researchers in the CRCFE demonstrated the valuable outcomes obtained from the construction of proper fishways in rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin and along the east coast, monitored and reported on threatened fish species, and developed habitat rehabilitation strategies for those and other fish species. The work led to a far better understanding of carp control, factors affecting the numbers of fish in a river and their migrations (or not), predator–prey relationships in fish refuges, and the factors such as salinity and cold water pollution affecting the recruitment process in native fish species.
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eWater CRC Path to industry adoption
“ Buoyed by its foundation of wellestablished science, and the team of enthusiastic and experienced people gifted it by its predecessors, it has been building its product portfolio and research strengths ever since.�
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : the ewater story
Tony McAlister, Managing Director BMT WBM Pty Ltd
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The eWater Story ne CRC or two? With funding winding up for the CRCs for Freshwater Ecology and Catchment Hydrology during 2003-2004, and ongoing drought tightening its grip on the country, the future of both the scientists and the science hung in the balance. John Langford, who chaired both forerunner CRCs, initially favoured pushing ahead with two separate bids for new funding to carry the science forward, despite the disquiet of some state agencies, partners in both, who were keen for a merger. However, once the new CRC guidelines came out just before Christmas 2003, with their emphasis on commercial activities and the licensing of intellectual property, the question was easily settled. A merger of the research and capabilities of the two predecessor CRCs was clearly the best option. With Gary Jones in charge of the new bid, (Rob Vertessy having become the Chief of CSIRO Land and Water), the eWater CRC bid won the largest CRC grant in the 2005 round. As a result, eWater Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) began operations as “new-from-existing” CRC during September 2005, with an emphasis on turning research tools developed by its forerunners into bestof-breed, industry standard tools. Set up as partnership between private and public businesses across eastern Australia seeking economic, commercial and environmental outcomes from smart water use and management, the new CRC was officially launched on World Water Day, 22 March 2006 by Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP. The new CRC brought across many staff of the former CRCs for Catchment Hydrology and Freshwater Ecology, and recruited a number of new participant organisations, expanding the breadth of skills, end-user networks, tools and specialist knowledge available to it. The eWater CRC vision was to be a national and international leader in the development, application and commercialisation of high quality products for integrated water cycle management. It was to achieve those objectives through a portfolio of products focused on the needs of partners and the broader water market.
Buoyed by its foundation of well-established science, and the team of enthusiastic and experienced people gifted it by its predecessors, it has been building its product portfolio and research strengths ever since. The fledgling CRC had a number of strategic objectives. These included establishment of public and private sector partnerships to strengthen the industry adoption and placement of eWater products in national and international markets and to help build scientific and technical capability in the Australian water industry. It also aimed to develop new partnerships with small to medium size enterprises and to establish an external revenue stream to fund ongoing research, development and the long term value of eWater products for the Australian water industry. Its final objective was the building of water industry and public trust in eWater research and products.
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In its first year of operation eWater also embarked on two significant consulting projects. The first, undertaken in conjunction with eWater partners Sinclair Knight Merz, CSIRO, University of Canberra, the University of Queensland, and Griffith University, was with the National Water Commission to develop the Australian Water Resources (AWR) 2005, (previously known as the Baseline Assessment of Australia’s water resources). The Discovery phase was completed in May-June 2006.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : The eWater Story
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AWR 2005’s primary purpose was to provide a snapshot of Australia’s water resources at the commencement of the National Water Initiative (NWI) reform process, from which future evaluations could be made. The Assessment considered key questions under three key parameters: • Water availability: How much water do we have? How much do we store? What are the variability factors? What are the connections between resources? • Water quality/river health: What is the condition of our water resources? What are the key environmental assets for each system? Are our water systems healthy and able to sustain appropriate biodiversity? • Water use: How much water is under entitlements/ licences? How much is allocated? How much do we use? What types of water are used? For what purposes?
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : The eWater Story
The second was a project undertaken with DSE Victoria, to monitor ecological responses to environmental flows. This project, considered a flagship project by DSE, was undertaken in conjunction with Victorian Catchment Management Authorities.
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During that first year eWater also made substantial progress in a research contract with Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) Victoria investigating hydrological studies into the impact of timber harvesting, and began a further contract with DSE investigating the ecology and hydrology of temporary streams in Victoria. eWater also had an ongoing research consultancy with Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC), the Narran Lakes integrated research project. There were 20 research projects in the eWater research portfolio, 10 product development projects and the Integration Blueprint project, which facilitates links between projects. Projects are the basic work unit in eWater. Research projects were commissioned following a six-month intensive planning process (from July to December 2005) involving key research, industry and state agency staff.
“ There has never been a time when sound decision making in water resources management was more important to the economic, social and environmental future of Australia,” CEO Prof Gary Jones noted in eWater’s first annual report.
“This is where, in a modest but fundamental way, eWater CRC has positioned itself to create and deliver value for its partners, and for the Australian economy and environment. Working mostly behind the scenes, eWater — its staff and partners — has built the next generation of integrated water forecasting and decision tools for Australia. These are tools that will, in the hands of water planners, managers, and operators, ensure that the best scientific and engineering knowledge is available to support the tough and complex decisions that have to be made— decisions that will guide the sustainable use of water for the coming decades.”
On Track for Delivery
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fter an initial year of planning, team building and project operations, 2006–2007 saw the CRC on track to deliver the version 1 product prototypes promised in the business plan and Commonwealth Agreement. Almost all research and development projects were working effectively, with a high level of on-time milestone completion. Project teamwork and collaboration was good and the CRC’s Architecture team was doing an outstanding job in building an intellectual vision and practical plan for integrating conceptual models and research findings, and directing the development of the eWater product portfolio.
The CRC’s Catchment Modelling Toolkit remained an important resource for the water industry, enjoying 1700 new visitors to the toolkit website per month, with more than 200 of those becoming Toolkit members. There were 9000 Toolkit members around the world, 85% in Australia. Consultation and discussions with partners on the establishment process for the CRC’s commercialisation company, eWater Innovations (eWI) was underway.
By 2007, more than 100 water industry staff had attended Toolkit product training courses. The year also saw the National Water Commission award eWater CRC competitive R&D grants to the value of almost $2 million, to augment core work in surface- and groundwater modelling (through the Australian Hydrological Modelling Initiative). The CRC also prepared several commissioned reports for Commonwealth and State stakeholders, including: • Australian Water Resources 2005 — Ecosystem Assessment Framework • Victorian Environmental Flows Monitoring & Assessment • ACT Potable Reuse of Wastewater — Environmental Assessment
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A comprehensive project management framework and operation system was implemented to ensure eWater’s continuous improvement as a project delivery focused organisation. The customer support arm, eWater Innovation Pty Ltd (eWI), commenced full operation in April 2009, initially focused on the release of the upgraded urban stormwater software music v4 in October 2009. The representation of groundwater and surface water interactions will be improved by additional funding provided by the National Water Commission (NWC).
First Class Leadership
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n line with Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research guidelines, in 2008–09 eWater CRC was subject to a formal third-year review conducted by an independent review panel. The panel was chaired by consultant Peter Millington and also comprised: • Professor Barry Hart (Director, Water Science Ltd; and Emeritus Professor, Monash University); • Dr Ian Maxwell (Ian Maxwell Consulting);
• Timber Harvesting and Water Resources in Victoria.
• Ms Lindley Edwards (CEO, Venture Group Pty Ltd).
eWater also began working with the South Korean Water Resources Corporation (‘K-water’) to develop an environmental flows assessment program for South Korea.
The third-year review confirmed eWater’s progress to date and capacity to meet its remaining obligations under the Commonwealth Agreement and to its partners.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : The eWater Story
“eWI is essential to the long term value and sustainability of the CRC’s models and decision systems to our partners and external users. Without professional, industry standard customer support, maintenance, installation and training, we run the risk of being just another well meaning research organisation — one where developing innovative models is the end-point, rather than the first link in a value chain that ends with a long term national and international audience of satisfied users,” Jones remarked in the 2006-2007 annual report.
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The third-year review independent panel concluded that “the role of eWater CRC in delivering integrated water management tools is now an even higher priority to end-users than when the organisation commenced. It is an organisation with strong, first class leadership which has built eWater CRC into a highly accountable organisation, undertaking leading edge research which is focused on delivering ‘fit for purpose’ products to end-users”. The panel concluded that “eWater’s performance to date against the Commonwealth Agreement indicates that it is well placed to deliver its remaining obligations up to June 2012”, and further that “the Economic Impact Assessment confirmed that the benefits of $948 million (2004) estimated in the Commonwealth Agreement should still be delivered”. The accelerated development of Source for rivers (then known as River Manager) was made possible by an additional $6 million of funding announced by Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, in October 2008.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : The eWater Story
After nearly four years of dedicated effort the rollout of eWater prototype and beta models was in full force across 12 eastern state locations, supported by partnerships with state agencies. These partnerships remain fundamental to ensuring that our major models are tested and developed in real world situations.
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The new focus catchment program which started in 2008 helped ensure the national modelling system was adaptable to meet the needs of Australian governments for at least the next decade, as well as generating significant on-ground benefits for partners. They also allowed critical insights which were being used to refine and improve our software. More importantly, the models were already helping partners to clarify problems and develop integrated water and land use solutions from Cape York in Queensland to the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia. To ensure the quality and relevance of our science, we undertook independent international scientific reviews of our Ecological Science and Decision Science areas in late 2008 (the Hydrological Science review was completed earlier in 2008). Among other valuable feedback, the Ecology review panel confirmed the high quality of eWater’s research program, and the Decision Science review panel stated “the quality of research is cutting edge”.
“ The Source for rivers model will further water reform under the National Water Initiative... we have genuine progress in developing a consistent national modelling platform that will be able to be implemented across the jurisdictions.”
James Cameron, Acting CEO of the National Water Commission
By 2010 eWater’s core offer had consolidated into two major modelling product lines: Source – the world’s first truly integrated, river basin-scale water modelling system, capturing rural, urban and environmental water supply needs, and across changing climate and catchment land uses; and the Toolkit – the online DIY shop for hydrological and ecological modellers. “eWater CRC has really raised the standard of software development,” says Rob Vertessy. “That’s really where it put all its emphasis: taking what were great research tools and turning them into best-of-breed, robust, industry standard tools. And they have enhanced their capability of course, but they also raised the standards of coding – and the associated training, I might add – in a way that the industry really needs if it is to rely on the tools as core enterprise models.”
Steering Towards a Bright Future eWater will continue to develop its product suite and to provide professional modelling services after the CRC ends in June 2012.
In 2010 eWI won its first Commercialisation Australia grant of $338,000 to support the way eWI develops international sales, support and distribution of music in a range of global markets. Also on the international front, eWater Innovation (eWI), our subsidiary software distribution, customer support and training company, successfully established its first international reseller agreement with Jeremy Benn & Associates in the UK. As a result, a targeted UK version of eWater’s widely used stormwatersystem design model, music was developed and launched commercially in July 2011. Over the course of its life eWater CRC has funded or part-funded 40 postgraduate students since 2005. Three withdrew for various reasons, at relatively early stages of their PhD studies, leaving 37.
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“Based on our discussions with the industry and our partners, the eWater Board believes there is a compelling case for eWater to continue as a financially independent, not-for-profit organisation based on revenue from contracts, products and services,” says CEO Professor Gary Jones. “After receiving a very positive response from the industry we have decided we will continue to focus our core business on hydrological and ecological model development, applications and maintenance as well as the support and training needed for professional software. “We have released eight modelling products in the last year with the most recent being Urban Developer in July. We are on track with our plans for completing the CRC’s primary mission – to build a new, integrated water modelling system eWater Source – and we are pleased to be able to confirm our commitment to maintenance and support beyond CRC funding,” Professor Jones said. eWater beyond July 2012 will be directly owned by State and Commonwealth water agencies, with associate partnerships with consulting, research and technology partner organisations. This is consistent with the CRC program objective to achieve a successful transition to continue to support its industry sector. Professor Jones thanked eWater’s partners, both research and industry, for their collaboration and support in developing and, trialling new products. “This real world input has been vital to proving the value and benefits that come from products which have developed to meet demanding Australian conditions,” he said. eWater expects to form new relationships with consultants and the industry. “We look forward to developing new contracts and relationships and are already talking to several organisations.”
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : The eWater Story
eWater also continues the tradition of its forerunner CRCs in playing a leading role in knowledge transfer. For instance in 2010, eWater signed up to the first and only Australian-hosted Knowledge Hub for Healthy Rivers and Aquatic Ecosystems – one of 17 waterknowledge hubs in this international zone funded by Asian Development Bank. The hub, being led and coordinated by eWater colleagues at the International Water Centre in Brisbane, was launched in November 2009. It aims to ‘connect people and organisations concerned about creating healthy rivers and aquatic ecosystems’, particularly between academics and practitioners working towards long term collaboration and knowledge.
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Underlying R&D – some highlights
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o improve both the accuracy and consistency of modelling river flows in regulated or unregulated catchments, eWater has undertaken research in new approaches for simulating groundwater fluxes, climate processes and ecological demand. As a result of this, several models have been developed and built into Source. Thanks to accelerated funding from the National Water Commission (NWC), these include:
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : The eWater Story
Groundwater – Surface Water Interactions Tool (GSWIT)
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The volume of groundwater exchange with river models is usually lumped in together with unaccounted losses of river water and then determined by calibration procedures. This practice obscures the specific calculation of groundwater inputs. Research has been undertaken to allow a more explicit representation of the groundwater exchange flux within a river model. As a consequence, a new groundwater exchange model has been incorporated into Source for rivers. The groundwater exchange model features supporting use protocols/guidelines to enable a more consistent, robust and transparent representation of groundwater exchange fluxes within a river model.
Catchment Water Yield Estimation Tool (CWYET) eWater has developed components for modelling rainfall runoff processes within a catchment for the Source platform. The Catchment Water Yield Estimation Tool (CWYET) uses daily rainfall to estimate daily catchment water yield and input stream flows for Source. CWYET also predicts how influences such as climate variation and land use change, including afforestation and the building of farm dams, can affect catchment water yield, and thus forecast much water is reaching the river as runoff. This provides information on: • Variability in rainfall (spatial and temporal) • Variability in potential evaporation (spatial and temporal) • Impact of plantations on evapotranspiration • Impact of groundwater processes on runoff, including extractions.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Evolving water management
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Enterprise solutions about us our heritage products CASE STUDIES
eWater Source is Australia’s first truly integrated, river basin-scale water modelling system. It is an enterprise platform which enables organisations to make a step change improvement in their approach to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Its groundbreaking capability links science, policy and management allowing decision makers to consider future scenarios and alternative management options for catchments, urban environments and rivers systems.
eWater Source provides a single adaptable environment that recognises the practical political and technical issues in developing water policy and the need for transparency and sustainability.
eWater Source is a platform that allows users to build on, rather than replace, existing models. It effectively integrates each organisation’s existing models, with a holistic approach to water management including human and ecological impacts. It has been developed to address water sharing and savings for entire river and connected groundwater systems including cities, agricultural and environmental demands.
• river systems operations
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : Source
For the first time, policy makers and operators can plan and manage the sharing of water for human and ecological use ranging from local urban systems to an entire river basin.
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Source provides a strategic level decision-making capability for sustainable water efficiency and operational management. It encourages systemsbased thinking, leading to exploration of alternatives and effective policy-making. It enables organisations to address the interplay of water use for both human and ecological benefits within a policy and governance setting. It lets users track individual ownership of water throughout a river system; trade water between owners; optimise irrigation supply; manage urban and ecological demands for water, and assess climate impacts. Source is open and flexible so that each user can reproduce what they are doing now, but with new and enhanced features that allow extension of analysis within the same modelling environment, without reworking older studies.
It can easily be customised by users to address specific local problems, or can be pre-configured for typical IWRM situations such as: • irrigation supply management (including conjunctive surface/ groundwater use) • city water supply management (small scale through to bulk water and headworks) • catchment (watershed) management • ecological (environmental flows) and water quality management. eWater Source benefits the industry by building on a community-of-practice approach, allowing different modelling methods to be compared without significant effort. New science and learning can be incorporated seamlessly and added to the existing knowledge base. As new partners and stakeholders use Source they can contribute to the wider modelling knowledge pool for the benefit of the community. It allows for scalable solutions to be developed and addresses the impact that uncertainties in models and inputs have on the outcomes. Source encourages collaboration and provides an environment where third parties can bring their modelling tools and capabilities into the framework. Source was developed by a team of leading hydrologists from Australian research organisations and industry.
climate
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dams & weirs
irrigation
cities
for managing catchments
It integrates an array of models, data and knowledge that can be used to simulate how climate and catchment variables (rainfall, evaporation, land use, vegetation) affect runoff, sediment and contaminants. The output can be used to offer clear scenarios and options for making improvements in a catchment. Source is already in use in catchments across the country including supporting the Queensland Government’s Great Barrier Reef protection plan. It is flexible and extensible to meet future needs. In Queensland, plug-ins have been developed to suit local needs.
Output from the model allows catchment (watershed) managers and their stakeholder communities to develop targets, prioritise programs and measure the effectiveness of a broad range of activities. It enables users to answer a range of management questions, such as where to place on-ground works to maximise water quality. Scenarios can include actual or planned changes in land use, land management, climate variability and climate change. The resulting integrated model can predict the flow and load of constituents (such as sediment or solutes) along the river network, working at a range of time scales and geographic scales.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : Source
The first version of Source to be made available provides a framework for modelling the amount of water and contaminants flowing through a catchment (watershed) into major rivers, wetlands, lakes and estuaries.
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for managing rivers
for managing urban water
eWater Source can be used in planning and operations modes for river management.
eWater Source is flexible and extensible to meet future needs including modelling urban water supply.
Source provides Australia’s first nationally applicable integrated modelling software combining river and catchment modelling to support water planning and river operations across the country. Its use in river management is to simulate the physical and management aspects of river systems at a range of spatial and temporal scales. It can be run in one of two interchangeable ‘modes’. The first mode is used to inform day-to-day operational decisions. The second mode is used to inform policy decisions relating to the long-term impacts on water and environment resources.
As well as its use for catchments and rivers, Source can be used for urban water supply management at the town, city, and regional scale. It can assess a full range of supply and reuse options including desalination.
Source has been developed to address water sharing and savings for entire river and connected groundwater systems. It offers important new features and capabilities dealing with water reform, climate change and environmental water. It allows users to:
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : Source
• share water between environmental and irrigation demands
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• consider what impact climate change will have on water security • manage multiple water owners in storage and in transit in the river system. Source provides a consistent modelling environment to support transparent river management decisions. Fundamental to its design is the flexibility which makes it readily customisable and easy to update as new science becomes available. New capabilities can be incorporated via plug-ins developed to suit particular needs. Extensive trials with eWater partners have proved the capabilities of Source in river basins across the country.
This allows users to incorporate towns and cities into water management models for river systems. Source can be linked to models that operate at whole of city or local scale, allowing evaluation of alternative options for decentralised water supply and demand management. Source helps water managers and consultants to manage rural to urban water sharing while planning infrastructure to secure water supplies in the face of climate variability and change. It also allows them to examine options for more efficient use of water, including optimal configuration of infrastructure and demand management solutions. They can also strike a balance between human and environmental needs for water, as well as to manage the impacts of cities on water quality entering coastal waters.
spot light
Fish Population Variability in Dryland River Landscapes
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An enthusiastic team of researchers from eWater partner organisations throughout Australia have turned their attention to understanding how populations of fish persist in the patchy network of habitat in the dryland Moonie River in southern Queensland Focussing on golden perch (Macquaria ambigua), a dominant large bodied fish in many rivers in inland Australia, the study has been conducted at the large spatial scales over which fish populations are thought to function in these rivers and builds on concepts of landscape ecology. The researchers combined landscape information on the spatial distribution of waterhole refuges and the time over which habitat for fish persists in these refuges once flow ceases with catchment hydrology to define a habitat template for fish in the Moonie River. Information on the movement and dispersal from molecular genetics evidence and acoustic tagging of fish has defined the spatial scales and rates of their dispersal when flow provides opportunities. Information has also been gathered on demographic rates (births and deaths), as well as the carrying capacity of refuge waterholes and how this changes with habitat size, which itself reduces with time since cease-to-flow of rivers.
The model can be used to inform management by evaluating the risk to population viability of golden perch under a range of possible future scenarios, including increased flood harvesting and pumping from individual waterholes during dry-phases of the hydrology, the infilling of refuge waterholes with sediment which reduces the persistence time of individual waterholes, and the addition or removal of artificial barriers to fish dispersal such as weirs and road crossings. By integrating processes occurring at local scales with population trends across the entire length of the river, the model represents a vital step forward in managing fish populations in these highly dynamic dryland river systems. Ongoing work will seek to refine and test some of the underlying assumptions of the model, and to consider how lessons learned from the Moonie can be used to generate general ‘rules of thumb’ for managing refuges and dispersal in dryland rivers.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
This quantitative understanding of the landscape and fish of the Moonie River has been used to generate a population viability model for golden perch. The model can predict how populations fluctuate with changes in habitat persistence and opportunities for breeding and dispersal, and explore how population persistence at both local and whole of river scales might be affected by changes in drought severity and frequency, or increased anthropogenic threats. The model brings together research conducted over many years, and has helped formalise those aspects of the system that are still poorly understood. Sensitivity analyses have given researchers improved understanding of the dynamics of the system. Preliminary outcomes show the importance of understanding mortality rates and reproductive output under different flow conditions, as well as the strong influence of drought frequency on risks to population declines. These knowledge gaps become areas on which future empirical research needs to focus.
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The eWater Toolkit contains software, databases and information resources including hydrology, catchment management, and freshwater ecology, in urban and rural environments. The most recently released products are shown here.
Urban Developer allows urban water managers to compare integrated water management options, ranging in scale from the allotment to the cluster level. This next generation software tool challenges the conventional silo approach to modelling the different streams of the urban water cycle of stormwater, waste water, water supply and re-use options.
Water Quality Analyser
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : Toolkit
Water Quality Analyser is a useful utility tool for water managers, scientists and engineers who need to monitor in-stream water quality, estimate pollutant loads, or set future water quality targets.
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Eco Modeller is used for forecasting likely effects of particular resource management activities. Eco Modeller applies ecological response models to time series data that you enter for your situation. Once you have chosen an appropriate model, Eco Modeller runs your data and produces summary results of the predicted ecological response. music—model for urban stormwater improvement conceptualisation—can accurately simulate realtime water sensitive design. It is designed to help urban stormwater professionals visualise possible strategies to tackle urban stormwater hydrology and pollution impacts. The software has been used by thousands of professionals working in private practice and in state, regional and local government agencies throughout Australia.
Eco Evidence provides a robust capability for using the ‘atomised’ information extracted from scientific papers for an evidence-based systematic literature review or a causal assessment.
after they were introduced to partners during Training tours of capital cities in the eastern States; eFlow Predictor gives managers of environmental water allocations a speedy way to determine the impact of a given flow on environmental as well as human objectives. It can be used whether or not there is enough water in your catchment.
eWater thousands of industry people there has weretrained 323 product downloads in total for over the years. Our training courses do more Eco Modeller and eFlow Predictor betweenthan justNovember teach students how to use our products: and February, compared to 26 infor the those who need a bit of a career boost, start previous four months. Managers from they the other with the basics,and providing a holistic education in such jurisdictions countries from around the globe topics as best practices in water sensitive urban have also picked up the Eco Tools, based on design, catchment management, and the ecology of statistics from Toolkit downloads. Australian river systems and the impact of catchment land-use and other human Sometimes the Eco Toolsactivities. require modification to
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be applied in specific instances. For example NSW
Concept Concept is a conceptual diagram drawing package that can be used to communicate dynamic relationships between the environmental factors and activities of multiple stakeholders. It will be useful to those managing stakeholder consultation, by giving visual answers to different scenarios.
Support eWater is committed to providing professional support for its software. We offer a range of support options including user forums, free support options, and paid premium support. Standard Support is included in the license price and is provided with every purchase. Premium Support and Maintenance is available for a separate annual fee and is the best choice for organisations where an eWater product is a mission control application.
Our ecological tools are being applied now in by project staff in six focus catchments, by NRM agency staff and consultants, and by researchers and academics in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT. Downloads of the Eco Tools increased
IQQM and wetland hydraulic models to create
special-purpose flows Decision Wea offer both online environmental and face-to-face courses and Support System (DSS), and eWater staff were can also tailor courses for organisations that have contracted to incorporate Eco Modeller into a special requirements. seamless DSS. eWater can do the same for other
Wepartners approach training wanting thisdevelopment kind of help.in three ways by: focusing on learning outcomes; using computer Visit the eWater Toolkit for more useful tools. technology to deliver interactive training that meets the needs of a range of users and; ensuring everyone receives the same quality training, whether completed online or at a face-to-face workshop.
Online Training Delivery We have considered eWater’s geographically dispersed user base and training courses have been created that can be delivered online, face-to-face, or a combination of the two. All training is facilitated by a trainer so all students can have their questions answered and get involved in discussions of product concepts and applications, with each other and with the course facilitator.
eWater Annual report 2010-11 : Toolkit
Use Catchment Planner to work out how to optimise management of areas with various degrees of conservation value within a catchment, and predict the biodiversity value of river reaches.
Our training is given by leading industry practitioners DEECW needed Eco Modeller to be linked with and is available in different packages and levels.
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Guidelines for water management modelling towards best practice model application eWater has recently published generic guidelines promoting a best practice, quality assured approach to the application of modelling tools, primarily to address water management problems, and to inform end-users of model results. These guidelines are the first of a hierarchy, or family, of guidelines intended to promote a best practice approach to model application. The generic guidelines represent the highest level in the hierarchy, and the procedure for quality assured model application in these guidelines provides the framework for a consistent set of more detailed, supporting guidelines for domains relevant to eWater Source, now being prepared. As eWater is a major provider of modelling products, this family of guidelines will help it meet its responsibility to its partners to foster a best practice approach to the use of these products. In addition, this family of guidelines is designed to address a need identified by many water management agencies across Australia for model application guidelines. This need has arisen as a result of growing expectations of stakeholders, the National Water Initiative (NWI) and the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), that there should be a consistent and transparent approach to applying models used to support water management decisions across the country, with the aims (amongst others) of: • improving modelling practice; • removing inconsistencies between model applications, including in adjoining catchments where the same model code is used in both, and in situations such as managed river systems that interact with one another; • providing quality assurance, including evaluation of uncertainty;
eWater Annual report 2010-11
• improving decision making, including improving the use of science to improve the quality and robustness of decisions made and outcomes;
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• improving communication with end-users of model results: water managers, decision makers and the wider community, and • providing a process that is transparent, robust and repeatable. The guidelines are available for download at www.ewater.com.au
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Saving Water by Modelling Human Behaviour
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Project Leaders: Mark Thyer, Senior Lecturer, School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering, The University of Adelaide; Matthew Hardy, Senior Environmental Engineer BMT WBM Pty Ltd How many showers would the members of a given household or street have in any one week; how long would those showers last; and how much water would they typically consume? How many times would those householders flush the toilet in an hour or a day, and how much water would their washing machines and other water-using appliances consume? How does the equation change as people in the house or street adopt water efficient appliances, or if architects, builders and developers installed more rainwater or greywater tanks and moved us away from the mains? These are the sorts of questions urban planners, managers and designers in the urban water sector grapple with every day. Now eWater CRC has achieved a major breakthrough by developing a software product for Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) that allows users to simulate the way human behaviour impacts household water use.
BESS can estimate an individual household’s use of common household water-using appliances at the individual household scale at sub-daily time steps (hour or minute). In the near future it will also model the way weather affects outdoor water use.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Traditional models of the urban water system rely on users to specify water demand. Urban Developer offers a major step forward, with the incorporation of a demand estimation component – the Behavioural End-use Stochastic Simulator (BESS) – developed by Mark Thyer, a senior lecturer at the University of Adelaide, and colleagues.
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Source for catchments and the Great Barrier Reef about us our heritage products CASE STUDIES
eWater is working to support the Reef Plan in partnership with organisations in Queensland. Focusing on four of the catchments that run into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, the project teams are applying eWater’s catchment-modelling software to integrate the monitoring and modelling of sediment and nutrient entering the lagoon. Declining water quality in the catchments near the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has been identified as a national priority that threatens the long term health of the reef. In response, the Federal and Queensland governments have developed a Reef Water Quality Protection Plan (2003) to improve the quality of water entering the reef by 2013. For the waterways of the GBR catchments the key values and priorities for the future are to: • halt and reverse the decline in water quality entering the reef within ten years (Reef Plan); and • rehabilitate and conserve areas so they can have a role in removing water-borne pollutants.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
The challenges are being tackled by identifying hotspots in the catchments that are sources for sediment (TSS), nitrogen (TN), and phosphorus (TP), and developing management scenarios in consultation with local landholders and catchment groups.
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Runoff is the single largest threat to water quality, introducing contaminants such as sediment, nutrients and agri-chemicals into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. eWater’s Source for catchments has been chosen for its accuracy in simulating the issues and for its help in developing effective solutions. eWater’s catchment-modelling framework has been specifically set up using data for each catchment. In the Burdekin area, for instance, it is calibrated as a hydrology model, simulating wet and dry weather concentrations of sediment, TN and TP in relation to erosion hazard indices. On the ground, implementation of the Reef Plan is being helped by a growing understanding of processes, and ongoing consultation with local communities and landholders. Source for catchments can potentially provide additional support, particularly with future model development extending its capacity to simulate movement of dissolved nutrients and gully erosion.
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Image courtesy of NASA
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Whitehorse fish ladder and dam Yukon Canada.
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Image by Leone Fabre.
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Facilitating Evidencebased Environmental Decision Making Do dams on rivers cause changes in fish assemblages? Does acid mine drainage cause degradation of stream macroinvertebrate assemblages? Do invading species cause the loss of local biodiversity? In an ideal world the answers to such questions would be self-evident and entirely indisputable. In the real world today, it can sometimes depend who you ask... Ecological restoration and ecological assessment is complicated by the extreme difficulty of drawing firm cause-and-effect conclusions from environmental investigations. What the world urgently needs, a growing body of scientists believe, is both an open, accessible international database for storing and sharing ecological evidence from the literature, and methods and software capable of analysing that evidence. Now an international group of scientists and water managers is actively working to devise both of these. A partnership of scientists and managers from North America, Europe and Australia is working to establish such a Global Evidence Exchange, and to address issues such as the need to develop suitable content governance, set standards for interoperability between databases and create web technology for sharing evidence. The team also agree on the need to develop a not-for-profit, yet sustainable, business model to ensure that the benefits of a Global Evidence Exchange endure.
Pioneering the field, Richard Norris and eWater colleagues from the universities of Canberra and Melbourne urged the adoption of ‘causal criteria’. Causal criteria were first adopted in a landmark 1964 report prepared by an advisory committee to the US Surgeon General on the health effects of smoking (USDHEW 1964). In that report, the committee recognised that experimental design issues, such as those described above, mean that statistical methods alone are often insufficient for proving causal relationships, which instead were a matter of judgement. The causal criteria are a series of logical devices designed to aid such judgement.
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eWater researchers have developed new software — called Eco Evidence —to help users apply causal criteria in environmental investigations. It allows the analysis of existing evidence in a welldocumented, transparent, repeatable and rigorous manner. Eco Evidence can also be used to store evidence from a particular analysis, or ‘published’ to its online database by forward-thinking research and management organisations, so it can be re-used or shared with other users.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
The Global Evidence Exchange will not by itself improve the use of evidence in environmental decision making. Equally essential are methods and tools that draw on evidence to support decision making.
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After the flood about us our heritage products CASE STUDIES
In Northern Victoria’s Goulburn and Ovens rivers, a team of researchers are trialling a landmark water quality and quantity software model while exploring the response of key ecological indicators to flow scenarios, including floodplain wetting events. The research integrates ecological and hydrological modelling science as it reviews current understanding of the role of overbank flows in maintaining riparian ecosystems. The team is also investigating options for ‘piggy-backing’ of flow releases onto naturally occurring flow events. The findings will help water management authorities better understand the influence of tributary inflows on flood heights. “We will soon be in a position to determine the likely ecological effects of restoring such flows in the Goulburn river system,” says Northern Victoria Focus Catchment Coordinator Wayne Tennant, of the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
The project was instigated in part to help ‘roadtest’ Source for catchments, the first component of eWater’s landmark integrated water modelling suite, eWater Source, to be publicly released. A range of other water models is also being put to the test that combine rainfall runoff, flow routing and hydraulic models, to explore the possible impact of various climatic conditions (based on historical and predicted events) in relation to rewetting off-channel habitats.
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Ultimately the team expects to ensure better environmental outcomes without compromising consumptive needs and to improve operational management of environmental water reserves, whatever the prevailing climate. Four current eWater models have been tested in the Northern Application Project: • Eco Modeller; • Eco Evidence Analysis to develop/evaluate ecological response models; • Source for catchments models on key Ovens and Goulburn River tributaries; • River Manager Modelling, trial use on Goulburn River.
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Image courtesy of Goulburn-Murray Water
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Analysing Water Quality in the Mount Lofty Ranges The Mount Lofty Ranges (MLR) catchments cover around 1600 km2 and are a vital part of Adelaide’s water supply. The region features both unspoilt bushland and a diverse mosaic of land uses, including agriculture, horticulture and urban usage. A highly productive agricultural area with fertile soils and reliable annual rainfall, the MLR is under pressure from burgeoning human activity and is facing a changing climate, landscape, and hydrological regime. It has five major rivers: Gawler, Torrens, Little Para, Sturt and Onkaparinga.
The work uses the Event Mean Concentration/ Dry Weather Concentration (EMC/DWC) method to characterise pollutant concentrations in receiving waters from a runoff event. This involves taking water samples in proportion to the flow rate (proportional sampling) then compositing these into a single sample for analysis.
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The catchments play a central role in Adelaide’s water supply, providing storage for River Murray water and runoff following rains. As the most biologically diverse region in South Australia, MLR contains many species unique to the region as well as half of the State’s species of native plants and three quarters of its native birds. The Australian Government declared the area one of 15 Biodiversity Hotspots in Australia in 2003. Mixed land use leads at time to water contamination and complicates environmental flow management, demanding a multi-layer management approach.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
The project teams have been using eWater’s Source for catchments software to model the relationship between land use, climate, water quality and flow, and the impacts these have on supporting viable fish populations. Team members come from SA Environment Protection Authority, the South Australian Research & Development Institute (SARDI), the Department for Water, SA Water Corporation and CSIRO.
Courtesy SA Water
The state’s natural resource managers are juggling the environmental and human demands for water resources. The long term health of the catchments is important not only for inhabitants and ongoing land use activities, but also for addressing the city’s increasing water needs. An associated project is also assessing likely ecological responses to flow patterns in regulated river reaches. The outputs will guide management actions and water-release decisions.
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Assessing Fish Habitat and Flow Requirements in Korean Rivers about us our heritage products CASE STUDIES
When rivers are dammed, physical and ecological impacts on waterways and their floodplains are unavoidable. The effect can be clearly seen in the Republic of Korea, where multipurpose dams built for flood protection, water supply and hydro-energy generation obstruct almost every major river. The damage is most evident downstream, where dams have shifted river gradients and dramatically altered flow regimes. In some cases impacts on available floodplain habitats have been profound, hitting both river biology and local communities. Keen to mitigate such outcomes, the Korean Government has initiated numerous river restoration projects since the 1990s designed to improve physical characteristics of river channels and improve water quality. Yet the effect of such good work has been hampered by a lack of knowledge about the ecological consequences of flow regime changes. Missing have been methodologies to quantitatively determine the effects of dam operations on downstream habitat and ecological conditions. Those methodologies must be flexible enough to accommodate the varied conditions found throughout Korea’s river basins.
The research was partly supported by a grant from the Sustainable Water Resources Research Center and involved application of eWater CRC’s river catchment expertise and Toolkit to GRB. The researchers are confident the resultant GRB conceptual model, used in conjunction with the eWater integrated toolkit, will allow river managers to isolate the physical and biological effects associated with dam operations. They also hope it will assist development of sustainable river management strategies. The GRB conceptual model is providing a framework for structuring, analysing, and quantifying the impacts of altered hydrologic regimes below dams on the river’s ecosystem and on an endangered fish species. The conceptual model can also be helpful in identifying reference scenarios for comparative purposes, and in facilitating evaluation of future restoration strategies.
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The aim was to achieve a much firmer understanding of the likely consequences of establishing an environmental flow regime suitable for fish.
Fishing on Geum River
Image By Lee Seon Hung
eWater Annual report 2010-11
To address the deficit, a team from eWater CRC has been working with the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) in a partnership arrangement. K-Water is charged with developing a national integrated water management strategy, initially focused on environmental flows in the Geum River Basin (GRB). The team comprised researchers from many disciplines, including hydrology, geomorphology, aquatic chemistry, water quality, algal ecology, fish ecology and vegetation ecology.
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Partners: 2010 Korea Water Resources Corporation Annual Report 79
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Image by James Maguire
Sundown over Tala Lakes
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Supporting Environmental Decision Making on the Lowbidgee The timing, quantity and duration of environmental flows can mean the difference between a healthy wetland ecosystem pulsing with life and one in decline.
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Ensuring every release achieves maximum effect requires thorough understanding of a wetland’s characteristics and the way its geomorphology, water and ecology interact.
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Without such knowledge, effectively applied, the health of our wetlands is threatened, and precious water intended to improve the environment is wasted. That’s why a well-conceived and executed ecosystem response model for river flows can be such a powerful weapon in the armoury of natural resource managers, letting them test a range of scenarios as they juggle competing needs for water. Now the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) believes it has just that, after engaging SKM and eWater CRC to develop an ecological response model within a Decision Support System (DSS) for the Lowbidgee wetlands. The agency hopes the DSS will help it to determine how best to use available environmental entitlements and underpin future revisions to the Murrumbidgee Regulated River Water Sharing Plan.
The extended drought of recent years, the effects of river regulation, the impact of land use practices such as land clearing, burning, and cropping; declining water quality, and the impact of exotic flora and fauna (especially common carp) have all taken a toll, placing severe environmental stress on water dependent ecosystems.
“It is a useful tool allowing the Department to be able to apply to examine the benefits of different watering regimes, providing a level of sophistication that has never been available before,” says SKM Senior Water Resource Engineer Ian Varley.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Sourthern Bell Frog by Kathy Due
The key purpose of the DSS is to compare scenarios relating to water delivery (volume, timing and duration) to ecological outcomes in order to provide a transparent and rigorous decision making process to optimise the use of environmental water.
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Improving Water Quality in the Bushland Shire our heritage products CASE STUDIES
In September 1993, extremely poor water quality in the Berowra Creek estuary, north of Sydney, caused major red algal blooms and fish kills. The main culprits were identified as two sewage treatment Plants and polluted urban stormwater in the form of runoff from developing and newly developed residential areas in the catchment. In an attempt to conserve the ecological value of the area’s many natural waterways, and to improve the quality of urban stormwater, Hornsby Shire Council (aka the “Bushland Shire”) has subsequently taken an integrated approach to stormwater quality management by developing a range of capital and non-capital preventative measures. The Council uses music (model for urban stormwater improvement conceptualisation), to help it to determine the most effective water quality treatment measures to install throughout the Shire. Since music was first developed in 2001, the software has been used by thousands of professionals working in private practice and in state, regional and local government agencies throughout Australia.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
For Hornsby Shire, the principal objective of installing stormwater treatment measures is to improve water quality by removing pollutants and in some instances retaining stormwater flows, says David Beharrell, Team Leader Catchments Remediation, of the Environment Division.
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Image by Mark Fanthope
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He says that the Shire’s challenge is to successfully reduce nutrients in receiving waters in a crowded and well populated Shire where space on Council land for stormwater quality initiatives is in short supply. “I apply music to generate a basic stormwater model, investigating the source node, treatment node and end node to see what stormwater treatment we could expect. For example, the music model enables us to manipulate different device parameters (size, extended detention depth, filter media depth of bioretention systems) to fit a specific site and to optimise treatment performance.” In recent years music has been used to predict the performance of proposed capital works projects, including wetlands, bioretention systems and gross pollutant traps, Beharrell says. Where possible, the Shire also uses music when developing in-street stormwater treatment, e.g. streetscape bioretention (rain gardens) as part of local road improvement projects. “Applying music gives us an indication of the pollutant reduction we can expect from the devices we’re building. The rain gardens, while providing an environmental benefit are also aesthetically pleasing in the urban landscape.” Beharrell says.
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Harvesting Stormwater at Ku-ring-gai For Ku-ring-gai Council, which manages a Local Government area 16 kilometres north of Sydney, Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) has become integral to development over recent years. For instance, since 2005 the Council has undertaken a program to implement stormwater harvesting at 11 local parks and gardens. For many of these projects, as well as for assessing Development Applications, Council uses music (model for urban stormwater improvement conceptualisation) to help it visualise possible strategies to tackle urban stormwater hydrology and pollution impacts. Since music was first developed in 2001, the software has been used by thousands of professionals working in private practice and in State, Regional and Local government agencies throughout Australia. “music helps us maximise performance of Council owned Water Sensitive Urban Designs and Stormwater harvesting systems” says Jay Jonasson, Environmental Engineer, Sustainability Department. “I apply music to get a better understanding of how changes to the designs of biofiltration systems and other WSUD features impact the performance. Amongst several features, music lets me investigate the impact on performance from a change in hydraulic conductivity, size and pounding depth” Jonasson says.
As just one example, a couple of years ago the Council put in rain gardens on Karuah Road and music was used when designing them. Jonasson says it is always a challenge to get the best performance in a limited space. Applying music to assess the impact of changes to hydraulic conductivity proved useful in determining the optimum size of the rain gardens.
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Another Council asset where music is applied is the design of stormwater harvesting systems. The Comenarra playing field is one example, where the sports field was re-surfaced and new drainage and irrigation systems were installed. “music enabled me to assess the options for the Comenarra playing field stormwater harvesting design. With the help of music it was easy to compare different types of pre-treatments and the effect they had on stormwater quality,” Jonasson says. “music is also a good tool to evaluate how stormwater harvesting projects may impact on other objectives, such as through reduced runoff volumes and frequencies” Jonasson says.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Jonasson says applying music in the design of Council’s own assets and structures including rain gardens and stormwater harvesting systems, helps him test different scenarios and evaluate possible enhancements to stormwater treatment system designs.
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Tackling Algal Blooms in China about us our heritage products CASE STUDIES
On the morning of May 29, 2007, after enduring a hot and sticky night, residents in the four-million strong city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, on the shore of China’s Lake Tai, awoke to find their water taps emitting an intolerably foul smell. The culprit turned out to be a massive bloom of the toxin producing cyanobacteria Microcystis spp. which was polluting China’s third largest freshwater lake – the city’s sole water supply. Enter the Australian China Environmental Development Partnership (ACEDP), a five-year, $25m Australian Government, AusAID initiative aiming to support and enhance policy development in China in environmental protection and natural resources management. The project is being led by China’s NDRC and lead Australian contractor is Australian Urban System (AUS) Cluster led by Earth Systems Consulting Pty Ltd. eWater CRC was invited by Earth Systems to attend an ACEDP workshop held in China in November 2010 to promote the suite of software tools eWater are developing and demonstrate how they are being applied across Australia to assist in managing water quality issues similar to those face in Lake Tai.
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Fish farms near Lake Tai — Zhejiang, China. Photo: David Hunt
eWater Annual report 2010-11
The Chinese delegation was keenly interested in the eWater CRC modelling suite and as a result, eWater has been invited to undertake a pilot project in the region led by Dave Waters.
The project will help the Chinese working group to construct a Source for catchments model for a pilot area within the Taihu Basin. The aim of the work is to demonstrate how to the software can be applied to establish the relative nutrient contribution from existing land uses and secondly to assess a range of improved management practices aimed at reducing nutrient export to Lake Tai. The project will be completed by June 2012. In support of this project, the ACEDP has established an online forum for concerned scientists and water managers involved in algal bloom management to share information and latest research, called the ‘Eutrophication Portal’.
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Algae blooms on Lake Tai — Wuxi, China. Photo: Jason Behr
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Caloundra South and flood risk management Covering an area of over 2,000 hectares, Caloundra South, a major Greenfield project on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, is slated to become one of the most significant developments in South East Queensland over the next 40 years. Planned as a community of more than 20,000 homes, the development will also boast mixed-use town centres, industrial precincts and networks of public open space and vegetation corridors. On a site traversed by three higher order waterways, the development needs to give careful consideration to a number of significant physical and biophysical constraints including flooding, important vegetation, waterways, wetlands and buffers. To minimise the impact of the new development, the local authority stipulated it had to achieve an 80 per cent reduction in potable water consumption from (pre-millennium drought) levels. It also had to maximise the reuse and on site disposal of wastewater. Capture and reuse of roofwater via rainwater tanks was also mandated to reduce stormwater loads on WSUD infrastructure in light of receiving water quality constraints.
In order to address all requirements, BMT WBM used Urban Developer in association with Source for catchments (a water quality and quantity model designed to assist with catchment management) and eWater’s widely used stormwater-system design model, music.
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Urban Developer was used to quantify lot scale water cycle processes and to assess the impacts of rainwater capture and reuse, demand management and water recycling initiatives in achieving the potable water reduction/wastewater discharge requirements. The model was forced with 10 years of local climatic and meteorological data. “Urban Developer was extremely useful in enabling a robust and defensible understanding to be developed of IWCM processes on the site,” says BMT WBM Managing Director Tony McAlister. “Its flexibility and ease of use enabled the rapid assessment of multiple potential IWCM cases and the development of a solution for the site which satisfied all relevant requirements.”
eWater Annual report 2010-11
To support and guide integrated water cycle (IWCM) investigations for the site, consultancy BMT WBM used Urban Developer in conjunction with other software from eWater CRC.
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FINANCIAL SUMMARY eWater Consolidated Income and Expenditure Report July 2010 - June 2011 2010-11
2009-10
Commonwealth Grant earned1
5,000,000
6,450,000
Participants’ Contributions earned
5,968,965
5,048,855
Contract income earned
4,281,635
5,388,054
221,774
292,401
98
5,466
Income eWater Limited/eWater CRC
Interest received Other income
906,175
665,550
16,378,646
17,850,325
11,717,891
13,423,667
382,331
391,087
2,012,484
1,995,674
Marketing and Communications
1,005,302
1,105,494
eWater Trust
84,463.88
-
1,385,571
1,037,445
16,588,042
17,953,367
(209,396)
(103,042)
eWater Innovation Pty Ltd Total income Expenses eWater Limited/eWater CRC R&D Projects Education and Training Business Operations
2
eWater Innovation Pty Ltd
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Total expenses
90
Net deficit3 Notes
1. Commonwealth Grant amounts decreased in 2010-11 in accordance with the CRC agreement. 2. Business Operations total includes cross-organisational expenditure. 3. The net deficits for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are from the operating results of eWater Innovation. eWater Limited and eWater CRC have had no net operating deficits.
eWater Consolidated Balance Sheet June 2011 2010-11
2009-10
719,618
6,481,570
14,848
182,211
1,884,774
1,231,473
840,543
862,648
3,459,783
8,757,903
2,527,462
3,519,346
534,191
4,130,134
570,300
1,260,000
400,303
211,500
Total liabilities
4,032,256
9,120,980
Net assets3
(572,473)
(363,077)
Assets eWater Limited/eWater CRC Cash Prepayments Receivables and accrued revenue eWater Innovation Pty Ltd Total assets Liabilities eWater Limited/eWater CRC Payables and accrued expenses Unearned income
1
Contributions in advance
2
eWater Innovation Pty Ltd
1. Unearned income represents funds received that have not yet been spent. 2. Prepaid Participant Contributions are carried here until the time when would normally fall due. 3. Net asset deficits represent accumulated losses of eWater Innovation.
eWater Annual report 2010-11
Notes
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eWater R&D Project expenditure breakdown 2010-11
Ecological Management Urban Systems Catchments and Climate River Systems
19% 23% 15% 43%
eWater Limited/eWater CRC expenditure breakdown 2010-11
Travel, operating and other 14% Contractors and consultants 14% Partner staff 72%
eWater Annual report 2010-11
eWater R&D Project expenditure funding source 2010-11
92
External contract funding Core CRC funding
28% 72%
Ross River, Townsville eWater has been working in close collaboration with the Queensland Government which is using eWater Source to reduce sediment run-off to the Great Barrier Reef.
ewater CRC annual report 2010-2011
eWater Ltd Governing and managing eWater Cooperative Research Centre