Inside Water November/December 2023 by Prime Creative Media

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

ISSUE 09

Partner of

choice in TRILITY An Australian solutions provider

Saving water through water efficiency

Sludge blanket supports savings

All night long sewage solution

We’re Creating the Future of Water through creative pipeline solutions

CONTENTS Issue 09: November/December 2023

14 REGULAR 4

Editor’s Note

COVER STORY

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL

PRODUCTS

Xuan Li

PIPES

Driving energy recovery from wastewater in cutting-edge research

Professor Rakib Shah

qldwater New qldwater CEO is a vital advocacy leader

LAST WORD

The lighter side of water

Plug-and-play is the basis for Polymaster tanks and systems, increasing flexibility and customisation options

Interflow 42

WaterGroup

Iplex

EVENTS

Max-imum achievements with Iplex through its BlackMAX and SewerMAX products

HYDROGEN

Pulsar Sludge blankets support water and energy savings, while also increasing operational efficiency

Sydney Water saving money and water with WaterGroup through smart water metering

VicWater navigates challenging economic waters at Annual Conference

Aquatain Products Mitigating evaporation within dams and reservoirs with thin films

40 Polymaster

All night long to repair a 100-year-old sewer system in central Brisbane

ASSOCIATIONS

VicWater

Melbourne Water

Taggle Enhancing water management with satellite data collection of digital water metering

Melbourne Water looking back on 2023, and how 2024 is looking for the water authority

Elika Szczecinski

Systems are central to making progress towards net zero

Xylem Being beyond a solutions provider in 2023 and looking into the opportunities in 2024

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

YEAR IN REVIEW

Creating cleaner-tasting desalinated water

FOCUS

TRILITY TRILITY is a partner of choice when it comes to water and wastewater systems

Hydroflux The green hydrogen economy and water stewardship

TasWater It’s come a long way in 10 years - what do the next 10 years hold?

Water Conservancy Saving water and money through water efficiency and Water Night

www.insidewater.com.au INSIDE WATER

EDITOR’S Note

Looking back on 2023 Chief Executive Officer

AS WE APPROACH the end of 2023, it is a time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the challenges and opportunities in the future. The water industry has faced several challenges in 2023. Climate change impacts the industry, with extreme weather events becoming more common, while the world’s growing population is placing increasing pressure on our water resources. Couple this with the movement of people from the regions into the cities, and vice versa, then the increased pressure on water and wastewater infrastructure becomes noticeable. Despite these challenges, many opportunities have arisen from 2023, which will continue into 2024. New technologies are being developed all the time that should help address some of the water industry’s issues. Continued investment in infrastructure is improving access to clean water and better wastewater services. Communities are becoming more aware of the importance of water and the need to conserve it, resulting in changed behaviour. The articles in Inside Water’s November/December issue cover a range of topics related to the industry. TRILITY Managing Director Francois Gouws spoke about the history of TRILITY and how data is changing the water industry. He talked about the challenges we face, the opportunity to work with many partners across the sector, and the future of his company. We also reviewed VicWater’s annual conference and the many discussions throughout the two-day event. Such an event is always fantastic for water industry members while providing networking opportunities to new community members. Inside Water also welcomed the Queensland Water Directorate

(qldwater) as a media partner. Interviewing Dr Georgina Davis provided insight into the goals of qldwater going into 2024. Then there is the Water Conservancy, which is behind Water Night, an annual event encouraging people and businesses to forgo water use between 5 pm and 10 pm. Inside Water spoke to its CEO, Chris Philpot, to get an understanding of how the Water Conservancy is having an impact on the Australian water industry. I believe that the water industry is at a crossroads. The industry’s challenges are many, but there are also opportunities. It is essential for the water industry to embrace these opportunities and to work together in order to create a sustainable future. As we look forward to 2024, Inside Water remains optimistic about the water industry’s future. The sector appears well-positioned to address its challenges and capitalise on future opportunities. I am committed to providing our readers with the information and insights they need to succeed in the water industry. We will continue to cover the industry’s most significant issues and highlight the latest trends and developments.

John Murphy john.murphy@primecreative.com.au

Chief Operating Officer Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

Publisher Sarah Baker sarah.baker@primecreative.com.au

Managing Editor Mike Wheeler mike.wheeler@primecreative.com.au

Editor Chris Edwards chris.edwards@primecreative.com.au

Design Daz Woolley/Tom Anderson

Head of Design Blake Storey blake.storey@primecreative.com.au

Design Production Manager Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au

Brand Manager Chelsea Daniel chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au p: +61 425 699 878

Client Success Manager Glenn Delaney glenn.delaney@primecreative.com.au

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Articles All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

Chris Edwards, Inside Water Editor

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Inside Water is owned by Prime Creative Media and published by John Murphy. All material in Inside Water is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in Inside Water are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

RETHINK WATER, WASTEWATER AND BIOENERGY

The challenge of managing water resources and advancing clean energy production has become paramount in the business world today. At Hydroflux, our commitment to rethinking is ingrained in our DNA because we recognise that each challenge is unique. Whether you’re a local municipality, a global manufacturer, or anything in between, we’re driving sustainable change – now. Specialising in water, wastewater, renewable energy, climate resilience and environmental protection, Hydroflux provides a vast range of certified carbon-neutral products and services to help solve some of your most complex challenges. With tailored solutions, ongoing support and a commitment to measurable results, Hydroflux is rethinking what’s possible to build a better future. Call 1300 417 697 or email info@hydroflux.au

COVER STORY TRILITY

Partner of choice in TRILITY When looking for providers that know how to operate, upgrade, and maintain water treatment plants, TRILITY is one Australian name that comes to mind. TRILITY PLAYS a vital role in our modern world by providing water, wastewater and environmental solutions which contribute to a better quality of life for those communities they serve across Australia and New Zealand. TRILITY is involved in the delivery of hundreds of water infrastructure projects, currently servicing over 450 facilities. They have extensive operations, spanning from the far south of Tasmania to the most northern tip of the country and across the Tasman. Today, TRILITY’s business combines many services, solutions, products, and applications to suit each client’s needs. TRILITY continually pivot to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology, markets, regulations, and climate conditions. TRILITY’s solutions are built on its heritage and expertise, a dedication to doing it right, and a passionate commitment to providing its services effectively, efficiently,

safely, and responsibly. Francois Gouws is the Managing Director of the TRILITY group of companies. He has been with TRILITY for more than 14 years and truly understands the business -. What makes him unique is his entrance into the water and wastewater industries. “I did not follow a conventional route into the industry,” said Gouws. “I came in from the industrial side, so I treated and recycled industrial water. That means I worked with power stations, refineries, paper mills and mine sites.” That was early in his career, and Gouws thrived on the challenges within the industrial water sector; however, this was not the only reason he continued working in the water and wastewater industry. “When you work in this industry, you know that you are making the world a better place, and that is what really gets me out of bed every day,” he said. “We know that we are not the only

Francois Gouws is the managing director of TRILITY.

In collaboration with its partners, TRILITY designs the best facility to suit the client’s requirements.

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

ones making a difference because it’s all part of a big team effort that sees us, as an industry, contributing towards making the world a better place.” Where did TRILITY come from? TRILITY was established in Australia in 1992 as a subsidiary of the British Utility Northwest Water, which later became United Utilities. They were, therefore, known as United Utilities Australia or UUA. During 2020, ownership of UUA changed from British to Japanese, with a consortium consisting of Mitsubishi Corporation, the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, and JGC Corporation acquiring full shareholding of UUA. “Following that change of ownership, I was appointed as Managing Director,” said Gouws. “There have been massive changes, including almost tripling our business since I joined, and we have also expanded our business to cover Australia and New Zealand.”

Gouws is particularly proud of how TRILITY has diversified from pure treatment plant operations and asset ownership to include manufacturing, specialised construction, servicing, equipment sales, specialised consulting, and training. “We also have a digital arm called KDX that optimises treatment plant operations, and we are now also a Registered Training Organisation,” he said. “There is further diversification and expansion to come.” Part of the initial challenge for TRILITY was to become a standalone company. This was a shift from being a subsidiary of one of the world’s largest water companies (United Utilities). “That was a fascinating time,” Gouws said. “We had to create a consolidated standalone group and tax structure for 36 companies and joint ventures, including establishing a constitution, a new name and brand (TRILITY), a group board and a new strategy. We also paid special attention to the culture of the business, and this journey continues as, ultimately, TRILITY is successful due to the skills and dedication of our wonderful staff”. In 2018, ownership of TRILITY changed to BEWG, a listed business in Hong Kong, with minimal disruption. Data changing the water industry “The volumes of data that can be collected and stored have notably changed how the industry works, and we live in exciting times. All this information can help water and

wastewater treatment plants become more efficient. “It’s not just about having all the data – it’s about how an organisation uses it,” said Gouws. “We can capture data from the vast array of sensors and store it and then combine it with more data such as meteorological before analysing it to seek patterns and understand what it all means. It’s opening incredible opportunities for us to predict what will happen, enabling us to act on the forecasts to ensure we attend to matters before they occur.” Gouws sees benefits from the rollout of artificial intelligence across the industry. It’s helping companies like TRILITY to assist them in optimising the operations and maintenance of treatment plants. We can today operate plants at higher availability than what was envisaged years ago while using less chemicals and power. “We’re only just starting to understand the future of this technology,” he said. “And that’s why we have been investing in KDX’s product optimisation software.” TRILITY has developed its digital expertise through its KDX business. Although the KDX name is new, the product brings real-world knowledge and a proven track record to offer water operators a software solution to take their water management capabilities to the next level. KDX provides a suite of solutions available separately or bundled, based on the client and the individual

As part of a joint venture, TRILITY is responsible for the operations of the Adelaide Desalination Plant.

operator’s needs, with water and wastewater treatment capabilities. “KDX is specific to treatment plants, and we can readily demonstrate 15 to 20 per cent improvements in the operations of the plants,” said Gouws. “That includes energy use, chemical reductions, environmental impact, and compliance. We have high expectations of these future applications, including geographies beyond Australia and New Zealand. Challenges for TRILITY One of the challenges facing TRILITY is the distribution of Australians across the continent. Over 26 million people are distributed over more than seven and a half million square kilometres. Having the right people in the right location can be challenging. “That is particularly the case for us because we do a lot of projects in regional areas,” Gouws said. “If we operate a regional plant, we need local employees based in the communities we serve to operate the plants and work on the projects. TRILITY is proud of how it upskills its employees to work on those projects and one of the reasons we expanded our training capabilities.” When TRILITY assesses a project for new or pre-established projects, it has many criteria, and the ability to upskill local employees forms a key component of how TRILITY makes their decisions. “As a company, TRILITY specialises in taking over the operations of older

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COVER STORY TRILITY

“ It’s not just about having all the data - it’s about how an organisation uses it.

”

treatment plants, then upgrading them while we operate them,” he said. “The projects we work on are not easy, and that’s where our expertise and experience come into play. We ensure we use our decades of operational knowledge and know how to deliver treatment plants that can be reliably operated. We excel at managing the interface between the plant operators and the construction crew. Similarly, minimising the complexities of those interfaces is a speciality for TRILITY. Its knowledge base lends it towards older plants that need upgrading. The goal is to operate and then upgrade the facilities to ensure outcomes that benefit the customer, community, and environment.

“A prime example of this capability would be our project in Rotorua in New Zealand,” said Gouws. “We are operating a large wastewater plant for the Rotorua Lakes Council while at the same time expanding and upgrading the facility. Modular solutions A significant focus of work for TRILITY is its modular solutions. It uses the latest technology to design, build, install and service/operate modular water and wastewater treatment solutions. TRILITY tailors modular solutions to meet its clients’ water treatment challenges. It does this in partnership with clients covering the utilities, municipal, resources and industrial sectors.

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

TRILITY has collaborated with Plenary Environment and Barwon Water to operate and maintain Australia’s largest thermal drying biosolids facility.

“Many of these solutions are being implemented in regional Australia, specifically on mine sites,” said Gouws. “This is because mines tend to be in remote locations. Those applications lend themselves to modular construction with minimal on-site installation and commissioning, so we have six factories and service outlets across Australia and New Zealand, allowing us to service any area across these two nations.” The key differentiator is that TRILITY is an operator at heart. This changes how it designs these plants, as they are designed from an operator’s perspective. It makes their plants easier to operate and more reliable.

l n

Learning from everywhere TRILITY is also part of a partnership with Barwon Water to operate and maintain Australia’s largest thermal drying biosolids facility. TRILITY operates and maintains the facility that services the Barwon Water service region. The region produces 54,000 tonnes of biosolids each year. The facility places TRILITY, Plenary Environment and Barwon Water at the forefront of responsible biosolids management in Australia. “From our perspective, Barwon Water is a very progressive and dynamic water utility,” said Gouws. “They were early adopters of thermal drying technology in Australia”. When looking at biosolids, Gouws finds a lot to learn from every project. The rapid technological advancements in biosolids are an opportunity for TRILITY to learn and do better. “Keeping abreast with what’s coming out in all the research and new developments is an area we are observing very keenly,” he said. “The Barwon Water plant is more industrial than a traditional water treatment plant.” Gouws pivoted back to his earlier point about recruitment being key. TRILITY has taken a broader

perspective on its recruitment for these projects. “We need people from a more industrial background to work on these projects,” said Gouws. “Some of the ideal personnel have experience in refineries more suited to the processes used in thermal drying.” Industrial and government work Gouws’ experience indicates no significant difference between government and industrial projects and clients. He believes that the more important issue for all projects is weather patterns and climate adaptation, which influence the volume of capital and operational expenditure. “The changing weather patterns drive the water industry far more than anything else,” he said. “Australia is heading towards an El Niño climate pattern, resulting in extended dry periods. Spending in the water industry tends to increase in the leadup to and during these patterns. Both industrial and municipal clients also seek to recycle more water leading up to and during periods of drought. Local councils also tend to look at improving their water supply projects for source water tends to deteriorate during droughts.”

Producing clean, safe water is TRILITY’s commitment to its clients.

“During dry periods, we also experience bushfires in rural and regional areas across Australia. We must account for the materials that make their way into waterways nationwide following such events. On the flip side, when Australia goes through a wet season, more investment is required to deal with floods and excessive periods of rain. That presents its own set of challenges and requirements. Overall, climate change adaptation is resulting in significant investment in Australia and New Zealand’s water industry. The future for TRILITY TRILITY’s focus will be to continue to serve and focus on its existing customers, contracts, and the communities it serves. “TRILITY has big plans for its future as we continue to expand and diversify,” said Gouws. “We have been following the convergence between energy and water with exciting new technologies being developed. Ultimately, we do not rush into things – we make calculated and considered decisions.” For more information, visit www.trility.com.au

www.insidewater.com.au INSIDE WATER

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS Elkia Szczecinski

Creating cleaner-tasting desalinated water One of the issues with desalinated water is that it can be expensive, both financially and with energy use. Elkia Szczecinski has studied modification of the target bromide concentration in desalinated seawater to find efficiencies and benefits. PEOPLE DON’T OFTEN think about bromine. It’s a brownish-red liquid that dissolves in water. It’s a naturally occurring element, primarily found in the earth’s crust and seawater as bromide. So why should people care about bromine? It’s the desalination segment of the water industry that cares about the bromide levels in their product water. This is because a range of bromophenols (an organic compound that contains bromine) can occur in water in a consumer’s household based on the bromide levels at the customer’s tap. The impact of these bromophenols is that some of them create an unusual taste in drinking water. This is where Elkia Szczecinski comes in. She is a Water Safety Planning Technical Advisor at Water Corporation in Western Australia. When Inside Water spoke

to her, she was a Research Assistant at Edith Cowan University in the Centre for Integrative Metabolomics and Computational Biology. Szczecinski won the Student Water Prize at Ozwater’22 for her Chemistry Honours project at Curtin University. She delivered an innovative method for analysing bromophenols, as well as studying bromophenol formation. Her goal was to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of desalinated water production. By re-examining bromophenol formation conditions, Szczecinski hoped to create longterm sustainability benefits. Why the focus on chemistry? “I had an excellent Year 12 chemistry teacher,” said Szczecinski. “Up to that point, I was like many other high school students in that I didn’t know what I would do at university. That

Elkia Szczecinski speaking after winning the Student Water Prize in 2022.

Studying water came from her interest in chemistry.

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YOUNG PROFESSIONALS Elkia Szczecinski

teacher helped me understand that there is more going on when it comes to chemistry and science in general.” Her willingness to take a risk with chemistry led her to do well in her studies. The average person may not think about how chemistry interacts with the water industry, but they are heavily intertwined. When looking into drinking water for her Honours project, Szczecinski wanted to focus on things that made her mind tick over. “I was looking for something that was definitely in my interests,” she said. “I’ve always been interested in climate change and how we will move forward with the world changing the way it is. The southwest of Western Australia will struggle with less rainfall refilling groundwater sources, so I wanted to investigate seawater desalination as a drinking water source. It was my supervisor who reminded me that everyone needs water.” What was she studying? Szczecinski was aiming to make desalination more sustainable. Desalination plants tend to use large amounts of energy to desalinate seawater, so any outcome that can reduce the amount of energy needed is a positive one. This is where bromine comes into play. Szczecinski was studying how bromide and the creation

of bromophenols are related to desalinated seawater. “Bromophenols are compounds that create an unpleasant taste at certain levels in drinking water,” she said. “Their presence makes the water taste a little like plastic, which needs addressing.” The existing approach was to limit the amount of bromide in desalinated seawater to a low level. Szczecinski was curious about going the other way – how much bromide can be in the water without impacting the water quality delivered to customers.” The technique for analysing bromophenols is not dissimilar from the distillation used in making gin or vodka. A fibre layer is placed on top of the water sample. When Szczecinski heats the water sample and adds a reagent to modify the structure of the bromophenols, they exit the water sample and attach to the fibre. “I would then take the fibre and put it in a gas chromatograph,” said Szczecinski. “I would then heat the fibre so the modified bromophenols enter the instrument. Essentially, I’m selectively extracting the bromophenols I want to examine.” What did she find? Bromophenols are problematic because as little as 0.5 nanograms of bromophenols per litre can

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Elkia Szczecinski (centre) with other finalists of the Student Water Prize at OzWater ‘22.

be tasted by humans. This mass of bromophenols is incredibly small, given that it represents 0.0000000000005 kilograms of bromophenols per litre. “The fact that people can taste this means that Water Corporation is very interested in solving the problem,” she said. Szczecinski’s project was looking at avoiding the formation of bromophenols from desalinated seawater. From earlier studies at Curtin, she knew that bromophenols are not found in distributed drinking water but sometimes form in people’s homes. “The bromophenols tend to form when drinking water containing bromide comes into contact with particular plastic materials in the customer’s home or office,” Szczecinski said. “The phenol part of the bromophenols generally leaches out from plastic kettles, dishwasher tubing, containers, water bottles and other such items.” Szczecinski acknowledged that she can’t get people to stop using plastic since it is everywhere. That’s why Water Corporation opted to limit the amount of bromide in the distribution systems by limiting the bromide in desalination product water. However, Szczecinski had a different approach. “Seawater has about 65 milligrams of bromide per litre,” she said. “Once it’s gone through all the desalination processes, it’s down to 0.1 milligrams per litre. However, I found that increasing the amount of bromide does not significantly impact water quality, in terms of bromophenols.” By increasing the concentration of bromide by as much as a factor of two in desalinated product water, Szczecinski found no significant change in the formation of bromophenols, and there was unlikely to be a difference

in the taste of water. This is a big deal for water authorities and desalination plants. “By allowing for a slight increase in bromide levels in desalinated water, they can save a huge amount of energy,” she said. “This comes from reducing the amount of reverse osmosis treatment required. That’s less energy used, which improves their sustainability outcomes.” Winning Student Water Prize While it’s been over a year since she won the Student Water Prize at Ozwater’22, the impact has not been lost on Szczecinski. One area that she did not expect was the number of presentations she was offered. “I’ve done a couple of presentations at Water Corporation based on my research,” Szczecinski said. “I did a recap presentation at their offices, and since then, I’ve become a staff member. I also got to present at the

University of Queensland after I won the prize, which was fantastic.” Following her win, she was overwhelmed with job offers and interest in her research. She believes meeting people across the water industry was an excellent opportunity.

Elkia Szczecinski now works for Water Corporation in Western Australia.

Working for Water Corporation Szczecinski’s work is a shift from her analytical chemistry studies, but not that far. She runs risk assessments, utilising a comprehensive risk

Winning the Student Water Prize has given Elkia Szczecinski (centre) many opportunities.

assessment approach for all drinking water quality processes and steps in a water supply system. “I’m looking at all the known hazards to improve water quality within the existing frameworks,” she said. “I also need to promote drinking water quality management and provide advice on various issues.” Looking back on her studies and win, Szczecinski can see her future involved in emerging contaminants such as microplastics and PFAS. “A lot is going on in the emerging contaminants in water space,” she said. “I am particularly interested in developing strategies to identify and eliminate emerging contaminants from drinking water.” In Szczecinski’s opinion, Water Corporation did a lot of groundwork in supporting her research. “They would reach out to my supervisor, Professor Cynthia Joll, and me on a regular basis,” she said. “They’ve supported my research and had no issues giving me permission to conduct my research.” Since joining Water Corporation, Szczecinski has been making waves in her research, and a future in the water industry beckons. “My journey into the water industry has been fantastic. I’d recommend it to other young people still trying to decide what to do in their lives. It’s a fascinating industry full of collaborative people that want to make changes for the betterment of society.”

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YOUNG PROFESSIONALS Xuan Li

Driving energy recovery from wastewater Recent developments in recovering energy from wastewater provide enormous possibilities for the water and wastewater industries. It’s researchers like Dr Xuan Li at the University of Technology Sydney pushing the envelope. DR XUAN LI is a Chancellor’s Research Fellowship at the Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater (CTWW) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She obtained her PhD from the University of Queensland (UQ) in Environmental Engineering in 2020. She has published nine book chapters and serves as a paper-handling editor and a lead special-issue editor for several highly regarded scientific journals. Originally from Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, China, Li developed her interest in environmental engineering based on her experience at home.

“The city where I grew up was heavily engaged in mining activities,” said Li. “I have seen a lot of environmental pollution issues, including air and water pollution. Air pollution was a massive problem in my town because a lot of kids (including myself) suffered from respiratory diseases. When I graduated from high school in 2011, I was thinking about what I could do to help improve the situation in my hometown. This became my motivation to choose a major for my undergraduate degree at Tianjin University.”

Dr Xuan Li has been at the cutting edge of research on energy recovery.

Removing PFAS and microplastics is an additional research focus for Dr Xuan Li.

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

What is she studying? Li’s research focuses on energy recovery, microalgae, biofuel, wastewater treatment, sewer concrete corrosion, and wastewaterbased epidemiology. She has four goals as part of her research. First, she wants to increase the energy recovery from wastewater. Second, Li is studying microalgaebased, carbon-neutral wastewater treatment. Thirdly, she is developing an early disease warning system, and finally mitigating the corrosion in the sewage system. “Wastewater treatment seemed more like a natural progression in my academic journey,” Li said. “During my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to participate in a research project that involved using wastewater to produce biodiesel. The project also sought to recycle wastewater that can then be used for flushing purposes. This experience kindled my interest in wastewater treatment, and I subsequently pursued further research in this area during my doctoral studies.” Wastewater epidemiology is one particular area of interest for Li. The public health news of the past three

years was a strong influence after she graduated with a PhD from UQ. “I was aware of the field while doing my PhD, but never really looked into it,” she said. “As the COVID pandemic raged around us all, it occurred to me that wastewater-based epidemiology could be extremely helpful in estimating the infection status of a community. It could provide an early warning for the healthcare system.” This inspired Li to start studying the field as a postdoctoral research fellow at UTS. Her first step was to assess the feasibility of wastewaterbased epidemiology for estimating community infection rates. “I also investigated the sources of SARS-CoV-2 shedding into wastewater and the associated infectivity,” Li said. “I also developed artificial intelligence models that sought to predict future cases and hospitalisation numbers. These are all important for the health system, as they can predict peaks and troughs in patient numbers.” Her research in this field has been published in a range of prestigious scientific journals. It was also picked up by a range of

broadcasting networks, including the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Columbia Broadcasting Systems (CBS), and the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in the United States. Findings by Li Li’s research has covered a series of topics. Her primary foci have been concrete corrosion in wastewater infrastructures, wastewaterbased epidemiology for assessing infectious diseases, innovations in energy recovery, and removing emerging pollutants within wastewater treatment. “Corrosion-resistant concrete is an important innovation for the wastewater industry,” she said. “A lot of the existing infrastructure for the wastewater industry is made out of concrete, and extending its service life is a cost-effective way to keep the infrastructure going. I was able to develop an innovative corrosion-resistant concrete. It’s not only environmentally friendly but is also cost-effective. The corrosionresistant concrete can extend the service life of the concrete by up to 50 per cent.”

Li’s research is conducted at the Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater (CTWW) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

Her research into corrosionresistant concrete was paired with a prediction tool for wastewater facilities to plan their maintenance times. The prediction tool looked at the different types of corrosion and the likelihood of it appearing in different parts of a wastewater facility. Li’s studies also considered the increased number and ferocity of extreme weather events due to climate change. Both flooding and drought events are going to be damaging for wastewater infrastructure, so her research proposed an adaptation approach to wastewater facilities. “When it comes to energy recovery and removing emerging pollutants from wastewater treatment, I developed an innovative approach,” she said. “It utilises waste byproducts to enhance energy recovery and improve the removal of emerging pollutants. I have been focusing on PFAS, microplastics, and anti-biotic resistant genes.” Her research team is now working on improving the removal of PFAS and microplastics through wastewater treatment. In Li’s mind,

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YOUNG PROFESSIONALS Xuan Li

Treating wastewater was a natural progression for Li’s academic journey.

the best control method is to actually minimise its usage from the source. “It’s hard to find products these days that don’t have either PFAS or microplastics in them,” she said. “That includes things that you would never think about. For example, a lot of face washes and toothpaste have microplastics in them. On the other side of the coin, PFAS can be found on non-stick frying pans or popular brands of workout clothes. The best thing people can do is to do research into the product. They need to make sure that the product does not contain PFAS or microplastics. They should also try and reuse plastic containers wherever possible. That even goes into properly disposing of them since they can shed microplastics into the natural environment.” Award winner and collaborator Li’s ground-breaking work in energy recovery saw her and her research group nominated for the Eureka Prize for Applied Environmental

Research. It was the only wastewater treatment group that has ever been nominated for the prestigious award. This research project was done in conjunction with South East Water “The project was implementing the novel technology by using waste by-products,” said Li. “The industry knows that it is going to need additional chemicals for additional treatment processes. That will increase the costs and environmental footprint. By using this waste byproduct, we can eliminate or reduce the environmental footprint of wastewater treatment. It can also reduce the pollutant discharge. The research also dealt with emerging pollutants and energy recovery at the same time.” Li has collaborated with South East Water for several years. She has found it to be a positive experience. “When I was first looking for a partner, I worked with Water Research Australia (WaterRA),” she said. “They acted as a matchmaker to connect researchers with potential

collaborators. It was through them that we found South East Water. As a water utility, they have a variety of challenges that they want to help with. Our group worked with them on the first project, and that went well. As a result, we have received a range of different projects from them. It’s a win-win situation as we are helping them with their issues, and South East Water is providing an industrial perspective into our research.” It is not the only award that Li has won. She won the 2023 WH Gladstones Population and Environment Award from the Australian Academy of Science Award. This represents an important milestone in her career. “Receiving this award is not only a tremendous acknowledgment of my dedication and contributions,” said Li, “it also marks my inaugural recognition from the Australian Academy of Science. Beyond personal achievement, I view this award as a powerful platform to inspire young girls in future generations to embark on academic journeys in STEM fields. It underscores the importance of gender diversity in scientific and academic domains, encouraging and empowering the scientists of tomorrow, regardless of their gender, to pursue their passions in the world of science and innovation.” The future for Li In the future, Li wants to establish herself as an independent researcher. By creating her own teams, she can look into some other fields. “I would like to study areas that are more closely related to our daily lives, our health, and the urban infrastructures. All of this together supports my studies into pollution control and that way, I will be helping the world.”

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT Rakib Shah

Systems central to net zero progress There are many parallels between the water and electricity distribution industries. Federation University’s Dr Rakibuzzaman Shah provides unique insight into the water industry. The hydrogen industry could be critical for water utilities across Australia.

Professor Rakib Shah studies power systems and reaching net zero.

BANGLADESHI-AUSTRALIAN Dr Rakibuzzaman Shah (known as Rakib Shah) has been in Australia since 2010. After finishing his studies in electrical engineering at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology and the Asian Institute of Technology, he found himself at the University of Queensland (UQ) for his PhD. “Initially, I followed my supervisor to UQ,” said Shah. “I was passionate about doing my PhD on power systems, so I just followed him. I also got a bunch of offers from universities around Australia, including the University of Melbourne, but I wanted to stay with my supervisor.”

sectors. There are lots of different processes for dealing with carbon dioxide. We’re seeing industries investigate carbon sequestration, carbon capture and storage, and various other ideas.” At the individual level, the goal towards being carbon neutral can be seen as a null or zero point when it comes to carbon emissions. Shah argues it empowers people and businesses to buy into the renewable energy market. “Being empowered means that by partaking in the electricity market, those consumers or businesses get

Net zero at the core of research While power systems do not seem directly related to the water industry, both work towards net zero. The big question is… what does net zero mean? “There are different concepts and definitions for net zero,” he said. “My team is looking to increase the use of renewables in different industries and

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

additional benefits from generating renewable energy,” Shah said. “Using rooftop solar panels as an example, people are creating electricity for the grid, while also receiving a tariff from putting electricity back into the grid.”

Distributing electricity and distributing water are not significantly different.

Where does the water industry fit in? Shah believes that a few different factors impact the water industry when it comes to net zero. Legislation is one area where the water industry is being shepherded towards net zero. “Government legislation is pushing the water industry to be net zero, while policy is actively encouraging

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the uptake of renewable energy within the sector,” Shah said. “South Australia is installing huge amounts of solar panels in the water industry, and Victorian water utilities are doing different things in the renewable energy space.” One challenge for some water utilities is the need for the right geographical space. They may have lots of room for their infrastructure, but the right conditions are needed to install solar panels. Regional water authorities may need help distributing energy to the highly distributed populations. It requires a rethink of how renewable energy

infrastructure is installed. “An alternative approach we identified is demand shifting,” he said. “If the individual authorities can shift their most power-intensive operations to a time when energy is cheaper, it is easier to interact with the demand response mechanisms of the electricity market. This also applies to consumers. Running the dishwasher or the washing machine at night can be most cost-effective and energy efficient.”

Solar power will continue to grow in importance for water utilities and Australia as a whole.

Data is key Understanding the entire system within a water authority is fundamental to improving the net zero outcomes. Collecting and interpreting the data from across the system can help water utilities improve their operations. “One of the biggest questions for a water utility is working out where they are using most of their energy,” said Shah. “Smart technology is certainly helping with that because

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT Rakib Shah

water authorities can get a better image of their network. They had no idea what was happening in the past, but things are getting better. Smart meters are among the technologies that can help.” In the eyes of Shah, he can see a range of technologies that would help water utilities improve their knowledge of their networks. “Batteries could be beneficial for water utilities,” he said. “Storage, integrated with intelligent control of electricity use, can support the water utilities as they work towards net zero.” Floating solar Floating solar panels provide a unique opportunity for water utilities and catchment management authorities across Australia to expand their renewable energy collection and distribution. “This is a fascinating and emerging area for water utilities,” Shah said. “I had the opportunity to present our outcomes to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DEWLP), now the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), in Victoria. There was a lot of interest in different areas around the state, while different water authorities will find it more viable than other water authorities.” One of the benefits of floating solar is the increased performance of the solar panels. Shah points out that when the solar panel’s temperature gets too high, it becomes less effective. Installing the solar panels on water reservoirs reduces that

effect and keeps the solar panels operating at peak efficiency for longer. “It’s not just the water industry that would benefit from this,” he said. “One of our other partners is from the timber and forestry industry. They believe using water areas this way would also support them.” Collaborating with Central Highlands Central Highlands Water is headquartered in the same regional city as Federation University. As such, there are many opportunities for Shah and his colleagues to work with Central Highlands Water. “We are currently working with them on a demand response project,” Shah said. “We’ve been collaborating for years on various optimisation and planning projects.” One area in which Central Highlands Water is working with Federation University is in the deployment of smart water meters. While it seems easy in an urban area, it gets more challenging in regional and remote areas. “Central Highlands Water wants to implement smart water meters throughout its service area,” he said. “We’re working with them to see how they can best utilise the data from the network. One of the challenges is ensuring that the devices they use have the right energy and water nexus to maximise operability. That information should be extremely helpful when assessing savings. Those savings could be financial, energy, water, or some combination of all three.”

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Wastewater services will have the potential to provide energy sources.

Smart meters are just one thing that Shah is working on. There are also projects looking at the local agriculture industry, which touch on biogas-driven microgrids. “We are also planning on working with the food and dairy industries to help them achieve net zero through optimal planning and operations,” Shah said. Hydrogen needs a cautious approach Much has been said about the potential for Australia to be a hydrogen superpower. Shah is encouraging a cautious approach, given that hydrogen production is a key question for the country and the world. “There are many different ways to produce hydrogen,” said Shah. “It can be blue, grey, turquoise, brown, pink, yellow, gold, white or green. If we are producing green hydrogen, that’s fantastic because it comes from water electrolysis. That’s a renewable source of hydrogen. Grey and blue hydrogen comes from steam reforming (SMR) primarily from natural gas.” Shah believes Australia can be a big player in the hydrogen industry, but a significant amount of research and development needs to be done. “How can we produce the hydrogen and take it somewhere? How can we convert the energy that we have now? One of the largest challenges is increasing the efficiency of the hydrogen fuel cells above the 60 to 65 per cent we are at now. No one wants to lose that hydrogen, and with the water industry, there are many opportunities for future research.”

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FOCUS Year in Review

Beyond a solutions provider Xylem Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) is helmed by Managing Director Brian Krishna. He looked back at 2023 and the achievements of the company. BRIAN KRISHNA has been with Xylem ANZ for nearly 20 years, becoming the Managing Director in early 2021. He found himself in the water industry via the agriculture and irrigation sectors. “That sector was a great background for learning and understanding water requirements,” Krishna said. “It’s still the most water-intensive industry in Australia and taught me a lot about the design of water and irrigation systems. I think the biggest thing I learned was about water quality and scarcity.” His experience in this industry set him up for his movement into Xylem. The focus on water quality and scarcity meant that Krishna could look at issues across the water industry for urban, regional, and rural water users. “Water quality is paramount because it’s essential for crop growth and livestock farming,” he said. “Water scarcity is really about managing water efficiently. Urban society does not think about scarcity as much as those in rural and regional Australia. For decades, they have grown up with limited freshwater resources and the need to conserve water.”

Adaptation in 2023 In looking back over 2023, Krishna believes that Xylem ANZ was ahead of the curve when it comes to the changes and trends that have appeared throughout the year. “Digital transformation was part of our journey before 2023,” he said. “If I look back further, I think the pandemic period forced us to rethink things at Xylem. The shift to remote and flexible work has been a big part of how we’ve adapted.” Xylem ANZ operates a hybrid work model, with staff in the office three days a week. Krishna pointed out that this is for more than just office staff. It has been extended to all staff, including the operational team. “We’ve been able to develop a flexible arrangement to have an earlier finish on Fridays,” Krishna said. “It’s all about thinking of the whole team and workforce. We must think more carefully about how to train new staff virtually and face to face.” One of the other aspects that has impacted almost every business is its supply chain. Supply chain resilience is one area where Krishna and the rest of

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Xylem ANZ provides potential for the implementation of technology across water networks.

the Xylem group have been forced to adapt to the new normal. “As a company, we have had to adapt our sourcing strategies,” he said, “That includes diversifying suppliers and, where possible, using digital tools to provide us better visibility throughout the supply chain. Many of our factories are in Europe, the United States, and China. We are heavily reliant on the supply from overseas factories, as well as freight and lead time issues. Xylem continues that work to strive to deliver better to our customers.” Challenges Being ready for the challenges ahead is something that Krishna takes in his stride. He acknowledged that the economy is getting more challenging for people, and it is impacting Xylem. “Adaptation and resilience to the market and the economy over the last 18 months mean that we have to keep adjusting,” Krishna said. “It might be customer preferences or external challenges, but we need to be willing to adapt. We need to be resilient in mitigating any risks that may present themselves to Xylem, our customers, and the entire water industry.” Innovation brings with it new challenges, and that includes existing business models. Krishna spoke about the challenges of the supply chain.

“ We need to be resilient in mitigating any risks that may present themselves.

“Supply chain optimisation is a huge issue for us,” he said. “I think we’ve reduced vulnerabilities by being more aware of our supply chain.” Many companies have complained about the challenges of finding the right talent, and Xylem is not alone in dealing with this. The low unemployment rate for skilled labour makes recruitment challenging. “We’re trying to find a lot of talent to fit into our services and rental businesses,” said Krishna. “I really appreciate all of our staff, as many are covering for roles, and it is taking longer to fill those positions.” Despite the challenges, he believes that Xylem ANZ has become a more competitive company and a company of choice. Success at Xylem Collaboration is fundamental to the work Xylem does, and it’s a couple of collaborative projects where Krishna believes that the company had the most success in 2023. The first is a research partnership between Xylem ANZ and the University of Queensland (UQ). “Together, we developed a new product called Computer Vision Stream Gauging, or CVSG,” he said. “One of the challenges in the future is going to be precisely measuring water. This will be critical in an era of climate change and population growth. The partnership with UQ resulted in a device incorporating three-dimensional computer vision, machine learning, cloud analytics and artificial intelligence to deliver precise water height, velocity, and flow measurements. This technology can empower water and resource managers to understand the risks and how to deal with them, particularly during disasters.” This technology goes beyond routine monitoring of waterways. It dives into understanding a range

Brian Krishna believes that Xylem ANZ remains at the cutting edge of technology and innovation.

of issues that might impact the watercourse, including pollution. Krishna believes this technology is a testament to Xylem’s commitment to the water industry and its dedication to sustainable water management. The other project is the global partnership with the Spanish water cycle management firm Idrica. This collaboration resulted in new technology being launched around the world called GoAigua. It is combined with Xylem’s Vue, a portfolio of digital solutions. “Xylem Vue, powered by GoAigua, is an integrated software and analytics plan,” said Krishna. “It simplifies digital adoption for water utilities. The best thing is that it makes all solutions within a utility interoperable, so it’s system and hardware-agnostic. Companies do not need to have Xylem hardware for this platform to work. It’s already been deployed to over 300 water utilities around the world. Xylem Vue, powered by GoAigua, continues to be a strong tool enabling our customers to optimise their operations and solve water challenges.”

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Looking into 2024 Krishna believes the future is bright for Xylem ANZ and the Xylem Group. The acquisition of Evoqua, a global treatment technology company, gives him a positive outlook heading into 2024. With more staff added to the personnel that make up Xylem globally, there is enormous potential for Xylem ANZ to play a crucial role in the Australian and New Zealand water space. “I think there are huge opportunities for Xylem ANZ,” he said. “I hope that we stay resilient as a community, and I believe that the water industry can continue to support each other during these tough times.” While some might be concerned about changing regulations, Krishna is not one of them. He believes in the role of utilities in working with government. “I believe that many of our utilities and industry bodies are great advisors to government regulators,” he said. “I think it is imperative that we become a more sustainable water industry and we continue to be excellent strategic advisors to regulators and government.” Technology also provides openings for Xylem and the water industry as a whole. Krishna is remaining upbeat as technological changes help the industry. “Firstly, technological innovations give us a competitive advantage and help us transform as a company. It also means we can continue to help customers solve problems out in the field. I look forward to new technology being embraced by the industry, and we continue to look at technology as a way forward for the water industry.” For more information, visit www.xylem.com/au

www.insidewater.com.au INSIDE WATER

FOCUS Year in Review

Melbourne Water looking back Melbourne Water manages every aspect of the water cycle in greater Melbourne. Managing Director, Dr. Nerina Di Lorenzo looked back at 2023 and into 2024. DR. NERINA DI LORENZO has been at Melbourne Water for four years. Coming from a background in the oil and gas sector, followed by local government, Di Lorenzo came to Melbourne Water. She found a strong values alignment with the industry and a significant opportunity to plan in a much broader way. “I have been in the MD (Managing Director) role for nearly two years now,” she said. “I have focussed very strongly during this time on the coming decade, recognising that what we do in the next ten years will set us up for future generations.” Di Lorenzo is noted for her proactive approach that clearly evaluates issues and identifies opportunities for innovation within the sector. Melbourne Water represents an organisation built for adaptation, providing a more

orderly pathway that delivers better community value and security overall. “We are at a similar time as our forebears 130 years ago,” Di Lorenzo said. “They set up our infrastructure, and Melbourne Water is at an inflection point that will support us for the next 130 years.”

Melbourne Water Managing Director Dr. Nerina Di Lorenzo has been involved in Melbourne Water for over four years.

Reviewing 2023 As we head towards the end of 2023, water resource management and resilience have been key priorities for Melbourne Water. It is actively working with its partners across the sector and investing in research to understand the best approaches for a strong and sustainable future for our water supply. This can only be achieved if it works towards the objectives set out in the Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water

Director Dr. Nerina Di Lorenzo signing Lucey, the Hobsons Bay boring machine. Lucey is currently boring a new main sewer line from Port Melbourne to Spotswood, under the Yarra River.

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Strategy and its collaborative sector strategy, Water for Life. “In 2023, Melbourne Water has continued to deliver its essential services while also delivering on our key goals, which will prepare us for the future,” said Di Lorenzo. “2023 has been a challenging year following last year’s flooding across the state. Through our dedicated people’s commitment and tireless efforts, we have supported the various agencies working with the community through the recovery process.” Many opportunities have arisen from the Maribyrnong Flood Review, run by an Independent Panel. Melbourne Water and Di Lorenzo are already well-progressed in implementing all of the 15 recommendations. “We have fast-tracked catchment modelling to include the impacts of climate change,” she said. “We have worked together with local communities to build flood awareness and resilience. Melbourne Water has also worked closely with our partner agencies in the Bureau of Meteorology and VICSES (Victoria State Emergency Service) on streamlining forecasting processes.”

Partnerships are essential Melbourne Water has several meaningful partnerships and collaborations which intertwine to support a sustainable future. “Melbourne Water is committed to building a sustainable future for all generations,” Di Lorenzo said. “This year, we reaffirmed our commitment to do our part to address climate change and its impacts on our water supply, sewerage, and drainage systems. This commitment includes continuing our global net zero partnership with Danish water utility Aarhus Vand and UK water leader Severn Trent. Collectively, we are working to reduce carbon emissions by one million tonnes annually. It forms part of our ongoing sector transition to net zero for the Victorian water sector by 2035.” Melbourne Water is also engaging and partnering with Traditional Owners. These partnerships have been incredibly valuable. They strengthen our connection to the land and enable traditional ecological knowledge to be incorporated into water management practices. In recognition of the importance of collaboration and Indigenous community involvement in water management, Melbourne Water formed its first partnership agreements with Gunaikurnai (GLaWC) and Waddawurrung Traditional Owners. In Melbourne, these

Michelle Nation (General Manager, John Holland), Water Minister Harriet Shing, Local Member for Williamstown Mellissa Horne, Local Member for Albert Park Nina Taylor, Dr. Nerina Di Lorenzo (Melbourne Water) and Jonathan Shearer (General Manager, Scienceworks/Museums Victoria), in front of Lucey the Hobsons Bay tunnel boring machine.

agreements represent a significant step towards reconciliation and sustainable water management. The plans for 2024 Di Lorenzo has a range of priorities for the year ahead. Her primary focus will be safeguarding Melbourne’s water supply to meet the demands of the growing city and future impacts of climate change. “We are in the decade that matters,” she said. “While there is much work to do, Melbourne Water is facing this challenge head-on so that we will have the resources we need for generations to come. We also aim to provide a better quality of life for our communities and the environment. Melbourne Water will do this through robust environmental management practices and undertaking targeted restoration projects.” Melbourne Water reached a significant milestone in its major capital project, the Western Treatment Plant (WTP) Bundle. The contract for this project was officially signed in August 2023. The Bundle at

the Western Treatment Plant is a groundbreaking innovation to help Melbourne Water propel towards a decarbonised future. Mobilisation will be underway from December 2023 to March 2024, with the project team already on site to commence preparatory work. Melbourne Water is also remaining steadfastly committed to sustainability. Di Lorenzo believes that it inspires its work on renewable energy projects. “We will continue to explore ways to harness clean energy sources,” she said. “One example is the solar farm we use at Winneke water treatment plant. Melbourne Water is currently building a second solar farm at Carrum Downs.” Melbourne Water is also expanding its hydroelectricity generation. Three new mini-hydro power stations at St Albans, O’Shannassy Reservoir and Upper Yarra Reservoir will be completed over the next 12 months. A total of 7100-megawatt hours of electricity will be produced each year by these additional minihydropower plants. “We are ambitious in our goals, and we need to be. This decade matters to ensure Melbourne remains a great place to live for generations to come.” For more information, visit www.melbournewater.com.au www.insidewater.com.au INSIDE WATER

FOCUS Pipes

All night long Brisbane residents slept through the night while Urban Utilities and Interflow upgraded Queensland’s oldest and largest sewer. How did they do it? OVER 100 YEARS since its inception, Brisbane’s S1 Main Sewer underwent an ambitious seven-year upgrade. By harnessing the power of innovation, Urban Utilities and its delivery partner, Interflow, have given new life to a hidden but essential piece of infrastructure. Deep under Brisbane’s bustling CBD lies Brisbane’s oldest and largest sewer pipeline. Averaging 1.5 metres in diameter, the S1 Main Sewer runs 12 kilometres, stretching from Toowong to the Eagle Farm pump station and is buried eight stories beneath the ground. Built in 1915, the S1 serves more than 750,000 people, carrying 60

per cent of the city’s wastewater. To put that in perspective, more than 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools of wastewater travel through the system daily. A lot has changed in Brisbane over the past 100 years, so it’s no surprise that the S1 would eventually need an upgrade to meet the growing city’s needs. The works involved rehabilitating a section of the pipeline between James Street in Fortitude Valley to the Eagle Farm pump station, spanning 5.7 kilometres. The region’s water and wastewater service provider, Urban Utilities, first awarded the rehabilitation works to pipeline infrastructure company,

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Working on the S1 Main Sewer throughout the Brisbane CBD was a challenging task.

Interflow, in 2015. Since then, Interflow has relined 40 individual pipeline sections (averaging 160 metres) using a spiral-wound lining system. Fast forward seven years, and the S1 Main Sewer upgrade is complete. Brisbane’s largest sewer asset is ready to serve its community well into the future. The project was so impressive that it recently won the Infrastructure Project Innovation Award (Metro) at the Queensland Water Awards, hosted by the Australian Water Association. Operating in Brisbane’s bustling CBD While the S1 Main Sewer lies quietly 20 metres below ground, the same can’t be said for the bustling corridor of Kingsford Smith Drive located directly above. The busy

road is a primary freight route linking Brisbane’s CBD to places such as the Brisbane Airport, Port of Brisbane, and Northshore Hamilton. Work took place at night to reduce community disruption and minimise traffic impacts on the busy road. This meant all traffic lanes could operate undisrupted during peak travel periods. It also meant crews needed to move on and off the busy road each night to allow full lane access in the morning. Interflow developed a portable set-up that could be assembled and removed quickly. It gave the teams more time to focus on relining the S1. This was critical, as the overnight working window was from 8pm to 5am. Once Interflow had sewer access, the team would mobilise a gantry straight over the access chamber using a small crane. Such an arrangement could be moved on and off the worksite with ease. A similar process was organised for the grouting team. A trailer was imported specifically for the project, and Interflow built a mobile grout plant on the trailer. Operating as a separate team up the road, the grouting crew would move large bags of cement by forklift. They would empty the bags into a mixer before blending it with water. The grout was then sent down the access chamber and injected between the lining and the old pipe to secure it in place. By making their set-up portable, Interflow could work in the peak of the night within a small working window, allowing little disruption to Brisbane’s traffic network. Going deeper underground On projects of this scale, it is not unusual for conditions to change along the way. In this case, the delivery team sought new solutions to adapt.

“As we moved further through the sewer, the pipelines were getting deeper,” Interflow’s Development Manager, Boris Graljuk, said. “This meant there were more external forces on the pipeline.” The increasing sewer depth meant the relining solution had to be strong to withstand the extra pressures. Working with technology partner Sekisui Rib Loc Australia, Interflow identified an innovative way of reinforcing a spiral-wound liner with steel. “Spiral lining is performed by winding an interlocking strip of PVC into an existing pipe to form a smooth, continuous pipe,” said Graljuk. “The new solution, called RibSteel, involved clipping stainlesssteel strips into the outside of the PVC strip in the lined pipe. That makes it exceptionally strong.” Interflow had to make sure this solution was suitable for the S1 upgrade. The teams at Interflow conducted a series of rigorous tests in their workshop to ensure it would be reliable in the challenging conditions. Once both Interflow and Urban Utilities were satisfied that RibSteel was up to the task, Graljuk and the team took the process to the site. “We did everything on site,” Graljuk said. “The steel arrived flat and was formed to be shaped using a roll former. This was before it was coiled into the same diameter as the liner.

The portable gantry allowed Interflow to quickly bring equipment on and off-site, minimising set-up and packdown times. Proper planning by Interflow and Urban Utilities ensured that the project was conducted within the tight timeframes without any significant issues.

Once it was formed, we could pass it down to the winder and insert it into the profile.” Beginning the next chapter of the S1’s history The upgrade of Brisbane’s oldest and largest pipeline, undertaken below one of its busiest roads, made it a challenging project. With the last line complete, the S1 Main Sewer is ready for its next chapter. The upgraded infrastructure will continue to serve the Brisbane community for generations to come. For more information, visit interflow.com.au

www.insidewater.com.au INSIDE WATER

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FOCUS Pipes

Sydney Water saving with WaterGroup Sydney Water and WaterGroup have been working together to roll out online water monitoring for its business and industrial users. This collaboration has created strong and measurable savings for businesses across Greater Sydney. HIDDEN LEAKS and inefficient processes cost businesses thousands of dollars each year. They can waste tens of thousands of litres of water. That’s why Sydney Water contacted WaterGroup to help in the roll-out of its online water monitoring program. The program provides real-time data logging for businesses to track their water consumption, highlighting abnormal use to pinpoint

where savings can be made. Ben Swain is the Manager – Water Efficiency Programs at Sydney Water. He’s got a family history with the organisation, going back through his parents and one of his grandparents, who all worked for Sydney Water. Swain manages the team looking after the Online Monitoring Program, which was established in 2021.

Ben Swain is the Manager of Water Efficiency Programs at Sydney Water.

Contractors have no issues installing the small WaterGroup devices, ensuring high-quality communications back to the data centre.

“Both my parents worked for Sydney Water, as did one of my grandparents,” Swain said. “I grew up knowing a lot about Sydney Water, particularly when it comes to the different things the organisation does and the many opportunities for a career. Going into Sydney Water, I started 10 years ago in revenue collections and have since worked in several different teams and departments.” The Online Monitoring Program was borne out of a range of water efficiency initiatives for business customers in 2020. At the time, there were no program offerings specifically for businesses and industrial water users. “We intended to help business customers achieve best practice water and wastewater management,” he said. “We focus on leak detection and identifying opportunities for further water savings. It was a new service for business customers and sought to deliver high-frequency water use monitoring.” Start of the program WaterGroup was selected through a request for tender and awarded a contract. Aimi Macready, the Head of Sales and Marketing for WaterGroup, attributes this to their previous work in the field. “Our mission has always been about helping customers identify abnormal water use and then do something about it,” said Macready. “The Sydney Water online monitoring program fits perfectly into that.”

www.insidewater.com.au INSIDE WATER

FOCUS Pipes

WaterGroup’s smart water metering and Active Water Analysis, Risk and Efficiency (AWARE) management service were offered to Sydney Water and their business customers. By using AWARE, staff at Sydney Water and the customer can direct their efforts into areas where they achieve the best results – rolling out the program and driving corrective actions on site. “The program is designed to help businesses to save water,” said Swain. “Recognising this goal was key to ensuring that businesses use water efficiently. The pilot program came about to help business customers understand how, where, and when they use water.” Business customers could identify unexpected water use by understanding how, where, when and for what they use water. This helps them identify more efficiently and cost-effectively whether the underlying cause is a leaking toilet, a valve, a calling tower, a piece of equipment malfunction, a wring set point, or a pipe leak. “Without that visibility, those issues might remain unresolved,” he said. “The goal was to give businesses access to that knowledge to help them save water and money. It’s also a great opportunity to establish real-time data to report on their key performance indicators (KPIs).” WaterGroup provided Captis NBIoT smart water loggers attached to existing water meters. These devices connect via the mobile phone network

and send data to UtiliOS, the software as a service (SaaS) platform provided by WaterGroup. To date, more than 100 Sydney Water customer sites have taken up this offer. Initial feedback The program was first rolled out in January 2021. Initially, it was marketed to a small group of nonresidential properties within a chosen customer segment. Swain explained that the pilot was initially offered to car washes, cafes, restaurants, dental services, and laundromats. “These businesses tend to use a lot of water,” said Rahi Sehat, Project Officer of Water Conservation Programs at Sydney Water. “It was also a heavily subsidised program, and while it was out of reach for some small businesses, others were interested. We gave them access to the program, and it was a great opportunity for businesses that wanted to be more water efficient and greener.” “In January 2022, we rolled out the program to all businesses,” Swain said. “The only requirement was to have a water meter between 20 and 100 millimetres in size,. The business also has to be within the area of operations for Sydney Water.” As the program rolled out, the Sydney Water team found a significant push to allow for the monitoring of submeters. Such an offering would add value to their customers. The program was subsequently tweaked to allow for this.

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

The online monitoring program is easy to set up and simple to operate.

“We’ve got businesses that have submeters connected after their main meters, but they can’t tell which section uses more water,” said Sehat. “For example, a shopping centre or a food court has multiple stores. The management might want to better manage their water use and understand who is using how much water. This is an opportunity for them to monitor and see how water is used across multiple stores. That’s why we evolved the programme and added eligible submeters.” When it came to renewals, it was unanimously popular. Every customer who signed up under the original 12-month subsidy has renewed their subscription to the program. “Everybody that signed up continues to reap the benefits and maintain their connection to the online monitoring service,” Swain said. “Customers have responded very well to the SMS alerts.” Results When it comes to the impact of the online monitoring program for businesses, Swain and Sehat found that they were getting more queries from interested customers. That included councils and larger customers who were interested in trying an online monitoring program. “This is why we expanded the program to a wider range of customers, based on their interest,” Swain said. “We found that when we extended the program’s scope, the uptake from potential customers increased dramatically. It’s why we made it available to all eligible business customers within the Greater Sydney coverage area.” Swain attributes this change to business customers being empowered to have more control of their water usage. He also believes that interested business

“ We plan to go beyond the

current phase, as the renewal rates remains incredibly high.

customers want to contribute towards implementing sustainable business practices. “It helps build a culture of commitment for businesses while improving their corporate social responsibility,” he said. “When they join the program, they learn how to use water more efficiently, reducing the demand on dams and rivers. One positive externality is that less wastewater is being discharged.” When it comes to pure numbers, Sydney Water assesses that they have saved about 500 megalitres of water for its business customers so far. That represents savings of about $1.25 million. “These savings are separate from the maintenance and wastewater usage costs,” Swain said. “There are savings made from the water that otherwise would have been lost, and some other associated costs we haven’t even quantified yet!” Business impact The most significant impact has been from businesses detecting leaks that had been running for extended periods. Sehat spoke about how

” next to no occupancy. However, they still received high water bills. Following an investigation, they found that there was a leak on the property. “If a customer shuts off the water and finds that water is still flowing, that’s an indicator of a leak,” she said. “That represents water consumption while not using any water. This was often identified in the first few months of installing the IoT data loggers and was visible through a platform that displays water consumption data as a graph.”

customers discovered leaks only after joining the program. “We had one customer that joined the program recently,” she said. “They had had an undetected leak that had started two years earlier. The customer had a huge construction repair bill due to the leak. We were told that if they joined the program earlier, some of these costs would have been mitigated.” Understanding normal water usage has been vital for businesses to analyse what water is being lost through leaks. This is not limited to clients on land, as any business can leak water. “There was a marina that had a leak in one of its pipes,” Sehat said. “The pipe was underwater, so there is no way to see the leak through observing the surroundings. It was quite tough to locate the exact location of the leak, but they got there in the end.” Even the recent COVID-19 pandemic saw businesses discovering that they had leaks. When the lockdowns were rolled out, there was a caravan park with There are a range of businesses, small to large, that have sought the installation of the devices.

WaterGroup an excellent partner As far as Swain is concerned, WaterGroup has been an excellent partner for the online water monitoring system. “We’ve engaged with them since 2020,” he said. “We’ve never had any issues with their work. They deliver high-quality service, and working with their team has been great. WaterGroup has a group of experienced and passionate staff..” Sydney Water plans to roll out up to 200 more devices this financial year. It’s part of the plans for the future. Swain is confident that the program will be expanded beyond its current end date of October 2024. “We plan to go beyond the current phase, as the renewal rate continues to be incredibly high,” he said. “We’ve maintained the 100 per cent customer renewal rate since we started the program, and Sydney Water continues to get inquiries to become part of the program. Ultimately, we want to help as many businesses as possible to achieve their water-saving goals. For more information, visit www.sydneywater.com.au and www.watergroup.com.au

www.insidewater.com.au INSIDE WATER

FOCUS Pipes

Max achievements from Iplex With more than 85 years of experience, Iplex has established itself as a leading provider of water solutions in Australia. It remains at the forefront of plastic pipe innovation and development in Australia. WHEN PEOPLE THINK about stormwater pipes, they might connect with conventional materials such as concrete pipe. However, Iplex Pipelines has long focused on the benefits of plastic pipes. Making a difference Iplex Pipelines has been at the cutting edge of Polypropylene (PP) structured wall pipes for stormwater drainage and gravity sewer applications. The dual wall profile allows an efficient use of the raw material whilst maintaining high stiffness for structural performance and a smooth inner wall for exceptional hydraulic performance. “We commissioned our machines in 2002 to manufacture our polypropylene pipes,” said Andre Nunn, Queensland Technical Sales Engineer for Iplex Pipelines. “Iplex

also has the technical knowledge, experience and innovation to assist our customers.” One of the many advantages of polypropylene pipes is their resistance to corrosion. Manufactured from polypropylene, these pipes are suitable in corrosive drainage, sewerage, and industrial wastewater applications. The material is highly resistant to aggressive ground conditions such as acid sulphate soils and saline ground waters near coastal regions. Iplex Polypropylene stormwater and sewerage pipes were developed with a high performance joint designed to resist leakage and tree roots entering via the joint. Polypropylene provides a pipe with an expected service life of over 100 years when installed in accordance with industry standards.

SewerMAX pipes are unique, designed for sewer applications.

BlackMAX One product that Iplex is particularly proud of is its BlackMAX range. BlackMAX is an Iplex structured wall polypropylene (PP) pipe system. It’s designed for non-pressurised gravity drainage systems. The BlackMAX storm water drainage range also includes high-quality fittings to enable full versatility during installation. “We chose PP because it has a much higher ring bending modulus than High Density Polyethylene,” said Nunn. “That makes it stiffer. Pipes are manufactured to achieve a minimum ring bending pipe stiffness of 8000 newtons per metre per metre or minimum SN8 pipes. The BlackMAX range is designed with a user-friendly rubber ring socket joint system. “Our jointing system is a dual wall joint,” he said. “For pipe diameters up to DN525, the joint is made with a corrugated socket, and for our larger sizes, the socket is a double wall cuff. This unique feature provides peace of mind by providing additional strength and compliance with the Australian Standards. “The BlackMAX joint provides excellent resistance against tree root intrusion. A CSIRO study found that the type of pipe material and rubber ring compression were the two major factors influencing resistance against tree root intrusion. It also confirmed porous materials and poor joints can influence root penetration. BlackMAX pipes, whilst corrugated on the outside, are smooth on the inside. The smooth liner can lead to higher flow capacity for the same grade or even a reduction in pipe diameter on a steeper grade when compared to other pipe systems. SewerMAX SewerMAX is a unique product for sewer applications.

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Like BlackMAX, SewerMAX is manufactured with a high pipe stiffness Classification of SN10 and SewerMAX+SN20. It’s designed for very deep sewers or gravity sewers in bored applications. Such environments may see Engineers looking for stiffer pipes. The future of MAX products Iplex Pipelines will be increasing its manufacturing capacity and extending its range. “Councils are seeing the benefits our product offers for stormwater and sewer systems,” Nunn said. “We are offering a product with a low carbon

footprint and a longer service life compared with the alternatives in the market.” Iplex will continue to invest in BlackMAX and SewerMAX twin wall technology at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in New South Wales and Queensland. The current size range will be extended to provide the complete package of pipes and fittings for project requirements “As councils and water authorities

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continue to support alternative products and innovations, the potential for viable alternatives will continue to grow. Our large diameter corrugated pipes provide enormous opportunities for our customers and the communities they serve. We relish working with customers to support their goals.” For more information, visit iplex.com.au

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FOCUS Hydrogen

The green hydrogen economy and water stewardship Effective water management is vital for green hydrogen production. The concept of water stewardship is essential in developing green hydrogen projects across Australia.

water make-up and electrolysis cooling systems. This equates to one and four per cent of Australia’s current total 8.6 billion cubic metres of annual freshwater withdrawal.

AUSTRALIA IS WORKING to establish itself as a global net-zero energy economy leader. One of the key growth areas for clean energy in Australia is the development of a green hydrogen export market. Australia is expected to become the second largest exporter of Green Hydrogen by 2050, according to the Australian Trade and Investment Commission. The Hydroflux Group, along with Cress Consulting, can support businesses looking to get involved in the green hydrogen industry with high-quality advice and technology. As part of this development, demand is expected to be generated for purified fresh water, a critical raw material in the production

Where’s the freshwater for this industry? One issue with this claim, particularly for Australia, is the availability of freshwater local to the proposed hydrogen production facility. For hydrogen projects to proceed, an essential investment requirement will be the availability of secure off-take agreements for water. Water resources are expected to shrink over the next century. As such, new hydrogen production facilities may compete with communities and existing traditional industries, like agriculture, for fresh water. Projects must have clear strategies for equitable and sustainable management of local water resources to receive community support.

of green hydrogen. Despite this demand, green hydrogen water consumption is less than that required for fossil fuels. Researchers from the University of Delaware found that the amount of water used to generate any form of energy is dwarfed by the freshwater demands from agriculture. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s (AREA) forecast for Australian hydrogen production of three million tonnes per annum by 2040 would require about 27 million cubic metres of demineralised water for raw material supply. Depending on the specific project water efficiencies, an additional 100 to 300 million cubic metres could be required to operate the high-purity

HyPure NX is one technology that could be vital for the green hydrogen economy.

What is water stewardship? This poses many challenges for the development of green hydrogen production facilities. It is also an opportunity for the hydrogen industry to positively impact global water supplies rather than a negligible yet negative effect. This can be done through a water stewardship mindset. This mindset will allow projects to be tailored to expand their capabilities with shared benefits for all water users, ensuring that water use is socially and culturally equitable. The issue around equitable water access not only applies to fresh water but also to recycled wastewater. Recycled wastewater has been highlighted as a potential alternative source to minimise freshwater demands for green hydrogen production.

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

In many rural and remote areas of Australia, treated wastewater irrigation has been standard practice for decades. Communities and local agriculture rely on the availability of recycled water to supplement already dwindling freshwater supplies. New hydrogen production facilities would again compete with communities and existing industries for this recycled water. One suggestion is the shifting of thinking within the hydrogen industry. Ideally, hydrogen production facilities would shift from being significant water consumers to becoming water stewards within their local communities. By taking this path, this industry can lead global exports and play a defining role in the worldwide transition to net zero-carbon energy. It can also set the bar for how the energy industry can engage with stakeholders around sustainable water resource management. How water stewardship fits in Water stewardship will enable the hydrogen industry to improve water efficiency within their facilities. It can also work collectively with other industries in Australia to understand and address complex shared-water challenges, risks and opportunities in the catchment area. Several low-cost opportunities exist within hydrogen production projects to provide more equitable and sustainable access to water for regional and remote communities and industries. Some examples of water stewardship include more efficient drinking water technology for the local community. This can form part of the hydrogen project to improve water access. The advanced technology used to purify electrolyser makeup is similar to those used to produce clean

drinking water. This consideration provides community benefits for minimal additional project costs. Reusing electrolyser cooling water for other purposes will improve the industry’s green credentials. It will allow for sharing water allocations, which helps address water scarcity challenges. This is particularly true when water is needed for irrigation or other industrial purposes. Chemical-free processes such as NX’s direct nanofiltration for pre-treatment of demineralised water increase the amount of water drawn from the environment. This technology can return that water back into its system while improving the overall water quality. There are always opportunities to implement a range of community water projects with economic and social significance. That includes improving the efficiency of existing water assets to offset the use of water by the hydrogen production facility. One example would be upgrading sewage treatment plants and stormwater harvesting systems. The role of the community in water stewardship cannot be forgotten. Integrating the community into the development of hydrogen production water infrastructure can increase the economic efficiency of the assets. This is done by reducing ownership costs and providing opportunities for community employment and upskilling.

The Hydroflux team stand ready to support the water industry in its development of a green hydrogen market.

How does Hydroflux fit in? The Hydroflux Group is placed to support the Australian hydrogen industry. By understanding consumers’ water use, risks, impacts and opportunities, Cress Consulting can facilitate developing and implementing a Water Stewardship plan to optimise the efficiency of water production, use, reuse and return to the environment in an efficient and equitable Green Hydrogen project. Hydroflux can ensure a more sustainable Green Hydrogen project can be developed. It has access to world-class, advanced treatment technologies such as NX direct hollow fibre membranes. This technology is based on unique recipes and innovative patented production methods. The base material for the membranes is PolyEtherSulfone (PES). It provides ideal chemical and thermal stability for use in robust filtration processes. A water stewardship plan should consider the waterrelated challenges of relevant stakeholders and works to ensure that water usage is sustainable and equitable. That approach will result in a better hydrogen production outlook, with lower risks to water quality and quantity for the facility’s life. For more information, visit www.hydroflux.au

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FOCUS Products

Enhancing water management with satellite data collection In the ever-evolving landscape of digital water metering innovation, a partnership between Taggle Systems and Myriota has paved the way for efficient water consumption data collection from remote locations. Collecting water meter data from outlying properties and pipelines can now be easily achieved.

TAGGLE SYSTEMS, one of Australia’s foremost digital water metering solutions providers, has harnessed Myriota’s satellite connectivity. It has enabled water utilities to monitor water consumption in the most remote areas, offering a solution for both rural and urban water management challenges. Myriota, based in South Australia, specialises in low-power, costeffective direct-to-orbit Internet of Things (IoT) communications via nanosatellites. This technology collects water consumption data from outlying water meters situated within a council’s or water utilities service area. Myriota’s secure nanosatellite network has seamless connectivity. It offers a costeffective and efficient means to overcome the hurdles presented by challenging terrains, lack of network availability, and the necessity of monitoring water consumption in remote locations. Myriota works seamlessly with Taggle Systems to better monitor water consumption. The satellite

connectivity offered by Myriota expands opportunities for rural and remote communities to track water use from IoT devices. Collecting data from every water meter Taggle’s digital water metering ecosystem is designed with an open and interoperable architecture, allowing its customers to choose from a range of solutions that best suit their unique applications. The challenge of establishing effective communication between water meters and an IoT platform is not to be underestimated, especially when considering various factors like location, terrain, and network availability. To ensure full coverage of all water meters while keeping costs in check, Taggle provides multiple connectivity options, including their proprietary Taggle Byron low-power, wide-area network, the telecommunications standard NB-IoT, and Myriota satellite connectivity.

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Many water meters within a council or utility area are typically clustered together in towns or along roads. Deploying radio network coverage for these locations is straightforward. However, complexity arises when dealing with outlying meters that fall beyond the reach of radio network coverage, making it neither costeffective nor practical to deploy a Taggle Byron receiver, especially where NB-IoT coverage is also absent. This is where Myriota’s simple-to-deploy satellite solution can be used. Myriota satellite connectivity offers an elegant answer to these remote monitoring changes. Regardless of the meter’s location, it only requires a view of the sky to connect directly to the Myriota network. Taggle’s Cockatoo telemetry device efficiently collects hourly water consumption data from the meter and, at regular intervals when a satellite is overhead, transmits this invaluable information for analysis and reporting. Remote areas and rural properties are particularly prone to high levels of water leaks due to situations such as animals inadvertently damaging water infrastructure. Large properties often make it difficult to detect leaks in a timely manner. The granular, hourly water consumption data collected through this satellitebased solution can play a pivotal role in rapidly identifying water losses, especially in regions dependent on their water supply. This is crucial during periods of drought when water conservation and early leak detection become paramount. The benefits of satellite communication In terms of infrastructure challenges, traditional communication networks are often contingent on

line-of-sight access, which can pose limitations in hilly areas and river valleys. These geographical nuances can hinder coverage, making it difficult to monitor water meters effectively. Myriota’s satellite connectivity becomes indispensable in

such situations, providing an alternative to deploying additional communication networks. They have effectively bridged the coverage gaps in these hard-to-reach terrains. Furthermore, the remote satellite connectivity offered by Myriota

Even the most remote properties are now connected, and leaks can be identified quickly.

The Taggle Cockatoo transmits water meter data via Myriota’s satellite network.

is not limited to residential and commercial water meters. It can be effectively leveraged for monitoring network meters along pipelines, presenting a valuable use of the technology. By continuously monitoring different points along a pipeline, the solution can quickly identify water losses, indicating leaks or breaks in the pipeline, which often cover large distances, something that would be challenging to achieve using conventional communication networks. The collaboration between Taggle and Myriota marks an advancement in water consumption data collection. This satellitebased solution enhances water management by providing efficient monitoring capabilities in even the most remote and challenging terrains. As the demand for more efficient and technologically driven water management solutions continues to grow, Taggle’s open ecosystem and range of network options, offer a solution to the pressing needs of the water industry For more information, visit www.taggle.com

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FOCUS Products

Mitigating evaporation Evaporation is a major cause of water loss from dams and reservoirs, but there is a cost-effective way to reduce these losses. AUSTRALIANS ARE FAMILIAR with the challenges associated with evaporation. The hot climate sees our dams and reservoirs lose a significant amount of water quickly. The El Niño weather phenomenon worries water operators as states rely on their storage capacity for substantial amounts of potable water. What can water operators and reservoir managers do to minimise the evaporative losses from the sun? This is where Aquatain Products steps in. It represents a group of experts who develop liquids that spread across water’s surface, forming a thin film. Aquatain Products’ products are based on similar principles but have very different applications. Each is aimed at a specific problem facing the world today. Evaporation control Water shortages are looming as one of the world’s major problems in the 21st Century, with many countries experiencing prolonged low rainfall or drought conditions. Aquatain Products has developed a product called WaterGuard GOLD. It is an Australian-made, siliconebased liquid that spreads across the dam’s surface, effectively placing a ‘liquid lid’ on the surface. “The principle of our products is simple, but the impact can be huge,” said Danny Bryan, Special Projects Consultant with Aquatain Products. “Trials have shown evaporation reductions of 50 per cent or more.” The table shows a few examples of losses from dams of various sizes based on an average daily

Surface Area of Dam

Evaporation Losses (Litres) Daily

Weekly

500 sq m

6,000

42,000

1,000 sq m

12,000

84,000

5,000 sq m

60,000

420,000

10,000 sq m (1 ha)

120,000

840,000

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

evaporation rate of 12 mm. This is a typical figure, but it can be much higher in many parts of Australia during summer. “A one-hectare dam can lose more than 800,000 litres of valuable water each week,” he said. “Evaporation is really a silent assassin, as you can stand beside

a dam all day and not realise that the water is disappearing in front of you.” WaterGuard GOLD is easy to apply. For most dams, it can be poured on from the edge, and it will self-spread to cover the surface. It can be used directly from a boat or barge for larger storage facilities. The product is economical to use. For example, three litres will protect 1,000 square metres of water surface in a harsh environment for up to three weeks. A lower rate can be used in less severe conditions. WaterGuard GOLD is produced from polymers that are highly impermeable to gases, including water vapour. These polymers repel each other strongly when they come in contact with the water, resulting in a robust spreading action across the surface. Who are Aquatain Products? Aquatain Products is an Australian company pioneering its unique liquid technologies since 2006. These technologies have focused on developing products that form a thin film on the water’s surface. In addition to WaterGuard GOLD for evaporation control, the company has another flagship product called Aquatain AMF for mosquito control. It is effective in breaking the mosquito breeding cycle and is approved for sale in about 70 countries. Aquatain AMF has been prequalified by the World Health Organization, which ensures users that it has been assessed for its efficacy, safety, and quality. Aquatain Products offers a range of Aquatain AMF products for different circumstances. This is not limited to liquid films, as it offers both blocks and drops for different applications. Aquatain Products also has an oil spill collector, with a product called Gladiator. It is a unique silicone-based liquid that spreads across the water’s surface. Gladiator pushes the oil and consolidates it in one place on the surface. Its low surface tension translates to strong spreading pressure. Gladiator also features a stable viscosity across a wide temperature range. For more information, visit www.aquatain.com

Aquatain Products and their WaterGuard GOLD are designed to mitigate against evaporation.

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www.watergroup.com.au water@watergroup.com.au

FOCUS Products

Pre-configured tanks can reduce on-site hassles Co-ordinating all services on-site to work together can be challenging at the best of times. That’s why Polymaster has been constantly expanding its chemical and process tank range. “OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE, for some time now, been requesting more and more equipment attached to a tank at the factory, rather than in the field”, said Jason Egan of Polymaster. Gone are the days when a tank rocks up to the site, and it’s all hands on deck welding fittings or wiring in instrumentation from scratch. The industry is asking for more ‘preconfigured tanks’ to be provided upfront, which has led to some big leaps forward in innovation in the sector. “If you look at the products that we do, we’re bringing a chemical bunded tank to the site,” said Egan. “It comes with a dosing skid attached to it, a truck in-loading panel and various other pieces of kit including chlorine and pH analysers and level instrumentation already fitted,” Egan

said. “All of this is factory tested, so when it arrives on-site, the unit is pretty much ready to go. Fill it, power it, calibrate it, and you’re done!” Another advancement has been providing more complete solutions around process tanks, such as clarifiers, chlorine contact tanks, or backwash tanks, to highlight a few. “Internal fabrication of pipework

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Having everything ready to go when the tank arrives on-site makes installation a breeze.

Major companies like Coopers Brewery in South Australia use Polymaster’s self-bunded tanks.

and aerations systems is an area the factory team really excel in,” he said. “Recently, a water treatment contractor bought a clarifier design to the table for our 20 kilolitre (KL) cone bottom tank.” This 20 KL cone bottom tank has a 50° cone, which is ideal for sludge removal. This design was for in-flow dirty water. It introduces a coagulant to the flowing water so the solids drop to the bottom of the cone. The design would ensure the clean water stays at the top of the tank so the customer can recycle the clean water. “It was a pretty cool design,”

said Egan. “With water and sludge clarification, you can either process it continuously, like the design above or allow the dirty water to settle and separate over time. Once it’s settled, the sludge can be removed through the bottom outlet.” Industry applications When it comes to these designs and configurations, many industries can take advantage of the cone bottom clarifier. “Every road or rail tunnel project in the country ultimately ends up with dirty water they need to dispose of,” Egan said. “No one can simply take this dirty water off-site and treat it at a secondary processing plant. The costs are prohibitive, so they treat on-site with our tanks”. Food and beverage, industrial manufacturing plants, recycling plants, utilities, and local councils benefit from these pre-configured tanks. These setups save time and don’t have to coordinate different trades. “Wash bays for trucks and trains are also a very common user of these tanks,” he said. “This is especially true when they need to extract the solids and reuse the water to wash down the trucks. It’s a smart closed-loop system they’ve created.” Flexibility Although many processes can be common, Egan highlighted that some customers need a bespoke solution from time to time. “As an OEM manufacturer, we’re able to customise a tank that is fit for that purpose,” Egan said. “Whether it’s an aeration system or a series of internal baffles to slow down the flow of liquid, our factory team are quite talented at piecing it all together to make it work for the customer.”

The future of the industry As work sites and engineering resources are constantly under pressure to reduce headcount, Polymaster sees a greater need to supply a more complete solution rather than just a tank.

Sludge clarification tanks can be pre-configured for Polymaster’s clients.

“We are in an exciting time in the industry, and we’re really enjoying the challenges our customers keep on bringing us,” Egan said. For more information, visit www.polymaster.com.au

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FOCUS Sludge Disposal

Sludge blankets support savings Sludge blanket control is crucial to any wastewater treatment process. Accurate monitoring of this part can benefit process efficiency and cost savings. IN THE PRIMARY and secondary sedimentation stages, sewage flows through large tanks called clarifiers or settlement tanks. In the primary tank, they are used to settle sludge by allowing grease and oils to rise to the surface, where they are skimmed off. A rotating bridge moves around the tank slowly to scrape off unwanted particles from the top of the water. The heavier sludge suspended in the wastewater will stratify to the bottom of the settlement tank. The point where this stratification occurs is referred to as the “sludge blanket.” In secondary clarifiers/tanks, microorganisms digest the organic matter in the wastewater, creating

the sludge floc, which will settle at the bottom of the tank. Sludge level measurement measures the distance between the sludge blanket and the water level at the top of the tank. Once the sludge has reached the required density, the accompanying controller will switch on the pumps and pump it into digestors, preparing it for the secondary treatment stage. Many control factors ensure a well-performing system in the secondary stage, but the sludge blanket level is essential. Once the sludge has been utilised to its potential in the primary and secondary stages, it becomes waste sludge. It undergoes further

The Sludge Finder 2 measures sludge levels and lets users know when there is an issue.

Properly controlling sludge blankets is critical for wastewater treatment plants.

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

treatment, often via anaerobic digestion, thickening, and dewatering, so it can then be used in composting and land application as a fertiliser. Why measure sludge blanket level? Monitoring the sludge blanket level has advantages and benefits, including capital-saving costs and reduced carbon footprints. Effective sludge level measurement can help municipal and industrial treatment plants generate electricity. Many large sewage treatment works burn the gas in digestors to drive electricity turbines. More gas produced results in more electricity generated. One of the most important gas volume determinants is the sludge’s quality and density delivered to the digestors. Operators can ensure that sludge extraction pumps are used efficiently. Excess or poorly settled sludge does not wash out into wastewater effluent paths. This can prevent costly overspills and regulation breaches. Further sludge handling processes, such as thickeners and dewatering equipment, perform better when fed with a higher sludge concentration. The diluted and lower-concentration

The Sludge Finder 2 is a critical device for managing sludge blankets.

sludge will require increased dosing, digestor heating, and pumping costs. On top of plant and operation savings, it also enables operating companies to save on the labour costs of manual sampling. This means that a wealth of feedback is instantly available, allowing for overall greater system control for plant managers and wastewater engineers worldwide. Thames Water implement Pulsar solution Thames Water is one institution that has implemented Pulsar Measurement’s solution as part of an improvement project. It was introduced at one of its primary sewage treatment works in Berkshire, UK. The project included installing eight Pulsar Sludge Finder 2 continuous sludge interface monitoring systems to help with compliance and operational improvements. Pulsar Measurement’s eight Sludge Finder 2 systems were installed onto the eight final settlement tanks at Reading sewage treatment works. This was in combination with Pulsar Measurement’s local radio system option. It communicated with matched receivers to the local MCC over 50 metres. This signal was then further connected via the site’s PLC and to the main SCADA overview. The systems continuously monitor the sludge blanket within the Thames Water final settlement tanks. The system sounds an alarm when an unwanted discharge occurs in the adjacent foundry brook. It has improved return-activated sludge retention, a key factor when adhering to compliance and process requirements.

Pulsar Measurement’s Sludge Finder 2 sludge interface monitor offers a versatile, accurate and reliable solution to the problem of continuously and accurately measuring interface levels in primary, secondary or final settlement tanks and Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) systems. Operating ultrasonically through liquid, Sludge Finder 2 uses echo processing algorithms to identify the sludge interface level by digital echo processing techniques. Sludge Finder 2 also benefits from a self-cleaning underwater acoustic sensor, which removes any algae buildup. It results in continuous, reliable sludge level measurement. That results in a reduced need for sludge pumping and dosing optimisation. Staff can concentrate on other tasks. Thames Water has been impressed

The wiper blade on the Sludge Finder 2 ensures that measurements remain accurate.

by the monitoring system and its benefits to its improvement project at Reading STW. How can an effective sludge blanket level measurement be achieved? The Pulsar Measurement Sludge Finder 2 provides reliable and continuous sludge blanket-level measurement. The Viper transducer operates ultrasonically through the wastewater by measuring the distance between the sludge blanket surface. The Viper transducer has a built-in external wiper blade. This keeps the transducer face clean and debrisfree, eliminating the need for costly downtime and maintenance of a submersible sensor. Traditionally, manual sludge blanket level measurement techniques required engineers and operators to be exposed to wastewater and sludge for an extended time. These techniques were labour-intensive and time-consuming. They also presented health and safety issues with personnel exposed to hazardous substances. Automating this process with noncontacting sludge level measurement eliminates these issues. It allows staff to see real-time sludge blanket echo graphs on screen without going near the media. Pulsar Measurement’s sludge blanket level system can help municipal or industrial treatment plants ensure their treatment process runs efficiently. It allows them to generate their own electricity and ensures that excess sludge is not pumped into local water sources. The Sludge Finder 2 and Viper transducer are designed to ensure compliance with health, safety, and environmental regulations. For more information, visit www.pulsarmeasurement.com

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FOCUS Events

We’ve come a long way TasWater is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2023. People across the organisation have been involved in the industry for decades. This is the story of TasWater. THE WATER UTILITY industry in Tasmania has seen epic change over the past two decades. In 2023, TasWater people reflected on the journey, some having been involved in the industry for decades themselves. While 2023 was TasWater’s tenth anniversary, the year was also about looking to the future. Team members from across the entire organisation engaged in workshops, planning days, and big-picture thinking events to take the organisation forward for the next 10 years and beyond. The advent of TasWater The first seismic shift in Tasmania’s water industry was in 2008-2009. Before then, water and sewage services were managed by separate

councils in each hamlet or region. Following reforms, three Regional Corporations were established: Ben Lomond Water, Cradle Mountain Water and Southern Water. Each was owned by multiple local government councils within their respective geographic areas, and a fourth corporation was the shared services business, Onstream, owned by the three Regional Corporations.

The Bryn Estyn Water Treatment Plant (WTP) has been critical to the provision of water to Tasmania.

The Bryn Estyn WTP opened to great fanfare across Tasmania.

But the greatest change of all came after the biggest reform of all, amalgamating the four previous corporations into one statewide water utility in 2013, marking the formation of TasWater. From challenging times to best practice Reflecting on the past, there is plenty of colour in some of the stories told by some of the longer-serving employees who shared a yarn or two at this year’s TasWater staff events. There were tales of strange items found in sewage pipes. Then there were the collective memories around the inconsistencies associated with reliably and consistently testing water quality across the state, with this duty undertaken by 29 different teams. As well as the colourful tales, there were many observations of how positive the changes have been. Improved communications from the days of patchy two-way radios, poor resourcing of the staff on the front line, and on-call rosters covering vast areas of Tasmania with too few personnel, are things of the distant past.

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FOCUS Events

As the quote goes, “The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there”. TasWater has emerged from those times and transformed to be the best it can possibly be, and that success is attributed to its people. However, they all recognise there is more to do. After formation in 2013, and following an initial focus on compliance, TasWater is currently delivering a planned 10-year, $1.84 billion capital investment program for completion in financial year 2025-26. It has added 30 new water treatment plants with upgraded treatment processes across the state. In the past seven years, 18,100 new connections were added to the state’s water network. In addition, more than 13,000 properties were connected to wastewater. These projects ultimately brought 24 towns off long‑standing boiled water notices, giving thousands of customers new-found confidence in the safety and cleanliness of Tasmanian drinking water. Bringing resilience to Tasmanian water Mark McConnon, TasWater Head of Risk and Resilience, sums up his decades of experience in the industry, highlighting the commitment of Tasmanian water industry people from decades ago to the present. “Back then, they didn’t have the resources, and they did what they had to ensure that customers continued to receive water and sewerage services as they were passionate about their communities,” he said. Kate Beard, Marketing Project Specialist – Community Programs,

has been on board for much of the transition and reform of Tasmania’s water industry over the years. She summed up the past and the future perfectly. “I guess something that hasn’t changed since the early days is it was, and remains, a really good group of people,” said Beard. “We made our fun, we made it work, we found our way.” Tony Willmott, General Manager of Project Delivery, has as long a career in the water industry, having been on board for the 2009 reforms and working in the sector during the council days. “This is how far we’ve come. From a lack of resources and understanding of our obligations to genuine best practice,” he said. “I don’t think we could have got as far as we have without that commitment from our people, and that is right across the business.” Future infrastructure investment One of TasWater’s challenges is that its 170 water and sewage treatment plants represent about 30 per cent of the country’s treatment plants. Still, TasWater serves only two per cent of the national population. In 2022-23, TasWater supplied 62,537 megalitres of water, 2,622 Olympic swimming pools’ worth, and across Tasmania had 988 staff managing: • 6 ,557 kilometres of water mains (more than 1.5 times the width of Australia) • 4 ,913 kilometres of sewer mains (the distance from Hobart to Cooktown in far north Queensland) • 289 water reservoirs • 60 water treatment plants

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

The Bryn Estyn WTP is one of the biggest investments in water treatment for Tasmania.

• 221,602 water connections • 952 water and sewage pump stations • 110 sewage treatment plants • 192,627 sewerage connections The Bryn Estyn Water Treatment Plant In September, the Bryn Estyn Water Treatment Plant (WTP) upgrade was officially opened north of Hobart in the Derwent Valley. It is the largest capital project ever undertaken by TasWater, and construction was delivered on time and under budget. It was delivered by the TasWater Capital Delivery Office (CDO), an alliance partnership with UGL Limited, CPB Contractors (members of the CIMIC Group), and sub-alliance partner WSP. The Bryn Estyn WTP upgrade also involved many local contractors, with 81 per cent of contracts landing with Tasmanian businesses, providing local employment and economic benefit. The Bryn Estyn WTP will lower the risk of water restrictions for Greater Hobart, providing high-quality drinking water for Tasmanians and creating capacity for growth over the next 50 years. “We can continue to future-proof supply,” Willmott said. “There are pre-planned features around the new treatment plant pre-installed to enable the utility to increase supply in future in line with demand. In addition, there are new technologies embedded into the asset that are more robust, allowing the utility to manage a diverse range of rawwater quality with world-class treatment processes much more effectively than in the past.”

Bryn Estyn is a shining light of how far the industry has come in Tasmania. Able to treat 160 million litres of water per day, it can potentially expand to treat another 40 million litres of water per day if required. TasWater’s Head of Water and Environment Services, Fran Smith, said there was no comparing decades past to now. “We didn’t know what best practice was, or really understand what our obligations were,” she said. “To be able to treat and deliver 160 million litres of water every day to Greater Hobart, with every litre meeting the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, is not a small achievement. And just last year alone, across the state, we undertook 273,000 tests to ensure Tasmanians could confidently turn on the tap knowing their water is safe to drink. That’s a test every two minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” Future people, career and skill investment TasWater supports individual career opportunities, Tasmanian workplace retention, and the state economy through employment opportunities, including fast-tracked career pathways into the water industry. Such initiatives include the annual Summer Placement Program. “Our Summer Placement Program is an annual intake for 12 weeks,” said Yvette Gilbert, TasWater’s Organisation Planning and Performance Manager. “Each November, chosen university students across various disciplines in their penultimate year of study, work at TasWater sites and offices

across the state. This allows them to gain relevant work experience, study credit and get valuable insight into our industry. “In addition, we recruit annually for the TasWater Graduate Program as a pathway to developing a futureready workforce. Our intake for 2024 targets graduates from engineering, business/finance, data science and legal disciplines via a national advertising campaign. It is a two-year program supporting graduates to build their technical knowledge and skill in the workplace and putting their university learnings into practice in the real-world working environment.” Notably, many summer placement participants progress to the Graduate Program each year, and numerous Graduate Program participants secure ongoing

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff and TasWater’s Fran Smith at the official opening of the Bryn Estyn WTP.

TasWater CEO George Theo, at the official opening of the Bryn Estyn WTP.

employment at TasWater. “We also offer scholarships through the University of Tasmania, which gives back to the Tasmanian community, attracts local talent, and addresses underrepresented voices in the water industry,” Gilbert said. “The Scholarship Program has been enhanced this year as part of the organisations’ diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy. TasWater proudly offers clearly defined career pathway opportunities for our current and future workforce.” These programs are in addition to TasWater continually refreshing its outdoor workforce, recruiting to ensure its frontline work maintaining and operating the state’s water and sewage assets. Facilitating ongoing workforce planning and recruitment meets both TasWater’s current and future resourcing needs. Initiatives, such as a new parental leave package supporting families and embracing a diverse, inclusive workplace, help drive an engaged workforce and make TasWater an employer of choice in a competitive employment market. Here’s to the next 10 years TasWater Chief Executive Officer George Theo said after 10 years, there were too many achievements to list. “But the fact all our customers now have access to safe, clean drinking water is the biggest win for those regional communities that spent years on permanent boil water alerts,” Theo said. “Our second decade is one of opportunity and possibilities. I’m excited about taking the journey together. We won’t shy away from setting a bold and ambitious vision for where we want to get to and where our customers expect us to go.” For more information, visit www.taswater.com.au

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Saving water through water efficiency The Water Conservancy has been playing a critical role in maximising water efficiency for a range of products… but the products they study are surprising. THE AVERAGE CONSUMER may not be aware of the Water Conservancy, but they play an interesting role in helping Australians use water more efficiently. Chris Philpot is the Chief Executive Officer and has focused much of his career on water efficiency and sustainable water use. “I’ve worked in water throughout pretty much my entire career,” Philpot said. “I graduated with a degree in physical geography in 1996 from the University of Exeter. From there, I joined Yorkshire Water as a survey technician. That meant I looked at all the map records on paper and then digitised them as digital assets.” After a few years at Yorkshire Water, Philpot moved to Australia and landed a job with Sydney Water on their graduate rotation programme. He developed a lot of experience throughout the organisation, including at the North Head Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Water efficiency becomes a passion “This was when all the key messages in Australia were around water saving and restrictions,” he said. “Australia was deep in the first of the millennium droughts. That really kickstarted my career, with a focus on water efficiency.” Philpot returned to the UK in the early 2000s, working with Waterwise, a non-government organisation. As the equivalent of the Water Conservancy, it sought to get the British public to save water and use it more efficiently. “This is a big challenge when there’s a perception across the country that there is

Chris Philpot (left) from the Water Conservancy and Costa Georgiadis (right) from Gardening Australia launch Water Night.

too much water in England,” he said. “It’s the opposite of the situation that Australia has regularly seen.” Philpot returned to Australia 15 years ago. He has been working at the Water Conservancy for most of that time, previously known as the Smart Approved Watermark (SAWM). It’s a certification program that was borne out of the National Water Initiative in 2004. “When I started with the Water Conservancy, I diversified its remit from a pure certification program

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to a more diverse program offering,” Philpot said. “It made sense to rebrand to the Water Conservancy at that time.” Making a difference The Water Conservancy has several programs that target different audiences, intending to encourage everyone to value water more and improve their water efficiency. It focuses on improving education and providing water experiences to help people waste less water. “We work with schools, businesses, and households to choose waterefficient products,” he said. “The goal is to encourage all those groups to change their behaviour, so they are not wasting water.” Walter Smart and Friends is a live theatre water education program designed to excite and educate primary school students. These actors deliver a set script to educate the students about the urban water cycle and the benefits of water efficiency. The program leaves primary students with a positive, cando attitude. They are motivated to make changes to how they use water themselves. It also aims to inspire primary school students to tell their family and friends all the simple ways they, too, can use water smartly. “Water Night is probably the biggest program in our repertoire,” said Philpot. “It’s a bit like Earth Hour, but for water. It takes place on 19 October every year, and we ask participants to withhold from using water for five hours, between 5 pm and 10 pm. It’s really designed to raise awareness of how often we use water in our homes.”

The Water Conservancy still delivers SAWM, which has been running for almost 20 years. It’s a certification program designed to highlight products and services that save water, predominantly in the outdoor space. “We approve things like irrigation equipment, swimming pool covers, car washing equipment, mulches, soil amendment products, and anything outside the remit of the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme,” he said. “We also operate Smart Water Solutions for businesses and Smart Water Advice for water utilities and local councils.” SAWM and WELS The difference between WELS and SAWM is that WELS focuses on products generally inside the house. When WELS started in 2004, there

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

The Water Conservancy has done incredible work in encouraging water efficiency.

The launch of Water Night was an enormous success.

was a voluntary code that used three stars for taps, toilets, showers, washing machines, dishwashers, and similar utilities. Estimates from the Australian Government suggest that using water-efficient products could save Australian households an average of $175 per year, including reduced energy costs and water bills. “One of the other recommendations that saw the birth of WELS was the creation of a watermark that would be used to identify products and services in the outdoor space,” said Philpot. “We’ve delivered this since 2004 in a very credible and robust manner. The Water Conservancy has an independent expert panel that reviews all the applications that come in every quarter.” Since 2004, the expert panel has reviewed more than 1,000 applications and approved about 300. They all live on the SAWM website, even if the product no longer exists, is discontinued, or is removed from the market. Philpot explained that some may have decided to discontinue their licensing under SAWM.

“Companies need to renew their license every two years to keep using the watermark on their products,” he said. “We currently have about 85 products licensed and approved for buying with the SAWM.” Philpot believes that the SAWM scheme has been effective. There is no other such scheme in Australia that works in tandem with WELS. “WELS tends to focus on flow rate,” Philpot said. “There’s no such thing as a flow rate for a pool cover or mulch. They both save water, but in a different way. I believe that WELS would never be able to review a pool cover, so we’ve done a good job filling the gap.” Water Night Water Night is the biggest program run by the Water Conservancy. It’s also a successful program in terms of achieving its aims and objectives. “We survey the Water Night participants before and after the event,” said Philpot. “The goal is to see how their literacy rate has changed

due to Water Night. The fourth year of Water Night is October, and based on the first three years, we have seen a 25 per cent increase in water literacy among participants. We’ve also picked up an 18 per cent increase in the awareness of water use.” The increased awareness of people using taps has seen participants reporting they use them about 10 per cent less. The Water Conservancy has also seen an increase in registrations every year and an uptake in engagement through social media. “Having the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) as a principal partner is fantastic,” he said. “They have supported the program again, along with several other water utilities and industry sponsors. Even those members who do not sponsor Water Night are super keen to get on board as a supporter. They like to encourage their customers to get involved.” This is also the first year that Water Night has gone international.

Different states and territories have different understandings of their water literacy.

Chris Philpot (centre) has been working in water efficiency for years.

Waterwise in the United Kingdom has partnered with the Water Conservancy. They see the value in the program, and the partnership has been borne through a licensing agreement. Philpot is keen to see how it works in its debut year. Water industry collaboration Another benefit of the SAWM is its use by water authorities nationwide. It’s become a mechanism by which water utilities can identify products eligible for rebates or exemptions from water restrictions. “For example, Sydney Water is currently running a rebate for pool covers,” said Philpot. “To qualify for the rebate, residents need to buy approved pool covers, which need to have been approved with a SAWM. Similarly, Tamworth Regional Council have offered rebates on products like swimming pool covers and tree wells. Water Corporation in Western Australia provides a rebate of up to $300 for a weather-based irrigation controller to try and save water used in the garden.” Philpot would love to expand on their close relationship with the water industry. The Water Conservancy is already owned by the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) but operates under a separate brand and budget. “We work very closely with all the WSAA members,” he said. “I’d love to get more buy-in from other businesses involved in the water industry. That’s particularly at the point of sale area. There’s a lot of value in companies that make things like toothpaste, shower gel, and washing powders. These are things that we use every day, so they could take the lead in increasing water efficiency.” For more information, visit www.thewaterconservancy.org

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FOCUS Associations

VicWater navigates challenging waters VicWater is the peak industry body for water authorities in Victoria. Its 2023 Annual Conference sought to help its members adapt to the economic challenges in the water industry. Non-regulated revenue initiatives were of great interest, and the attendees had many questions for the panel.

THE CURRENT ECONOMIC landscape is providing challenges for the water industry. These challenges demand the sector’s immediate attention and collaboration. Customers expect a high service level while water authorities must continue achieving business efficiencies. The 2023 VicWater Annual Conference sought to explore the current economic state and how it impacts the water sector. The conference brought together Victorian water industry leaders and external experts. Together, they shared their experiences and provided insights on how the Victorian water industry can navigate the choppy waters of these uncertain economic times. The Langham Hotel was the host venue for the conference. VicWater CEO Jo Lim opened the conference before introducing the Welcome to Country. This was followed by the official opening from VicWater Chair David Middleton.

Minister Harriet Shing The opening address came from Victorian Minister for Water, The Hon Harriet Shing MLC. Shing’s attendance coincided with the appointment of 125 board members to Victoria’s 18 water corporations, nine Catchment Management Authorities, and the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, bringing new skills and perspectives into the water sector, making the total number of board members 227. She highlighted the doubling of Indigenous representation across the State, with female representation increasing to 57 per cent. “I want to acknowledge those members of boards that have made such a significant contribution to date,” Shing said. “To those who have created a path for others to tread, thank you for your contributions. Thank you for the work you have done to enable others to be part of an ever-innovating system. Thank you for making, creating, and holding space for different perspectives.”

The Hon. Harriet Shing MLC, the Minister for Water in Victoria, gave the opening address for the 2023 VicWater Annual Conference.

She also pointed out the importance of learning from the recent experiences affecting the industry. Shing reiterated the importance of collaborating and innovating together as a sector, with the co-design of developments operating across networks being a key focus. By developing diverse and inclusive systems, the water industry in Victoria could continue to push back against the changing climate and extreme weather events. “It is so important that continuous improvement is at the heart of what we do,” she said. “To that end, I want to acknowledge and thank everyone who has been so innovative and so collective in the collaborations that have occurred during floods and natural disasters. During times which have tested us in ways we have never thought before.” Interoperability has been a growing indicator of collaboration and innovation across the Victorian water sector. Shing saw that as a reflection of supporting each other during these challenging times. She also found that the resilience of staff across the water industry had been reflected in the high-quality outcomes that had come about.

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“I want to extend my thanks and respect to members of your teams, many of whom I have connected with,” Shing said. “Many of whom worked, often putting their own needs and challenges to one side to provide support, information, and comfort to account holders, communities, customers, and stakeholders across the sector.” Keynote speech #1 – Nicki Hutley Nicki Hutley is a highly experienced economist. She has broad-based expertise in both macroeconomics and microeconomic policy. Hutley has gained more than three decades in financial and investment markets and economic consulting. Her keynote speech focused on the choppy waters of economic challenges facing the world. Hutley started by referring to the challenges the World Economic Forum members believe are the most important over the next two years. The cost of living crisis was considered the biggest issue, followed by cybercrime and cyber insecurity. Having said that, the cost of living crisis is considered outside the top 10 after 10 years. “The big question we are all asking is where is inflation going? Are we beating it, and what’s happening?” Hutley said. “The simple answer is that yes, we are beating it. If you think about the things that drove inflation in the first place, many of

the supply-side issues have well and truly come down. The massive stimulus from budgets managed to avoid the world having a long recession but has resulted in this inflationary boom. That is not such an issue now.” Hutley also talked about the role of China in influencing the global economy. She focused on the near-deflationary situation in China, which indicates a future recession. It represents about 20 per cent of the world gross domestic product (GDP) but a 30 per cent share of world economic growth. “Every major forecaster is now talking about sub-five per cent growth for the Chinese economy,” Hutley said. “While Australia would be concerned about such rapid economic growth, every percentage point drop in the Chinese economy can have massive implications for all of us.” Keynote speech #2 – Mick Liubinskas The second keynote speech occurred on Day 2, with Mick Liubinskas from ClimateSalad addressing the delegates. He spoke about the connection between climate technology and water in his role as a climate tech activator and investor. Liubinskas spoke about what climate technology is achieving as it provides scalable solutions to environmental problems.

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Mick Liubinskas excited the conference with the potential of climatetech.

“The first thing we need to think about when it comes to climate tech is working out the impact,” he said. “The first thing is to reduce emissions. This year might be the first year we don’t increase emissions globally. We also need to remove emissions that are already out there. Carbon sequestration is one way to do this. It’s too late just to reduce and remove emissions; we must also adapt to the new climate normality. We need technology to help us adapt to it. Natural capital is the final aspect of the impact, as nature can help us manage resources better.” Liubinskas also spoke about the market segments to look at, the different technologies that can be used, the stage of the companies he is working with, the different customers, market segments and funding for the enterprise. He highlighted that there is a lot of complexity in developing technology to help the climate. There are now 480 companies working with ClimateSalad, up from the original 12 when he started. He introduced several Australian case studies where Australian companies are working with ClimateSalad to scale up. He identified GoTerra, FloodMapp, Kelpy, and MGA Thermal – all companies that have developed technology that supports the reduction of emissions and improved climate outcomes. Panels There were several panel discussions throughout the twoday conference. The first was the Regulators Panel, with Freya Marsden, Chair of the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund, moderating the discussion. She was joined by Commissioner and Chairperson of the Essential Services Commission (ESC)

Caption.

Kate Symons and CEO of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Victoria Lee Miezis. The next panel of the day was on customer affordability. All panel members talked about what they were seeing, with more people relying on food banks and nearly two in three people struggling to pay their utility bills. Water corporations have implemented various approaches to help identify

and provide assistance to customers in need, many of whom are experiencing financial hardship for the first time. On Day 2, the non-regulated revenue initiatives panel was interesting. Many Victorian water corporations have developed businesses or entities that provide a source of non-regulated revenue. The panel looked at the drivers for pursuing non-regulated revenue

The Customer Affordability Panel talked about the efforts made by water utilities to support their customers in times of need.

Nicki Hutley, an esteemed economist, spoke about the challenges facing the water sector and the economy as a whole.

initiatives. They also looked at what considerations were taken into account when developing or establishing these businesses. The panel broadly agreed that their businesses were meeting and exceeding their expectations. The final panel discussion examined how the industry can support regional economic growth. Water corporations are one of regional Victoria’s major employers. The panel sought to discuss water corporations’ role in supporting the economic growth of the regions in which they operate. There was considerable debate about the role of water corporations in this space going forward, with unanimous agreement that water corporations will continue to play a critical role in the regions. As Lim and Middleton closed the conference, they encouraged the attendees to return next year. They also discussed the upcoming events that VicWater would offer throughout the remainder of 2023 and into 2024. For more information, visit www.vicwater.org.au

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ASSOCIATIONS Queensland Water Directorate

New qldwater CEO advocacy leader The new leader of qldwater is Dr Georgina Davis, a highly regarded advocate in Queensland. She spoke about what qldwater is doing for its members across Queensland. THE QUEENSLAND WATER DIRECTORATE, better known as qldwater, is the central advisory and advocacy body for Queensland’s urban water industry. Its members include most local councils, other local and state government-owned water and sewerage service providers, and affiliates across Queensland. Under Dr. Georgina Davis’s leadership, qldwater is continuing to expand its influence. She has a history of advocacy, having led the Waste and Recycling Industry Queensland (WRIQ) and previously the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF). Her education in engineering complements her knowledge of water planning, pricing, legislation, and the impacts of emerging contaminants. The last issue is also prevalent in the waste management and recycling sector.

“One thing I remember about my engineering education is that the civil engineering units were particularly hands-on,” said Davis. “We had weekly site visits to landfills, composting facilities, energy generators, and water and wastewater treatment facilities. The projects and coursework also reflected this approach. One of the major projects I remember to this day was determining water flow analysis and wastewater treatment options for one of the largest toiletries manufacturers in the UK.” It’s this practical insight across the utility-type industries while at university, hearing from the site managers and plant operators, getting to see, touch (and even smell) them that gave Davis a passion for the environment and the utility sectors. Upon graduating from her Masters, she worked as a wastewater engineer.

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Dr Georgina Davis is the new leader of qldwater, formally known as the Queensland Water Directorate.

The recent qldwater Annual Conference was an enormous success.

Stakeholder engagement Queensland and New South Wales have similar water and wastewater network service structures that are distinct from the rest of the country. In Queensland, South-East Queensland (SEQ) is dominated by large statutory authorities and council service providers, including Urban Utilities and Unitywater. Beyond that, local councils across

Queensland oversee water and wastewater services. “Councils across Queensland come in all sizes, with no two being the same,” said Davis. “The Queensland urban water sector is made up of 75 service providers. Of the 75 publicly owned water service providers, 66 are local councils outside of SEQ, 15 of these are Aboriginal councils, and two are Torres Strait Island councils.” With qldwater members directly employing nearly 7,000 people, and indirectly thousands more, Davis is working with every urban water institution across the state. There are currently 370 water supply schemes and 265 sewage schemes ranging from large-scale infrastructure in SEQ to facilities in regional and remote Queensland (including those servicing island communities). “While there is significant diversity across our members, there are many issues affecting the sector that do not discriminate on size or location,” she said. “There’s an awful lot of commonalities between issues in Hinchinbrook in the north, Diamantina in the central west, and the Gold Coast in the southeast.” Risks and challenges Davis believes the challenges affecting qldwater’s members are becoming more complex and wicked. Most challenges and risks are not unique to any area or organisation. “One of the biggest issues facing the industry here in Queensland

is the labour and skills shortage,” said Davis. “We simply don’t have enough people working in the urban and non-urban water sectors. We certainly don’t have access to the skilling frameworks and infrastructure we want. It’s affecting everyone, from the big end of town to small regional councils.” The infrastructure cliff is a concern for service providers across Queensland. There are a lot of inground assets and treatment facilities that are approaching the end of their lives. They will need replacement or maintenance in the next few years or adaptation to changing climate factors, creating an enormous backlog of work for contractors nationwide. “Another challenge is legislation and regulatory contradictions,” she said. “Right now, there is a regulatory contradiction between the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act and the Telecommunications Act. The placement of telecommunication infrastructure on water infrastructure has become a critical issue as our members are unable to deny access to or installation of equipment.” Drive past any water reservoir these days, and you will see masts protruding, each containing power supplies and radiating electromagnetic emissions. This poses WHS risks to workers in the water and infrastructure industries and the infrastructure itself, which were not originally engineered to carry the additional loads. The lack of control is a concern for urban

Lake Awoonga near Gladstone is managed by the Gladstone Area Water Board, who are members of qldwater.

water providers. This does not touch on the other challenges around climate change, environmental regulation, cyber security, policy pressures, societal changes, and operational resilience. At the same time, Davis is more of a glass-half-full person. “With many of these risks comes opportunity,” she said. “Some of the growing awareness around water quality is now resulting in conversations around developing water quality markets. Additionally, population growth that previously would have been concentrated in SEQ is occurring in regions around the state. That changes the way infrastructure is upgraded.” Goals for qldwater Davis and the rest of the staff at qldwater will continue to work with every member to ensure they can solve the range of issues facing urban water users across Queensland. “Ultimately, it would be great if there was no need for a Queensland Water Directorate,” said Davis. “It might sound perverse, but if we could effectively deal with all the negative issues impacting our members, if governments resolved their regulatory and policy challenges, and if all network providers had the internal capacity to access future markets and opportunities… in that case, there would no longer be a purpose for us.” For more information, visit www.qldwater.com.au

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FOCUS The last word

The lighter side of water To finish each issue, we aim to look at the lighter side of water and water-related issues. If you’ve seen an amusing story, let us know so we can consider it for the next issue.

TikTok influencing water and ice As a society, we have gotten used to water and sometimes ice in that water. Nothing has changed for generations… until TikTok ruined it for everyone. Now, how your favourite beverage is cooled can indicate wealth and status. Whether it’s large transparent spheres, filled with edible glitter or pieces of fruit, chiselled off to form nuggets, or even chipped straight off an iceberg, ice trends are now setting fire to the Internet. TikTok is one of those places where trends come and go faster than most characters in a soap opera. It’s now a place where videos about ice display a bewildering array of flavours, textures, shapes and freezing methods. I’ve even seen the wealthy with enormous freezer cabinets dedicated to ice infused with fruit and flowers, split across multiple moulds. This year has seen the development of IceTok. It’s about how people freeze water in different moulds with

different infusions. It follows the recent WaterTok trend, where people posted about their flavour-infused water and apparently forgot about 500 years of history. IceTok ignores even more history, with evidence that the Ancient Greeks used to flavour their ice or snow with honey or nectar as far back as the 5th century BC. The Romans also mixed ice and snow with their juices and wines to cool themselves. So, what does this mean for the current day? Well, author Camper English suggests that we have entered the era of “status ice.” With Starbucks moving from ice cubes to nugget ice, there’s been a bizarre discourse around what ice is better for specific purposes. Across the world, boxes of ice cubes or spheres sell for more than $20 for four. Such a development could be regarded as the continuing changes late-stage capitalism brings. Others might say that they seek to show how special they are, despite

INSIDE WATER November/December 2023

Have you ever wondered where your ice came from? Ask Martha Stewart.

this almost certainly being not true. Celebrity home and lifestyle expert Martha Stewart recently came under fire for having the staff of a cruise chipping a significant chunk of ice from an iceberg. With her Instagram comment saying, “We actually captured a small iceberg for our cocktails tonight”. Many called Stewart’s comments out of touch, given the challenges facing the ecosystems in Greenland and Iceland, where she was on the cruise. One commentator said, “So as the climate warms due to the profits of a couple of thousand people, billionaires vacation to the melting icebergs, scoop them up and use them to keep their cocktails cold. That sounds like a line from a dystopian novel.” Hopefully, the Internet will move on from this fascination and start freezing water again for nothing more than the convenience of having a product that can cool beverages in hot summer weather… but only time will tell.

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