Current Magazine April 2024

WALKING THE PATH TOGETHER

How Indigenous-led business is shaping the water community

DELIVERING PROJECTS SUSTAINABLY

Our business purpose is to create a sustainable organisation supporting health and well-being of our people, creating opportunities to deliver social values and delivering quality services for our customers and communities.

Manish Pancholi Chief Executive Officer

Driven by a passion for project sustainability, Aqua Metro has assembled a diverse team of industry experts to excel customer expectations in the water sector.

Aqua Metro is an integrated service provider offering turnkey solutions in the Water and Civil sector. It has significant capability and experience in design and construction of water and wastewater treatment plants, pump stations, dam construction, water and sewer rehabilitation works, water main maintenance works, pipeline works and program management.

Aqua Metro was awarded the CCF Employer of the Year Award 2023 for their outstanding focus on People, Training and Development,

Mental Health and Wellbeing and Social Impact.

“Winning this award will further motivate Aqua Metro to continue raising the bar and is a true testament to our unwavering commitment to fostering a positive work environment and investing in our team. It reflects our collective efforts in developing a positive and inspiring work environment, where our employees thrive, grow and feel valued” a proud CEO Manish Pancholi states.

Aqua Metro is driving sustainability and the commitment to the journey of “Beyond Net Zero” by implementing impactful initiatives such as;

GeoKrete Innovation: Leveraging GeoKrete technology, we’ve successfully reduced carbon emissions by an impressive 4000 tonnes!

To put this into perspective, 4,000 tonnes of CO2e- is equivalent to 22.3 million kilometres travelled by car or 1,500 trips around Australia! Utilising the GeoKrete relining technology also includes less use of water compared to curing with traditional cement products. That’s around 40 backyard swimming pools!

Solar and Battery Powered Site Amenities: We have invested in solar and battery powered site amenities replacing traditional diesel generatorpowered units. This transition significantly diminishes our carbon footprint during construction.

Electric Fleet: Beyond our office walls, we are transitioning into electric vehicles for our fleet one vehicle at a time, reducing our environmental impact and setting a positive example.

Green Partnerships: Collaborating with our clients, we actively support tree-planting initiatives on wetlands, contributing to positive environmental change.

Along with these initiatives we are also supporting our clients and communities in smart sustainable construction solutions right from material selection, optimisation of the construction footprint, rehabilitation resulting in “delivering projects sustainably”.

Scan the QR Code on the right to find out more about our culture, sustainability, diversity and purpose.

Aqua Metro is an awardwinning integrated service provider specialising in the water sector. The team at Aqua Metro bring significant capability and experience in design and construction of civil, mechanical, and electrical works to the water utility industry with excellent results.

The highly skilled Aqua Metro staff have a demonstrated track record of delivering the highest quality core services allowing Aqua Metro to service key water customers with service lines including:

Design and Construct

Program Management Technology

Maintenance

EDITORIAL SUBMISSION:

Acceptance of editorial submissions is the discretion of the editors and editorial board.

TECHNICAL PAPERS:

Submissions should 30004000 words long and accompanied by relevant graphics, tables and images. To submit a paper or for more detailed submission guides, please email journal@awa. asn.au

COPYRIGHT:

Current is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any format without the written permission of the Association.

DISCLAIMER

The Association assumes no responsibility for opinions or statements of fact expressed by contributing advertisers. Mention of particular brands, products or processes does not contitute an endorsement.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE Corinne Cheeseman

Head of Communications and Corporate Services

Kylie Hawker

Email: khawker@awa.asn.au

Design and Brand Lead

Briony Russell brussell@awa.asn.au

Content and Education Lead

Jenny Hiller

Email: jhiller@awa.asn.au

TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE:

Daniel Visser, GHD (Chair)

Robert Ford, rtd (Secretary)

Dr Andrew Bath, Water Corporation

Dr Dharma Dharmabalan, rtd

Prof Ted Gardner, rtd

Dr Lionel Ho, SA Water

Asoka Jayaratne, Yarra Valley Water

Dr Tim Muster, CSIRO Land and Water

Joe Pera, WaterNSW

Karen Rouse, Water Research Australia (WaterRA)

Kala Senathirajah, Bureau of Meteorology

Nick Swain, SA Water

FROM THE CEO

MEETING CHALLENGES WITH ACTION

As the water sector continues to work through complex and interconnected challenges, Corinne Cheeseman reflects on where we are heading and what the Association is doing to bolster progress.

As I reflect on the past year, the challenges facing the water sector continue.

We have been talking about these challenges for decades. However, there is a sense of change that permeates our sector, emanating not from the difficulties we face, but from the evolving perspectives that are reshaping the way we approach these issues. We know that water is integral to healthy communities, the environment and thriving economies. We understand the impact we have on climate change and how it impacts us. We are also continuing our journey of reconciliation with First Nations people. While we have made progress, we also know there is still a way to go.

In 2023, we noticed a transformation in the way we think about water challenges. Now, as we delve further into 2024, the theme for Ozwater’24 that guides our endeavours is Accelerating Action. It is about our collective commitment to propel us forward with purpose and urgency.

Our message is one of unwavering resolve and shared responsibility as we harness the momentum generated by newfound possibilities and innovations. Ozwater’23 stands as a testament to our collective strength, with a record turnout of over 5000, making it one of the largest flagship conferences of any sector in Australia, and the largest

water conference and exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere.

Our inaugural Connected by Water conference in Perth provided an opportunity for our members to discuss the intersection of water with other sectors including mining, energy, primary production and resources. The conference has laid the foundation for ongoing collaboration, leaving an indelible mark on the trajectory of sustainable water management discussions for years to come.

Our State Branches and Specialist Networks have flourished, providing renewed opportunities for knowledge exchange and networking for our members. The launch of our first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) has allowed the Association to build our teams cultural competency and has laid the foundation for us to engage in developing more respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Our On-Country Cultural Immersion facilitated an experiential depth of understanding and truthtelling with a small group of staff and AWA members, and we look forward to more opportunities to proactively contribute to reconciliation efforts.

The theme of United by Water for last year's National Water Week (NWW) signifies our shared commitment to collaboration and sustainable water practices. For NWW 2024 (21-27 October), the theme Accelerating Action will show how collectively, we can shape

a sustainable water future for generations to come.

We are collaborating with WSAA on Careers in Water (CiW) through a program to promote awareness, attract and retain skills and talent and ensure career advancement in the Australian water sector. The CiW website will connect a range of new and existing initiatives to help address the skills shortage.

Our International Program created a number of opportunities for our members to contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals in South East Asia and the Pacific through knowledge exchange programs, inbound study tours, international trade programs and our Partnerships for a Resilient & Climate Smart Water Sector Program, which features six partnerships with activities in Vietnam, Indonesia, Tonga and the Solomon Islands.

We have furthered our commitment to advancing and advocating for sustainable biosolids management through our Australian and New Zealand Biosolids Partnership, bringing together utilities, consultants, academics and government entities. The return of the biennial National Biosolids Conference 2023 was a huge success.

I take pride in the unwavering dedication displayed by our team and volunteers as they implement valuable initiatives to connect with and support our members while celebrating their achievements.

The Association will remain a steadfast support for our members as we address critical water challenges and pave the way for a sustainable and resilient water future.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

CREATING CHANGE TOGETHER

Peter Dennis reflects key trends that are strengthening the water community’s resolve to create a sustainable and equitable water future.

In my first year as President of the Association, it has brought me great pride to reflect on the remarkable strides we’ve taken over the past five years. With a revitalised focus on engaging and being relevant to our members, we have successfully enriched and diversified the offerings of the Association, delivering enhanced value to all our member types.

Through the introduction of new digital content and the execution of over 90 events throughout the year, our members have enthusiastically embraced multiple channels to connect, share insights and inspire collective efforts toward a more sustainable water future.

It was reassuring to see COP28 recognise water as one of the key climate change problems. No more so than in Australia and for our Pacific neighbours. The past year has witnessed a continuation of the diverse weather patterns that have become synonymous with our continent. From intense droughts in some regions to extreme rainfall and flooding in others, the adaptive capacity of water management systems across the country has been put to the test.

As our understanding of the challenges of providing water resilience for our communities grows, we are starting to understand the extent of investment required and the imperative to better connect with our communities. It is reassuring to see ongoing

investment in purified recycled water demonstration plants so this option can be considered as part of more sustainable and resilient water solutions for our cities and communities in the future.

The theme of Ozwater this year is Accelerating Action. The water sector can be a leader in our communities for this action. Our connection with our communities and other sectors means we are in a privileged position to be champions for this change. Water is the place to be, and our time and place is now. No longer can we be the innocent bystander. We need to look beyond net zero solutions to ones that bring restorative and regenerative change to our environment. We can only achieve this by being connected to our communities and connected with our city planners, our community leaders and our energy partners.

The decarbonisation of our society requires the largest recapitalisation we have ever seen. Our deployment of this capital needs to be astute, adaptive and we need to consistently make the right decisions to avoid stranded assets and decisions that put us on the wrong trajectory.

As we navigate the complex landscape of water management, collaboration remains the linchpin of our success. The partnerships forged within our industry, as well as with stakeholders in government, academia and the private sector, have been instrumental in driving change.

The Association will continue to champion collaboration as we face the challenges and embrace the opportunities that lie ahead.

Despite the setback of the Voice referendum, the Australian water community remains steadfast and resolute in its commitment to reconciliation.

The referendum outcome, while disappointing, has not dampened the sector’s determination to foster meaningful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and advance reconciliation efforts. Recognising the integral role of First Nations Knowledge and perspectives in sustainable water management, the sector is actively working to incorporate First Nations voices into decision-making processes.

Collaborative initiatives, cultural awareness programs, and partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations signify a dedication to building a more inclusive and equitable future to ensure that First Nations voices continue to be heard, respected and integrated into the fabric of the Australian water sector. There is so much to learn about water from our First Nations peoples.

The passion and enthusiasm displayed by our members not only reflects the current criticality of our field, but also signals an exciting path ahead. I have never known a period of such opportunity and challenge where collaboration and smart action can make a real difference.

I extend my deep thanks to each member of the Association for your dedication and express my gratitude to our volunteers, staff and my Board colleagues for their commitment, energy and support during my year as President. I eagerly await connecting with you all at Ozwater'24.

SHARE, CONNECT, INSPIRE

AWA’S RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN

The Australian Water Association launched its inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in October 2023, marking a significant milestone for the Association in its efforts to embed greater awareness of cultural safety and values into its work.

Central to the Association’s commitment to reconciliation is to continue to share learnings and resources with members to build trust and meaningful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders. Delivered around 13 key actions, the Association’s key objective is to create a culturally safe space for the sharing of Indigenous water management practices and celebrate collaborations that deliver positive change.

Reconciliation Australia

Chief Executive Officer Karen Mundine said the Australian Water Association joins a

network of more than 2200 corporate, government, and not-for-profit organisations that have made a formal commitment to reconciliation through the RAP program.

“This Reflect RAP enables the Australian Water Association to deepen its understanding of its sphere of influence and the unique contribution it can make to lead progress across the five dimensions [race relations, equality and equity, institutional integrity, unity and historical acceptance],” she said. “Getting these first steps right will ensure the sustainability of future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives, and provide meaningful impact toward Australia’s reconciliation journey.”

To mark the launch, the Association engaged Amy Allerton, a proud Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung woman and contemporary artist from Tamworth, to create the official RAP artwork. Allerton’s process and artwork is driven by her personal and professional vision

that every story is given value and a voice, to revitalise communities, reconnect to culture and restore identities to build a stronger future.

As part of the Association's reconciliation journey, a small contingency of AWA members and staff were hosted on Gomeroi Country (Moree) by Dr Phil Duncan, Traditional Owner of the Terry Hie Hie lands of the Gomeroi nation, for a three-day, on-Country cultural immersion. Traveling across Myall Creek, Moree, Gum Flat Environmental Reserve, the Terry Hie Hie Aboriginal Reserve and the Gwydir Wetlands, the Association learned about Indigenous connection to Country and the importance of water sustainability in the areas. The immersion included Indigenous storytelling, truth telling and shared reflections.

Take a look at AWA’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan here.

2023 NATIONAL WATER WEEK

National Water Week (NWW), hosted by the Australian Water Association, runs annually in October. The event aims to encourage communities and organisations to engage in conversations and education about water-related challenges, prompting reflection on sustainable usage and management of water resources.

The 2023 NWW theme was United by Water, and celebrated water's vital role in connecting us all, across all dimensions of our society and culture. Held from 16-22 October last year, and sponsored by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the event achieved significant success in highlighting the importance of water and promoting deeper insights into our interconnectedness with this vital resource.

The Association launched its Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) at the NWW launch event and the epochal on-Country cultural immersion, led by Dr Phil Duncan, was the perfect experience to commence AWA’s

CHRIS DAVIS AM FELLOWSHIP

In 2023, the Australian Water Association launched the Chris Davis AM Fellowship with the aim of supporting leadership in sustainable water management in Australia. The inaugural recipient of the Fellowship is Catherine Vero, Senior Process Engineer at IWES. Living in Alice Springs, Catherine has broad experience

reconciliation journey, giving participants a new perspective on ways Country, land and waterways can be managed sustainably, through meaningful relations and collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Other highlights from the week included a panel discussion exploring the future of water security in Australia, organised in collaboration with the Australian National University’s Institute for Water Futures, the Careers in Water website launch, the national primary school poster competition and remote schools fundraiser.

Many of our members held NWW events right across the country, including educational visits from the Association’s Water Ambassadors, who visit local schools to talk about the value of water and help promote the water sector as a rewarding career path. Becoming a Water Ambassador offers members the opportunity to showcase projects, research and innovation, as well as engaging a new generation in the water cycle and we look forward to expanding the program in 2024 to elevate the profile of water even further.

The 2024 NWW theme is Accelerating Action, which serves

across water and wastewater treatment processes, and will be researching water quality in remote communities as part of the Fellowship.

“I’ve been advocating for improvement to the way water safety and security is supported in First Nations homelands, which are small communities of less than 100 people,” she said.

There are about 1200 across Australia and conditions in many are very poor.

as a powerful rally cry for our community to address water's vital role in the current climate crisis. The Association encourages all its members to contemplate ways to celebrate and utilise the platform, seizing the opportunity to elevate the significance of water within their communities.

Visit nationalwaterweek.org to learn more about how you can get involved in National Water Week in 2024.

nationalwaterweek.org

“I’ve seen water quality issues that would make city folks' hair stand on end in alarm.

I know a lot about supporting small communities to have safe water, but there is always more to know.

“I’ll select some homelands that have a good level of support and are successfully running water systems and interview them.

“I want to draw together the common threads of what happens when things are working well.”

SHARE, CONNECT, INSPIRE

Earlier this year, the Australian Water Association launched the inaugural Connected by Water conference in Perth, welcoming more than 550 water professionals from across Australia to discuss the intersection of water, mining, energy and the environment.

Delegates heard from a raft of inspirational keynote speakers.

David Symons (Global Future Ready Innovation Lead and Director – Earth and Environment, WSP) kicked of the program with a discussion of the key megatrends affecting the water community, and key opportunities for creating innovation at a faster pace.

Chelsea Hayward (2023 Australian Young Water Professional of the Year) explored the importance of intergenerational collaboration.

“Whether you’re a young professional or young at heart, we can all do better to foster better professional relationships and

upskill young professionals,” she said.

Lisa McLean (Managing Director, Circular Australia) emphasised the need to become a circular economy by 2030.

“The circular economy is the only viable economic framework to grow jobs and industry in a resource and carbon constrained future,” she said.

Josh Byrne (Josh Byrne & Associates) presented a unique case study about how he built his own sustainable home, an exemplar of integrated water sensitive urban design at the residential housing scale.

Delivered a powerful final keynote address, Professor Anne Poelina (Nulungu Research Institute) highlighted the importance of Indigenous voices, and why connecting and sharing Indigenous science is the key for the future of sustainable water.

“I stand here today asking how am I connected to water? Water is everything to me. I belong to the

Fitzroy River, the Martuwarra, it is everything to us, a living ancestral serpent being,” she said.

“We are creating a coalition of hope through the story of our people. We are and were the oldest water industry in the world, we need collective wisdom to come together to build the most precious resource in the world.

“Water is the new gold and we need to think about how we use it, or we will lose it.”

Delegates also enjoyed a Conference Dinner, and were treated to a Welcome to Country by Olman Walley and his daughter, who enthralled the audience with traditional Noongar dance and music.

Offering a broad array of specialist sessions, as well as a trade hall and a busy social schedule, the first installation of Connected by Water was a huge success.

The Association looks forward to hosting the conference again in 2025.

Professor Anne Poelina presenting at Connected by Water 2024

The next decade will be critical when it comes to shaping our water future.

Ozwater’24 is a call to action, inviting delegates to work together on opportunities to accelerate meaningful progress towards addressing our biggest hurdles.

The extent of critical transition the water community is currently working through is unprecedented. From adapting to climate change and securing water supplies, to achieving net zero carbon emissions and rehabilitating threatened ecosystems – there’s no shortage of looming deadlines and extensions are not an option.

Reflecting on the theme of Ozwater’24, Accelerating Action, Melbourne Water Managing Director and Ozwater’24 Committee Chair Nerina Di Lorenzo said this year’s conference is a call to action for the water community, one that prioritises working together to move forward on real action, and quickly.

“The committee unanimously aligned around this year’s theme because we all recognise our sector is inextricably tied to the climate,” she said.

“We care about the millions of people who we provide essential services to every day; we care about the fact that water underpins the success of every community in the world,” she said.

“And we know that, under those circumstances, we’re in the midst of a huge transition. We also know

that the choices we make within this decade will determine what happens in the coming generations.

“We’re very much at an inflexion point; this next decade is one that really matters. Accelerating Action is a call out to the sector to really recognise the significance of our time.”

Di Lorenzo said the Ozwater’24 theme encourages delegates to think about how they can accelerate action within their own area of work, but in a way that ensures positive outcomes across communities for decades to come.

“We won’t get another chance to shift our systems in the way we need to if we don’t take action over this next decade. If we don’t act now, we’re more likely to be reacting to problems in the future, as opposed to working through challenges in a proactive way,” she said.

“We are aiming for an orderly transition, our community expects that from us. We’ve got to be thinking about the next generation of people. We want to be good ancestors to those people.

“We need to push forward on real actions that will help our transition and put us in a great position for the next generations to thrive.” ▶

Ozwater’24 Principal Partners:

BIG PICTURE THINKING

Featuring more than 300 presenters, 130 technical presentations and 200 exhibitors, Ozwater’24 offers delegates a breathtaking array of insightful and inspiring discussions to choose from, including workshops, poster pitches and site tours.

Di Lorenzo said the Ozwater’24 program has been curated to help water sector professionals think through difficult issues with acceleration and partnership in mind.

“The Ozwater’24 Committee has designed a three day series of important conversations, curated streams and topics to help us build a big picture,” she said.

“We’re aiming to ensure that delegates engage with new insights and a real opportunity to build deeper understanding, from one paper to the next, about accelerating action.”

Accelerating Action is all about working together to move forward faster than we would otherwise, Di Lorenzo said, which requires a collaborative mindset.

“For me, Accelerating Action is about leaning in, and looking for slingshot opportunities. It’s about working out how we can help each other move forward as we deal with complex issues. It’s about ensuring we all move forward much faster together,” she said.

“Accelerating Action is also about recognising that it’s diverse skill sets that will get us where we need to go. It’s really deep partnerships, ones that are about helping each other along.

“We’re a sector full of smart people who are willing to collaborate, which is really fertile ground for slingshot opportunities and ways to help each other move forward.”

NAVIGATING THE PROGRAM

Acknowledging the program is far too extensive for any one person to attend everything, Di Lorenzo said it’s a good idea to take a moment to consider how to get the most out of the event ahead of time.

“We’ve designed an extensive program to make sure all delegates have the opportunity to delve deeply. My suggestion would be to do some thinking before day one about the big problems you want to help solve. What are the hard and complex problems you are working on within your role?” she said.

“By considering this before day one, you’ll prepare yourself to allow some of the inspiring and innovative ideas to take hold and inform your thinking.”

As Ozwater’24 Committee Chair, Di Lorenzo said she is most looking forward to watching delegates from all over Australia

come together to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.

“What I’m really excited about is the way the program matches up the technical problems we’re solving.,” she said.

“We’ve got streams drawing out innovations in the circular economy, net zero, climate change and water security, and showcasing the diversity of skills required to overcome these hurdles.

“But watching the connections within and across streams unfold is what I’m looking forward to most.

“We’re going to have an incredible group of people, all gathered together – who will be involved in the next big collaborations and how will they help us accelerate action together? I can’t wait to see our next generation of partnerships form.”

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

Welcome Reception

Monday, 29 April

Happy Hour

Tuesday, 30 April

Australian Water Awards & Gala Dinner

Wednesday, 1 May

Closing Networking Drinks

Thursday, 2 May

“ We need to push forward on real actions that will help our transition and put us in a great position for the next generations to thrive.”

Nerina Di Lorenzo, Melbourne Water Managing Director and Ozwater’24 Committee Chair

EXPLORE THE SUB-THEMES

AUSTRALIAN WATER AWARDS

R&D EXCELLENCE AWARD

Ecosystem Functions in the Murray-Darling Basin (Investing in New Knowledge to Adapt the Murray-Darling Basin Plan)

CSIRO and Murray Darling Basin Authority (ACT)

Upland Peat Swamps of the Woronora Plateau –Hydrological Monitoring and Water Balance Modelling

WaterNSW and UNSW Water Research Laboratory (NSW)

A Living Laboratory – R&D at Yandina Creek Wetland and Blue Heart Sunshine Coast Unitywater with contributing organisations (Qld)

The Fellowship of the Rubber Ring – A Precious Journey to Ensure Water Quality Compliance SA Water (SA)

Biochar to Batteries

Barwon Water, South East Water and The Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action with contributing organisations (Vic)

The Economics of Public Open Spaces Under Water Scarcity

Claire Doll, The University of Western Australia (WA)

ORGANISATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD

eMission Possible Plan

Icon Water and Aurecon (ACT)

Urban Plunge Sydney Water (NSW)

Territory Water Plan

Office of Water Security, The Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security, Power and Water Corporation with contributing government agencies (NT)

Planning Our Journey to Excellence and Empowered People

Urban Utilities, Stantec, KBR and AJile (Aurecon and Jacobs) (Qld)

Women in Trades Fulton Hogan (SA)

TasWater Asset Painting Program – Connecting Communities Through Art TasWater (Tas)

Environmental Sensitivity Map South East Water (Vic)

Waterwise Perth Action Plan 2019 Department of Water & Environmental Regulation, Water Corporation and other contributing organisations (WA)

INFRASTRUCTURE

PROJECT INNOVATION AWARD (REGIONAL)

Record-Breaking Rehabilitation of a DN500 Watermain in Rutherford Interflow and Hunter Water (NSW)

Laramba Water Treatment Plant: Improving the Health of a Remote Community Power and Water Corporation and Clean TeQ Water (NT)

Callide Dam Gates Sunwater (Qld)

Future Proofing the Pacific: A Sustainable Model for Water Security in the Marshall Islands Osmoflo (SA)

Recycled Water Land Suitability Assessment Tool – Supporting Sewer Master Planning Across Tasmania with Automated Geospatial Analysis

TasWater Alliance (TasWater, CPB Contractors Limited, UGL and WSP) (Tas)

Beechworth Sewer Upgrade – An Innovative Solution

North East Water with contributing organisations (Vic)

Horrocks WTP Continuous Electrochlorination (CEC) Upgrade Water Corporation, Curtin University, and contributing organisations (WA)

INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT INNOVATION AWARD (METRO)

Cotter Pump Station Design GHD and Icon Water (ACT)

Sydney Water’s Purified Recycled Water Discovery Centre

Sydney Water and Confluence Water – a joint venture comprising Downer Utilities, Jacobs, and Ventia (NSW)

How Queensland’s Oldest and Largest Sewer was Upgraded While the City Slept Interflow and Urban Utilities (Qld)

Showcasing Sustainable Development through Grassy Woodland Restoration SA Water (SA)

Eastern Treatment Plant Biogas Handling System Stage 1 Upgrade

Melbourne Water and John Holland-KBR Joint Venture (Vic)

WATER INDUSTRY SAFETY EXCELLENCE AWARD

Lifting the Lid on Safe Pump Station Access

Logan Water, City of Gold Coast, Mass Products, Downer, WSP, Cardno (Qld)

Deep in the Trenches Podcast

Delcon Group Pty Ltd (Vic)

Water Training: Collaborative Induction Courses for the Urban Water Sector

Queensland Water Directorate (Qld)

Innovative and Safe Solution for Water Distribution System

Maintenance – Portable Chlorine Disinfection Skid

SUEZ, SA Water and other contributing organisations (SA)

M22/M46 Water Mains Renewal project

John Holland-KBR Joint Venture and Melbourne Water (Vic)

CUSTOMER EXCELLENCE AWARD

Irrigation Pricing Review –Leveraging a Regulatory Process to Enhance Customer Experience Sunwater (Qld)

Service Moment Ready Urban Utilities (Qld)

Customer Experience Strategy Hunter Water (NSW)

Hybrid Engagement GWMWater (Vic)

School Education Waterwise Experience Water Corporation (WA)

Proudly sponsored by:

AUSTRALIAN STOCKHOLM JUNIOR WATER PRIZE

Winner announced at Ozwater'24

Gala Dinner

Proudly sponsored by:

BEST WATER e-JOURNAL PAPER (IN HONOUR OF GUY PARKER)

Winner announced at Ozwater'24

Gala Dinner

Proudly sponsored by:

Proudly sponsored by:

AUSTRALIAN WATER AWARDS

STUDENT WATER PRIZE

An Innovative Green Technology for Removing Emerging Contaminants and Maximizing Bioenergy Recovery from Wastewater Treatment Systems

Ting Zhou, University of Technology Sydney (NSW)

Novel Usages of Iron Salts for Achieving Sustainable Water Management

Zhetai Hu, Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland (Qld)

New Water Treatment and Coagulant Dose Control Systems for DWTPs: fDOM Fluorescence Signal Corrections for Environmental-Monitoring and Coagulant Dose Control

Hiua Daraei, University of South Australia (SA)

Heavy Metals Recovery and Biochar Production from Biosolids via Integrated Mild Acid Pretreatment and Pyrolysis Processes

Ibrahim Hakeem, RMIT (Vic)

Deep Learning for Prognostics of Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Maira Alvi, The University of Western Australia (WA)

Proudly sponsored by:

YOUNG

WATER PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD

Rose Mckenna

Project Engineer, Icon Water (ACT)

Steve Adamthwaite

Associate | NSW/ACT Water Business Leader, Arup (NSW)

Skye Haigh

Practice Lead, Remote Development, Ekistica (NT)

Amber Craig

Senior Project Officer / HydroClimate Analyst, Murray-Darling Basin Authority (Qld)

Jack Carbone

Project / Design Manager, Aurecon (SA)

Isaac Probert

Graduate Water Resource Engineer, Pinion Advisory (Tas)

Dr Samuel Skinner

Lead Process Engineer, Water, Aurecon (Vic)

Liz Duguid

Senior Future Energy Engineer, Synergy (WA)

Proudly sponsored by:

WATER PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD

Dr Ryan Signor Aurecon (ACT)

Prof. Leslie (Phil) Duncan University of Canberra Galambany Professorial Fellow (NSW)

Steven Tickell

The Department of the Environment, Parks and Water Security (NT)

Anthony Domanti

WSP & The Good Drop Podcast (Qld)

Dr Lionel Ho

SA Water (SA)

Anthony Allan TasWater (Tas)

Cristiano Carvalho Water Corporation (WA)

Proudly sponsored by:

PAYING IT FORWARD

Julia Kasses and Steve Adamthwaite come from different fields in the water sector, but their AWA mentoring partnership is proving invaluable – for both of them.

MENTOR: Steve Adamthwaite

CURRENT ROLE: Arup

EXPERIENCE: 12 years

JULIA KASSES

GRADUATE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST, SYDNEY WATER

I started Sydney Water’s graduate program last year, in my first job out of university. At the moment, I’m working at the Kamay Hub, which is Cronulla and Malabar Water Resource Recovery Facilities. This involves monitoring SCADA, the computer software for controlling plant operations such as valves and pumps, completing field checks and doing lab analysis.

MENTEE: Julia Kasses

CURRENT ROLE: Sydney Water

EXPERIENCE: 1 year

I got involved with the AWA’s mentoring program after a colleague mentioned it in our early careers group chat. It seemed like a good opportunity to network with people and learn from their experiences.

One of my objectives was to grow my network in the water and environmental industry, and also improve my presentation skills. I’m always looking for ways that I can better myself both inside and outside of work, and am keen to take an active role in developing my career.

SOFT SKILLS

Steve and I were paired up and started meeting on Teams, although we’ve also caught up face to face. I usually just send him a message asking when he’s available and we find a time that works for us both.

“ I’m always looking for ways that I can better myself both inside and outside of work, and am keen to take an active role in developing my career.”

Julia Kasses, Graduate Environmental Scientist, Sydney Water

He’s been really flexible, and even open to meeting outside of work hours.

One of the useful things that he has given me is a strategy planning template. I filled it out, and we worked through that together to see where he could help me with certain aspects of my upskilling and career.

In particular, we’re working on improving my presentation skills and how I can be more comfortable presenting to a large audience –something I’ve always found quite daunting. I’m going to write a presentation and deliver it to him, and he’s going to provide in-depth feedback on the ways I can improve.

FINDING PATHWAYS

What I’ve found really valuable in my current placement is the tips that Steve shares with me from his experience in the water industry. Even though he’s an engineer and I’m a scientist, and we’re at very different stages in our careers, he’s given me great guidance.

For example, he taught me about setting up email notifications from Seek to look at specific attributes that are desired in a job that I would want in five to 10 years, and then building up my skill set based on that. This is the kind of experience that it’s difficult to receive in the workplace, which is more focused on technical skills and day-to-day tasks.

He’s been very helpful to reach out to for general advice too, especially given that we work in the same industry and I don’t have much of a network to lean on. I still reach out to my manager and colleagues for help and advice, but sometimes Steve provides a ▶

valuable external point of view. I feel that mentorship is both improving myself and furthering my career, and I’d certainly recommend Steve’s guidance to anyone. He's highly professional and has a wealth of experience in the water industry.

Honestly, I don't know how he has the time for it, but he always gives great advice that's applicable to the situation.

STEVE ADAMTHWAITE WATER BUSINESS LEADER, ARUP

I've been a mentor as part of the Association’s program for a number of years, after my successful experiences as a mentee. In fact, I’m still a mentee through the program to this day, and have passed on some of the advice that I received from my mentors. I can't really pay them back, so I pay it forward.

Julia and I were paired based on a form filled out about what we were looking for, but in a few short months, we’ve developed a real rapport. We meet about once a month, but it’s pretty flexible. Last week, I talked to her twice because there was something that we were working through. We have very different technical specialties, but we've identified some areas that we wanted to work on, largely around softer skills that I've generally had more experience in.

Julia wants to understand the concepts behind things that are affecting her day-to-day work, and that's something I can help her out with. Increasing her network, and learning networking

“ Being a conduit for people, to ensure they feel included and supported within the water sector, is super important to me.”

Steve Adamthwaite, Water Business Leader, Arup

skills themselves, is a big part of our focus. Smaller things that can have a real impact, like working out the right professional industry associations that fit her career goals, and finding where there are people doing cool things that interest her, such as wetland restoration. I come across these things a lot at professional industry conferences, whereas she doesn’t get the same kind of exposure because she is so early in her career.

MUTUAL LEARNING

The thing that I really like about being a mentor is that it goes both ways. The industry has changed so much in the last five years. Part of that is because of movers within the industry, but part of it is also the people that are coming into it. The values that they bring are different, and many of the things that we are doing today, we wouldn't have done five years ago because we didn't have that social licence from our community.

Understanding what drives

Julia is really important to me, because it helps me understand trends within the industry, and what our new grads, interns and future staff members are really looking for. What are the things that make them tick, and what do they actually care about? In their careers, do they want more money or is flexibility a real driver of this new generation?

It’s really good to have someone to bounce ideas off, and it’s nice to get that feedback loop going between us. Often that's via osmosis – the conversations that we have are generally about what Julia finds empowering, what she wants to be involved in and where she wants to go in her career.

GENERATION NEXT

I often think that if I was in Julia’s cohort, I wouldn’t have landed the job I have now. The new generation’s ability to use the information around them and convey that in a way that is accessible for the people they're working with is better now than in the past.

Without seeing the details of the work that she has produced, it’s remarkable to see the way that Julia has fit into a professional workplace and added value from such an early stage in her career.

As a mentor, what I get out of the partnership is paying back my mentors from the past, and contributing to a sustainable future of our talent in the water industry. Engineering enrolments peaked in 2014 and have been going down ever since, so nurturing talent has never been more important. Being a conduit for people, to ensure they feel included and supported within the water sector, is super important to me. They are the future. We can't provide the basic human right of water without bringing through the next generation.

business

Taking action, Indigenous-led business and international partnerships

26 ACCELERATING ACTION

Under enormous pressure to innovate, transform and adapt, water organisations are rising to the challenge.

34 WALKING THE PATH TOGETHER

How Indigenous-led businesses are caring for Country and community, and shaping the water sector.

40 AWA INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM

Goulburn Valley Water and Solomon Water partner for climate resilience.

ACCELERATING ACTION

Under enormous pressure to innovate, transform and adapt, water organisations are rising to the challenge with creative partnerships, powerful collaborations and bold net-zero goals.

By Chris Sheedy

Examples of adaptation and innovation can be found all over the water sector these days.

At Sydney Water, Melbourne Water and several other large water corporations, the intention is to reach net zero Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2030.

At SUEZ, the company is embarking on a three-year global mission to achieve its vision of ‘cycles for life’, including elevating its annual investment in pure research and development to €100 million (AUD$165 million).

And in the Victorian town of Colac, Barwon Water’s wastewater treatment plant doesn’t just power itself, it also feeds 500 houses worth of electricity back into the grid and offsets around 350 houses worth of gas usage annually.

The water sector arguably has good reason to behave conservatively around change of process, policy and technology, but organisations are proving that innovation, adaptation and transformation are absolutely possible. This is occurring even as regulations are tightened, a new National Water Agreement is being developed, and reporting frameworks, including climate-related financial disclosures, are introduced.

Mandatory climate-related financial disclosure comes into play in July 2024 for FY2025, including reporting current and anticipated climate risks over the short, medium and long-term. Disclosure requirements also cover climate resilience strategies, climate-related targets, offset contributions and transition plans.

At the same time, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures is recommending global alignment around four disclosure pillars: governance, strategy, risk and impact management, and metrics and targets.

Additionally, a broader focus on net zero, biodiversity and equity of service is driving expectations around behaviours, policies and performance, while the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals continue to spotlight numerous areas of water sector responsibility.

Even in this higher-pressure environment, water organisations are confident of success. Having once been considered reluctant to adapt, the water community is now accelerating innovation and adaptation towards a sustainable, equitable future.

IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL CHANGE

“Seven years ago, we had a mindset shift,” said Shaun Cumming, Managing Director of Barwon Water.

“In terms of understanding our role, we realised it wasn’t just about providing water and sewerage services. As a key essential service provider in our region, our role is to enable regional prosperity.”

The region was facing major challenges, including the effects of climate change and population growth. When Barwon Water began to see itself as an enabler of regional prosperity, it set several aspirational goals, including zero carbon emissions and zero waste, while maintaining affordability.

“Originally, we didn’t know how we would achieve the goals, we just knew they had to be achieved. That set us on a journey,” Cumming said.

The journey included the building of capability through increased investment in a high-performance culture, with leadership as a key focus.

The three essential pillars that Cumming believes unlock real opportunity are listening and learning, strategic partnering and

“That final one is important,” Cumming said.

“It’s not about finding a way, it’s about finding the way – the very best way to do something.”

In a practical sense, this produced a strong desire to switch all of the organisation’s electricity requirements to renewables. Barwon Water invested early and significantly in solar and batteries at large wastewater and water treatment plants.

“We did a lot behind our meters,” he said.

“Then, with our lens of regional prosperity, we looked at how we could do all of this in ways that benefit our region and the industry.

"Through VicWater, we signed onto a power purchasing agreement with a wind farm in our region, in partnership with the local port and hospital. And we spoke to our industrial customers who said they want to do the same thing. We realised we had great capability and there was an opportunity for us to partner.”

This is how the wastewater treatment plant at Colac began providing energy to some local industrial partners. And that’s just the start.

FAST, CAREFUL INNOVATION

“In terms of providing quality drinking water, managing wastewater and protecting the environment, our core goal with water is around managing risks,” said Kevin Werksman, CEO of SUEZ Australia and New Zealand.

“We’ll discover new technologies or innovations, but we’re very cautious about how quickly we can implement them.

“ Originally, we didn’t know how we would achieve the goals, we just knew they had to be achieved. That set us on a journey.”

Shaun Cumming, Managing Director, Barwon Water

Sometimes we take a lot of time,” he said.

The hurdles include tight regulatory frameworks, the fact that water utilities are very large, public organisations, and, of course, the prioritisation of the requirements of communities.

How does SUEZ enable innovation in what appears to be an operating environment shackled by regulation? One solution has been the decision to take responsibility for supercharging the partnership model with water utilities.

“Traditionally, we might approach a water utility to pilot a particular innovation. They might apply it to one of their projects. What we’re looking at doing now is financing initial testing, potentially even the project itself, if there is something we trust to make a difference. If we bring it to life, we recover investment by partnering with water utilities and transferring it to them,” Werksman said

Examples of such projects include a digital tool that can improve energy usage: “That has been used in different spaces and we are exploring with SA Water on how we move to the next part of the program,” Werksman said.

“Because we work in an alliance with SA Water, we’re already responsible for the treatment costs, shared with SA Water. So that’s a great place for us to embrace the opportunity.”

Like Cumming, Werksman said the road to innovation success begins with the vision, or the “why”. And that comes from how the organisation perceives itself.

For Barwon Water, that perception is an enabler of regional prosperity. For SUEZ, the organisation sees itself as a custodian of resources. Both demand a focus on circularity, particularly around water and waste. At SUEZ, Werksman said

transition has required a restructure of the ANZ operations.

“If we want to bring things to life quicker, we need to consider if people understand how to navigate the commercial part of the equation. We also need to leverage what’s being trialled globally and bring people together for true ‘open and transparent’ collaboration, where we also get the benefit of better insights through diverse views,” he said.

Having previously had a technically focussed Head of Innovation, SUEZ now has a Head of Growth and Innovation whose business development focus is on how to build a business that drives better outcomes. Their team identifies solutions to problems in the water industry and can unlock those solutions by not only meeting technical challenges but also demonstrating commercial innovation.

WATER AUTHORITY OF FIJI: ON THE FRONT LINE

As sea levels rise and rainfall patterns shift, the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) is having to adapt much faster than most.

WAF Director Graham Dooley said Fiji is experiencing three main water-related impacts from climate change – sea levels are rising, rain is beginning to fall on the wrong side of the central mountains, in terms of where the dams lie, and rainfall frequency is changing, meaning heavier falls and longer dry periods.

“All this means that tropical island water authorities will need to adapt and increase their capital programs to impound rainfall in the required volumes when it does fall and to make sure that the dams are in the best place to do this,” Dooley said.

“But local Fijian water managers and consultants don’t always have the experience and expertise to know what the priority areas might be and where the limited capital funding is going to be best applied. Increasingly, the experience of larger countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore or Japan, needs to be brought to bear on strategic decisions, not just project implementation.”

International knowledge sharing partnerships are going to be increasingly valuable in the decades ahead, Dooley said.

“The biggest innovations are going to be the selective use of the available technology and know-how to suit the circumstances... working out how to do this is a very valuable skill and is very innovative within the context of Fiji and other small island nations.” he said.

“The best solution might be the one that was used 20 years ago in rural NSW. Working out how to do this is a very valuable skill and is very innovative within the context of Fiji and other small island nations.”

AHEAD OF CHANGE

While climate change has been recognised by the water community for a long time, the focus placed on sustainability has “waxed and waned”, according to Charles Agnew, Head of Sustainability & Climate Change Adaptation at Sydney Water.

“But now climate change is firmly on everybody’s agenda. And sustainability is here to stay. At Sydney Water, we did some pioneering work in terms of climate change and mapping the exposure of our assets more than a decade ago,” Agnew said.

Staying ahead of the climate curve has helped Sydney Water avoid being overly challenged by new regulations and reporting responsibilities. The organisation already publicly reports its emissions, with the disclosure used as a tool to set benchmarks and drive outcomes in and around the business.

“To put it in context, Sydney Water spends around $50 million on electricity today,” Agnew said. “Our path to net zero means we will procure green electricity from renewable energy projects, and we self-generate a lot of renewables

“ Importantly, we’ve talked to our customers and they expressed a very strong willingness for us to get to net zero by 2030.”

Charles Agnew, Head of Sustainability & Climate Change Adaptation, Sydney Water

ourselves, including biogas, solar and hydro.

“Importantly, we’ve talked to our customers and they expressed a very strong willingness for us to get to net zero by 2030. We might have to pay 5% extra for green energy, but we’re confident we can deliver it for less than what customers are willing to pay.”

There are opportunities to supercharge co-generation at treatment plants by bringing in more organic and food waste to create more biogases, Agnew said, but that can only be achieved in partnership with waste management companies. Trials have been carried out and market feasibility is now being explored.

There is also enormous potential benefit in terms of emissions reduction from deeper research into the prevention of

THE DEPARTMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER ON THE NATIONAL WATER AGREEMENT

The Australian Government has a responsibility to proactively put in place the necessary frameworks to guide sustainable management of our water resources. To support this, the Government is currently working with all states and territories to develop a new National Water Agreement. This intergovernmental agreement will build upon the National Water Initiative framework that was created in 2004 to provide a national blueprint for water reform in the grips of the millennium drought. A key priority for the new agreement is to achieve water security in the face of climate change and increasing demand.

Priorities for the agreement will include considering a national approach to engaging with a broader range of water supply options such as purified recycled water and wastewater, increasing focus on water quality, and elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ cultural, spiritual, social, environmental and economic water interests.

All levels of government will need to continue engaging the water sector to allow it time to develop strategic approaches, collaborate with its customers and supply chains, and build internal business capability.

“ If we want to bring things to life quicker, we need to consider if people understand how to navigate the commercial part of the equation.”

Kevin Werksman, CEO, SUEZ Australia and New Zealand

fugitive emissions from wastewater treatment plants, which currently presents a difficult-to-abate emissions conundrum.

“There is a clear shared problem across our industry with fugitive emissions. It is a problem that it would be best to solve together rather than individually,” Agnew said.

“But there are various research partnerships, with AWA and WSAA playing an important role.

Melbourne Water has formed a partnership with utilities from the UK and Denmark. The University of Queensland has formed a centre of excellence in Australia around understanding and solving these types of problems. So, we’re all moving in the right direction.”

Many argue that the water sector isn't just moving in the right direction in terms of sustainability, but is leading the way.

“How does the water industry lead in this space? We have unique capabilities in terms of infrastructure and skills. We have trusted relationships with customers and communities, and a long culture of collaboration,” Cumming said.

Sustainability issues cannot be solved by one party. The solution can only be collaborative.

“Water is in a position to be that enabler,” Cumming said. “We’re trusted and we’re not competing, so that enables us to unlock opportunities with councils, with industry and with communities.”

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WALKING THE PATH TOGETHER

Indigenous-led business is on the rise across the water sector, and the benefits to communities are invaluable. Here, Current explores how First Nations businesses are caring for Country, supporting communities and influencing the water sector across the continent.

By Jen Walker

Cover: At The Heart of All Life by Amy Allerton, contemporary Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi artist.

Iwell as the Association’s key role as a connector for community and stakeholders, members, government and industry.

Founder and Director of Indigico Creative, Allerton is a contemporary Aboriginal artist who's been providing graphic design services around Australia since 2014, collaborating with businesses and partnering with communities to creatively communicate their stories.

“Working on RAP artworks with organisations, agencies and not-for-profits is my favourite thing to do. It's a really personal and important collaboration. Being able

“ Story connects hearts and minds through shared experiences and emotions. Listening to people's stories: it’s a really key part of achieving reconciliation.”

Amy Allerton, Founder and Director, Indigico Creative

stronger future.

“You can’t downplay the significance of interweaving cultural storytelling with business. Story connects hearts and minds through shared experiences and emotions. Listening to people's stories: it’s a really key part of achieving reconciliation,” Allerton said.

“We believe that stories are what bring us together. Every individual, every business and every community has a story that deserves to be told. When I get to work as an Indigenous business with other organisations and agencies, it's all about harnessing the purpose, power and perspective of First Nations storytelling – it has a place in everything and for everyone.”

Allerton said working alongside non-Indigenous businesses is hugely impactful, not just for the company or agency, but for the people interacting with them, directly or indirectly.

“Story can change the world. We are sharing together, building respect and connection, giving more space to our beautiful First Nations history and showcasing our incredible capacity, creativity and innovation,” she said.

“As First Nations people, we can’t achieve that connection with the broader community on our own. We are only 3% of the population – it has to be a united goal and one we all work together to achieve. And I see working alongside non-Indigenous businesses as key to that.” ▶

AT THE HEART OF ALL LIFE BY AMY ALLERTON

Water is at the heart of all life, from the beginning of creation to creating a vibrant future. Wherever we live, work and play, water flows within us and all around us, connecting us to each other and to Country. Water is at the heart of ensuring our communities can thrive, our economies can prosper and environments can flourish. The power of water is immense and invaluable, bringing healing to our communities, sustainable solutions to our industries and restoration to our ecosystems. As AWA connects us together,

we collaborate, innovate and share with Elders, community, government and industry, to fulfill our roles as caretakers for water to ensure that life perseveres.

ON COUNTRY

For many Indigenous-led businesses, the water sector provides an opportunity to work on and care for Country, but also to boost local communities through training and employment opportunities.

Established in 2021, Wara Paring Civil is a 100% Indigenous-owned construction contractor supported by Melbourne Water and Aqua Metro Services, a partnership that inspired the organisation’s name – Wara Paring means ‘come

walk the path together’. Wara Paring Director Dan Charles said land and water is central to Aboriginal culture and identity, so the potential to help maintain and preserve water is one of the reasons why a lot of Indigenous people are drawn to the sector.

“To care for, and to help preserve something that has meant so much to our people for so long – it's a food source, a way of living, a way of life – to have the opportunity to work with that is what we enjoy,” he said.

INDIGENOUS PROCUREMENT TARGETS

Many Australian water utilities have targets to award projects to Aboriginal-owned businesses. In Western Australia, Water Corporation has awarded 5% of their contracts to Aboriginal businesses each year for the past few of years – their target was 3%. In 2022–23, this equated to 51 contracts with a value of around $91.8 million, a significant increase on the year before, where the value was $34.5 million.

Water Corporation's co-designed and Indigenous-led Aboriginal engagement strategy, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, seeks to promote and support self-determination principles, social inclusion, cultural security, and economic participation with Aboriginal people and their communities, and is believed to be among the first of its kind in Western Australia.

“Water Corporation continues to develop opportunities for Aboriginal suppliers," a spokesperson said.

"The Aboriginal business sector in WA continues to strengthen, and through their growth we are seeing the scope and breadth of contracts awarded continue to grow."

In the Northern Territory, Power and Water Corporation’s Reconciliation Action Plan has a key focus to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander supplier diversity to support improved economic and social outcomes.

So far, deliverables have included becoming a member of the Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network, and for all Grade 1 procurement activities (<$50,000) it has committed to engaging Territory-based companies, expanding that to include local Aboriginal businesses where possible.

“We had a job a couple of years ago at Dights Falls on the Yarra. David George, a fellow director of Wara Paring, is a Wurundjeri man, so he was able to talk to the others about the cultural significance of his Country, and how it was where the freshwater meets the saltwater, and the different food sources.

“Getting the chance to work on those types of jobs, that’s what draws people in and keeps them looking forward to the next one.

“ We’d like more discussion about what's coming out to give Indigenous businesses the opportunity to prepare.”

Farin Wanganeen, Managing Director, Birubi Australia

VALUING COMMUNITY

While Charles acknowledges that the job is not all waterways and wildlife, the water sector presents an abundance of opportunities for Indigenous businesses and communities.

Birubi Australia Managing Director Farin Wanganeen and Construction Manager Markus Dunatov are hoping that the hydrogen project coming to South Australia will be one of those opportunities where Indigenous businesses are able to further shape water-related projects.

Birubi is an Aboriginal owned and operated civil construction company that works with several government departments, as well as SA Water. Some of Birubi’s projects reach 85% Aboriginal employment. While the hydrogen project has great income potential, Wanganeen said financial benefits are not necessarily guaranteed on all of their jobs: “some Indigenous businesses actually lose funds on projects”.

Wanganeen said there’s more to supporting employees in an Indigenous-led businesses than for other companies. Aiming to create opportunities, many Indigenousled businesses employ people who have never had a job before, literacy skills can be a challenge, and there is often more time and effort involved to train employees. Sometimes winning bids comes down to relationships with people who understand the goals beyond the dollar, but if those people change, the whole education process has to start again.

“But where there’s Indigenous participation, there's opportunities to increase the employment of Aboriginal people. And if we increase employment, we can improve the lives of people who were involved in that project,” Wanganeen said.

“Plus, the spin-off is that those

people to create sustainable careers. Anyone from an Indigenous background who has a good career is looked to as a role model or mentor in their communities.”

Charles said procuring Indigenous-led businesses leads to benefits in all directions.

“We're not here asking for handouts or anything special. We want to work and we want to grow just like everyone else. And the more we can learn from other

“ The question always comes: where’s the value for money. For us, we don't see value in dollars.”

Markus Dunatov, Construction Manager, Birubi Australia

people that have been there and done that, I think the better for the long-term strength of the business,” he said.

“Many non-Indigenous people think all Indigenous people are the same. So when they’re able to understand where different people come from and what the different cultures are, it’s an eye opener for them. The people that we do work for are as eager to learn where our families have come from as we are to learn what they know about different parts of the industry.”

However, opportunity doesn’t necessarily translate into winning projects. Dunatov said one of the biggest challenges for Birubi is the procurement process.

“We understand the need for it, but it is a big roadblock for us. The question always comes: where’s the value for money. For us, we don't see value in dollars,” he said.

“The value for us is in the outcomes we achieve on site with the employment of Aboriginal people and giving back to the community. And that's a hard sell, because a lot of projects come back to that dollar value in the end.” ▶

HAND UP

While water utilities across Australia have good intentions, there is still room for improvement.

Wanganeen said more clarity could be brought into the program application processes to ensure Indigenous businesses are given the best chance possible.

“If there was more clarity around how and when [to apply for programs], that might provide more opportunities for Indigenous businesses,” he said.

The ad-hoc nature of contract work can also be a challenge.

Wanganeen said if there’s no continuity to the works for Aboriginal businesses, it is hard to maintain employment opportunities. He’s also worried that, with increasing Indigenous participation targets across the sector, Indigenous businesses may also be in a position where they can’t meet demand due to the onboarding required.

“Taking jobs with short notice is probably the opposite of what we’d like to see happening,” he said.

“We’d like more discussion about what's coming out to

“ To care for, and to help preserve something that has meant so much to our people for so long…that is what we enjoy.”

Dan Charles, Director, Wara Paring

give Indigenous businesses the opportunity to prepare.”

Despite the challenges, many organisations like Birubi and Wara Paring are growing strongly.

“One of the things that Melbourne Water and Aqua Metro services were trying to do with Wara Paring was allow us to crawl before we could walk. We've spent three years doing that hard grind and not getting too far ahead of ourselves, but we're expanding this year: our workers have gone up 300%. We're starting to get more equipment, more jobs,” Charles said.

“The opportunity to grow is pretty much on our doorstep and we're looking forward to it. So exciting times ahead.”

Dan Charles and David George.

CASE STUDY #1

PARTNERING IN THE PACIFIC

Project: Partnerships for a Resilient and Climate Smart Water Sector

Region: Solomon Islands

Started: 2021

Leader: Australian Water Association

Facilitated by the Australian Water Association, one recent international utility partnership showcases how working together can help build regional resilience to climate change.

By Adam Turner

With a population of more than 700,000 people, spread across around 350 islands, the Solomon Islands faces significant water security challenges that are being exacerbated by climate change, including saltwater ingress due

to sea-level rise, as well as the growing frequency and severity of tropical cyclones.

To tackle these issues, Solomon Water teamed up with Goulburn Valley Water as part of the Australian Water Association’s international utility partnerships program, and is one of eight

Andrew Oihanua (Solomon Water) and Daniel Wooley (Goulburn Valley Water) exploring pressure management solutions in Honiara.

“

Once the team from Goulburn Valley Water had first-hand experience of our challenges, we could start to look beyond day-to-day issues and also focus on the big picture.”

Scravin Tongi, Chief Operations Officer, Solomon Water

pairings between Australian water utilities and their counterparts across the Pacific, Vietnam and Indonesia.

The partnership program is led by AWA through its International Development Program and funded by the Australian Water Partnership, as part of the Partnerships for a Resilient and Climate Smart Water Sector Program.

Solomon Water Chief Operations Officer Scravin Tongi said that, aside from addressing Solomon Water’s immediate needs, the partnership also helped the utility take a more holistic view of water security and improve its long-term strategic planning.

"Once the team from Goulburn Valley Water had first-hand experience of our challenges, we could start to look beyond day-to-day issues and also focus on the big picture. Rather than just addressing our immediate needs, the partnership also helped strengthen our critical thinking and problem-solving skills, such as SWOT and root cause analysis, so we are better-equipped to face the challenges that lay ahead," he said.

AWA Head of International and Industry Programs Katie Hanniffy

said the partnership program is part of a broader approach to strengthen regional water sector capacity to develop inclusive, climate resilient strategies and practices through international partnerships.

“It’s about improving the health and wellbeing of people in South-East Asia and the Pacific region through supporting the delivery of inclusive, economically sustainable, and climate resilient water and wastewater services,” she said.

“Importantly, the AWA works alongside regional partner associations, including the Pacific Water and Wastewater Association, the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association, and PERPAMSI in Indonesia, in facilitating the partnerships.”

PLAN OF ACTION

Goulburn Valley Water Central Operations District Manager Elise O'Keeffe said after working closely with Solomon Water, it became clear that empowering the water utility to become more financially resilient was critical to addressing long-term climate issues.

“Non-revenue water hampers Solomon Water in a number of

areas, so the utility needed to identify where to focus its efforts to have the biggest impact,” she said.

"If you're not financially resilient then you can't invest in climate resilience. That said, we couldn't just waltz in with an Australian solution. We needed to listen and understand their needs, to help them develop fit-forpurpose solutions they can operate and maintain long-term.

"Otherwise, we’d be at risk of imposing complex and expensive assets that fall into disrepair because they're not right for local conditions – which helps no-one in the long-run."

Working together, the two teams formed an action plan that targets three key issues: saltwater ingress, water loss and revenue challenges.

Firstly, the impact of saltwater ingress forces Solomon Water to cut the supply to residential and industrial customers for several days at a time, causing major disruption and costing the utility in terms of lost revenue.

Barriers to prevent saltwater ingress may offer short-term relief, according to Tongi, perhaps combined with off-stream storage. Solomon Water is also considering long-term solutions that require more data and analysis, such as the potential to shift water sources to higher ground, while understanding the impact this will have on the downstream ecology.

Secondly, high pressure issues causing water loss in Honiara's city-wide network are complicated by the fact that pressure reducing valves have historically been positioned to address immediate needs, rather than as part of a

CASE STUDY #1

long-term strategy based on network analysis.

As a result, non-revenue water is at a very high 58%, seriously impacting Solomon Water's financial resilience and ability to drive change.

To address this, Solomon Water is launching a pilot project in three District Metered Areas to combat non-revenue water and improve the efficiency and sustainability of the water distribution system. Long-term improvements will include more strategic use of pressure reducing valves and pressure break tanks.

Thirdly, systemic billing and revenue collection issues contribute to Solomon Water's high levels of overdue debts across the nation. Initiatives to streamline and strengthen the meter-to-cash

“ While it's still early days in terms of results, one of the great outcomes of the program has been the knowledge sharing to help underpin long-term success.”

Elise O'Keeffe, Central Operations District Manager, Goulburn Valley Water

process include reviewing the efficiency of people, tools and processes.

These efforts will initially focus on the same areas as the non-revenue water pilot project.

PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS

"While it's still early days in terms of results, one of the great outcomes of the program has been the knowledge sharing to help underpin long-term success," O'Keeffe said.

"The bond we have forged with Solomon Water gives it a conduit not just to Goulburn Valley Water, but to the wider Australian water industry, so we can all work together to boost climate resilience across the region."

For Solomon Water, Tongi said the partnership has helped the utility take a more holistic approach to driving improvements within the business.

"In the Solomon Islands, sometimes our culture encourages us to be quiet and not ask a lot of questions," he says.

"We need to learn to speak up and ask the hard questions at times, in order to get a better understanding of our key challenges and the possible solutions.

"Goulburn Valley Water's efforts to help instill this culture of critical thinking is one of

most valuable outcomes of

partnership, and will be key

the

our

to

building a sustainable water future for the people of the Solomon Islands."

Solomon Water meter reading and operations staff sharing their meter reading and maintenance processes with the Goulburn Valley Water team outside Honiara.

innovation

Sustainability, renewable energy production and integrated water management

44 SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT

How the water sector’s sustainability focus is reshaping infrastructure delivery.

52 RENEWABLE ENERGY

Why and how water utilities are becoming renewable energy producers.

56 INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT

Bundaberg

Regional Council’s award-winning Bargara project.

SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE DELIVERY

As the water sector pursues sustainability best practice, the shifts will be felt across all related sectors and professions. Nowhere is this clearer than in the infrastructure procurement space, as entire supply chains respond to new pressures.

TBy Chris Sheedy “

he water sector has come a long way in terms of designing sustainable water infrastructure. There is no shortage of the application of cutting-edge technology and circularity principles in addressing water solutions. However, there is an embedded maturity when it comes to how sustainable design is considered in the operational side of water businesses. The knock-on impact, from design to operations, is not always as closely aligned as it could be.

The water sector has come a long way in a very short time, according to Veolia Chief Technical and Innovation Officer Kate Slattery, with sustainability now being considered more holistically across the entire infrastructure delivery process.

“There is very good intent in terms of how sustainability principles are embedded into design, including specification of energy efficient equipment, use of renewables on site and plans for energy consumption and spend,” she said.

“In terms of having close input from an operational perspective, and how the day-to-day operation and procedural considerations can

...we’re now beginning to see these considerations embedded up front and it’s introducing some really good learnings that feed into design.”

Kate Slattery, Chief Technical and Innovation Officer, Veolia

feed into the design, historically that has been a bit disconnected. But we’re now beginning to see these considerations embedded up front and it’s introducing some really good learnings that feed into design.”

According to Rob Evans, Executive General Manager –

Infrastructure at John Holland, the procurement process is very generally split into two parts: the first is estimation and the tendering, the second is the physical buying for the project.

“But before we even get to the first step, we need to understand the key customer drivers for the project,” he said. “What are they expecting us to deliver? How do we deliver it? How does that align with our values as a business and are we comfortable to bid on this project?”

“Then you go through a process that gives you the best design answer, and what comes out of that is what you need to procure. So procurement is probably the fourth consideration after customer objectives, corporate values and outline design.”

And so, successfully delivering sustainable water infrastructure, including how it is designed, built, operated and maintained, must now be planned into the project well before procurement begins.

DEFINING SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE

Beca Hunter H2O Business Director – Water David Kirby said the first challenge when meeting with a client interested in the construction of sustainable infrastructure is to ▶

We’re

Creating the Future of Water for people, communities and our environment, for generations to come

define what it is they mean by “sustainable”.

“Some are deeply focussed on carbon emissions. But that’s just one area of sustainability, and it’s quite straightforward to put a metric around,” he said.

However, sustainable development also includes other environmental, social financial and cultural factors.

“In water, we’ve always looked at calculating the capital cost and the operating cost. We’ve always come up with a total expenditure amount,” Kirby said.

“But we haven’t quite moved to a total expenditure for sustainability yet, or even for carbon. Balancing a particular type of infrastructure in terms of how much energy it’s going to use, how much carbon it’s going to emit, or how much carbon is embedded requires looking at all the different scopes of emissions and optimising to suit the objectives of the project. And that doesn’t even touch on social solutions.”

The challenge with sustainable infrastructure, and the procurement that feeds its construction, is how all the benefits of sustainability are covered and calculated in a single project. In other words, how does a project that involves laying a pipe underground create social and environmental benefits?

“It can become quite challenging to work out how much to spend from a business case perspective, in terms of perhaps putting a cycleway on top of it, or providing an urban orchard alongside it. You can provide some real community and environmental benefit, but how do you build that into the cost of the project? That becomes quite a challenge, to bring in that component,” Kirby said.

A number of Beca clients have social procurement frameworks.

Particularly in the procurement phase, different authorities are asked to pick a number of social procurement areas of focus, such as regionally disadvantaged people.

Those localised social focus points then drive responses to tenders in terms of including in proposals how those disadvantaged groups might benefit during or after the project.

SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES

Skills shortages and supply chain issues have not gone away, Slattery said, and they continue to cause wild cost fluctuations. Even as availability and reliability have begun to return, those fluctuations still occur.

“Some parts of the supply chain are being impacted by other global economic factors at the moment,

...procurement is probably the fourth consideration after customer objectives, corporate values and outline design.”

Rob Evans, Executive General Manager - Infrastructure, John Holland

separate to what we’ve seen with COVID,” she said.

“Solar, for example, has its own challenges with respect to procurement of panels, controls and inverter infrastructure.

“That can dramatically slow down the rollout of renewables on water sites.”

For this reason, excellent planning that allows for a longer lead time becomes more important in terms of procurement to assist in the achievement of strategic goals and targets such as net zero, Slattery said

For example, if the plan is to move exclusively to renewable energy on a site, there is great opportunity in forward planning to take procurement into account as an essential part of a bigger solution.

“Procurement wise, you’d need to plan for hedging against the risks of price increases. But that’s only a small part of it,” Slattery said.

“The greater strategic commitment allows you to see the other benefits of having 100% renewable energy across your sites.

“We know the grid is electrifying at different rates across the country, so we’re basically making a forward investment in renewables that tapers down over time as the grid decarbonises. So, that decarbonisation commitment from a procurement standpoint is pretty advantageous.

“If we can plan strategically, we see long-term cost benefits in that our investment reduces over time without having to make capital intensive commitments.”

SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT

Evans said the idea of sustainable procurement, particularly around a circular economy, makes certain decisions clearer and easier. ▶

David Kirby, Business Director - Water, Beca Hunter H2O “

Some are deeply focussed on carbon emissions. But that’s just one area of sustainability, and it’s quite straightforward to put a metric around.”

POSITIVE ENERGY WASTEWATER TREATMENT

As an example of sustainable water infrastructure delivery that should be emulated around the world, the team at Veolia points to a wastewater treatment plant that is much more than a wastewater treatment plant.

Located in the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, the plant was constructed to convert sludge into green energy through the injection of biomethane into the natural gas network. The site, which now produces more energy than it consumes, is called Aeris. It’s France’s first positive energy wastewater treatment plant.

Client needs included increasing wastewater treatment performance, protecting biodiversity and local sea-bathing water, reducing energy bills, controlling noise and odour pollution and integrating the plant into its environment.

The plant includes a raft of technology and circularity solutions, including storage of rainfall surpluses, new generation biofiltration, low-temperature sludge drying, purification of biogas and acoustic insulation of the premises.

The plant produces 10.5 GWh per year, with consumption of 8.7 GWh per year, including solar energy through a bank of PV panels. The resale of biomethane brings in €65,000 per month, with enough biomethane produced annually to heat 5500 houses.

Veolia Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis

Previously, clients would set specific and sometimes challenging targets around employment and upskilling of local people. These days, targets are also being set around scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

“But with our clients pursuing that circular economy rationale, sometimes we don’t need those targets necessarily to draw a broader solution,” Evans said.

“If we’re going to deliver them a solution that is circular, then we’ve got to do all of that stuff anyway. And actually, it’s a core value of ours – we want to add to the communities we’re working within – so it would naturally be a part of our approach.”

John Holland National Water Market Manager Shaun Kempton said sustainable delivery of infrastructure is really about good engineering.

“When we talk about carbon reduction particularly, a good chunk of that is just good engineering practice. It’s about delivering efficient engineered solutions that speak to the objectives of the client,” he said.

“If you want to simplify it, it comes down to quantities management, to making sure the dirt we’re pushing and the concrete we’re pouring is efficient and optimal for what we need it to do.”

Good engineering results in the design team looking at more sustainable concrete mixes, diverse renewable energy sources, such as portable or permanent solar farms, and electric vehicles and machinery.

Some efforts around sustainability have surprisingly positive outcomes. The hydrogen-fuelled generator recently used on a John Holland project in Sydney was mildly challenging, in that the fuel had to be sourced from Port Kembla.

“It took significant effort and planning, as it was only the first or second of its kind in Australia,” Evans said.

“But there was great interest, excitement and engagement among the workforce around the fact that we were using it. Everybody was talking about it and wanted to know what’s next.”

“ There is a lot more talk about circular economy objectives, about resource recovery and reuse, about feeding power back into the grid and selling by-products as a second-line stream of revenue.”

Shaun Kempton, National Water Market Manager, John Holland

“This investment will pay off for us because so many young people inside and outside of our business were engaged by it and wanted to be involved as a result. It’s a small thing that makes young people want to work with us.”

Such small but highly visible changes brought about by the sustainable procurement process helps influence who and what is sourced on projects, Kempton said, especially as trends change quickly.

“The sector has changed quite a lot in the last five years,” he said.

“There is a lot more talk about circular economy objectives, about resource recovery and reuse, about feeding power back into the grid and selling by-products as a second-line stream of revenue.

“Every time we go to the market there is now a multicriteria analysis we use to select a preferred vendor, and a lot of that is driven by sustainable and social considerations.

“We have changed some of our business practices in a more formal way, and that is good for everybody.”

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"...because

climate change and water have no boundaries."

Find out how climate change is impacting the water sector across our region, and what is being done to build resilience. Come along on Day 2 of Ozwater'24 to hear from water professionals from Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Australia share how they are working together to address the challenges that we are facing.

Lusia Sefo-Leau, CEO, Pacific Water and Wastewater Association, Samoa

WATER’S

ENERGY TRANSITION

The water sector has taken to producing and using renewables with gusto, but creating a sustainable water future requires a lot more than flicking a switch.

By Elle Hardy

When it comes to producing clean water, Australian utilities are world leaders.

Now, they are required to consider how they can effectively deploy clean energy too, and that presents a whole new raft of challenges.

As the water industry transitions to net zero, there are plenty of gaps to fill when it comes to effectively using and producing renewables within the sector, including how to tackle the issue of variability and storage.

Given the global energy footprint involved in treating and distributing water is significant, the water sector has a key role to play in leading and informing transitional strategies.

REGIONAL REVOLUTION

“We’re in the middle of an energy transformation, the scale and speed of which we haven’t seen since the industrial revolution,” Kelly Charlesworth said, Associate Principal for Energy Transition at Arup. “Coal fired power stations are quickly being retired and replaced by renewable energy zones and pumped hydro storage.”

As we move toward a net zero economy, Charlesworth said regional areas in particular will see an economic transition.

“Water use, inherently together with energy, are the key enablers of this transition, and increasing water scarcity and competition for water are challenges we can’t ignore,” she said.

Regional areas looking to support new industries and forms of manufacturing – such as renewable energy, advanced

agriculture, critical minerals and clean energy and fuels, such as hydrogen or biofuels – will find that these opportunities are underpinned by sustainable, reliable power and water supplies.

“From a utility infrastructure perspective, industrial development in Australia is usually on the back of the availability of water and power,” Charlesworth said.

“Selecting the best location for these assets to support new industry is a strategic planning exercise, and as a nation we've never done anything on that scale, with so many moving parts at once. Given the enormity of the task and the various factors involved, we need to fast track that planning process now.”

Given that the scale of renewable energy development is beyond anything that's been seen before, water will continue to play an integral role.

At the same time, there is increasing uncertainty and risks associated with the changing climate, so energy and water supply resilience and security are becoming more critical.

Charlesworth said the sector also needs to consider what a ‘just transition’ looks like in practice. “The definition of what is ‘just’ is evolving because of our growing understanding of the impact on people, communities, and environments including our First Nations people,” she said.

FUELING CHANGE

While the need to transition to renewables to help achieve sustainability goals is clear, the infrastructure required to get there requires careful planning.

“Given the enormity of the task and the various factors involved, we need to fast track that planning process now.”

Kelly Charlesworth, Associate Principal for Energy Transition, Arup

“The energy-water nexus is getting more intertwined with pumped hydro energy, which requires new dams, as well as new fuels like hydrogen, which requires sustainable water supplies,” Charlesworth said.

“One difficulty we face with hydrogen is that we don't want every proponent to come in and build a new desalination plant. It’s not always going to be the best option for budget and for the environment, so we need to have other options on the board. Recycled wastewater, for example, is an important consideration for the green hydrogen industry.”

Even in planning, climate change modelling becomes critical as natural resources are subject to variation. New Zealand, which has an abundance of hydroelectric power, is seeing more frequent dry winters, which can impact electricity supply through lack of water. Closer to home, ▶

the national discussion around developing a green hydrogen market in Australia is progressively becoming more aware of the water risks associated with the industry's development on the driest continent on earth.

TRANSITION IN PRACTICE

AECOM Water Leader in Australia and New Zealand Laura Fluck warns that the intermittency of renewable energy sources, particularly for the municipal part of the sector, remains a key challenge.

“Utilities have to work through how to meet the reliability and operational requirements of their assets with intermittent renewables such as wind and solar,” she said.

Investing in storage such as battery and pumped hydro generation systems is one solution, but Fluck cautions overloading on infrastructure. “There needs to be a balance between the capital – not just cost, but the carbon element of creating more infrastructure – and the energy usage itself,” she said.

Hydrogen power is extremely water intensive, both as feedstock and also for its cooling mechanisms. “Typically, if seawater is utilised, the amount is in the

“ When it comes to capital projects, we need to think about what materials we are using, and push the industry to explore, create and adopt newer, lower carbon materials.”

AECOM

range of 150-170 litres per kilogram of hydrogen produced,” Fluck said. “However, high-quality water doesn’t always have to be utilised in the cooling area.”

Fluck points to SA Water’s Zero Cost Energy Future (ZCEF) program as an example of a transformational project.

Undertaken between 2019 and 2022, its aims included getting the utility to net zero emissions by 2030, base load requirements operating on 100% renewable energy by 2030, and net zero waste by 2040.

“The program looked at seven key initiatives including demand scheduling, energy efficiency, energy storage, 154MW of new solar and 34MW of battery energy storage, as well as energy market levers to drive a zero-cost energy system,” she said.

THINKING AHEAD

In the race to build systems and infrastructure to get to net zero, Fluck said a key area of consideration for the water sector is Scope 3 embodied carbon emissions linked to capital expenditure – that is, emissions that result from assets not owned or controlled by a utility, but that the utility is indirectly responsible for along its value chain.

“We talk a lot about operations, such as how utilities can minimise energy demand and make their assets more energy efficient,” she said.

“But when it comes to capital projects, we need to think about what materials we are using, and push the industry to explore, create and adopt newer, lower carbon materials.”

Fluck suggests that, in some cases, the water sector can consider nature-based solutions instead of concrete, such as creating naturalised stream environments compared to traditional concrete lined drains, which have the added bonus of co-benefits flowing to local communities.

“If concrete were a country, it would be the third highest carbon emitter on earth,” Fluck said. “Steel making and cement production are the two highest emitting industrial sectors, and looking at the approach to decarbonising these sectors is key to the overall equation.”

Laura Fluck, Water Leader in Australia and New Zealand,

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CASE STUDY #2

BIG PICTURE PLANNING

Project: Bargara Emerging Community Infrastructure Planning

Region: Bundaberg, Qld

Started: 2021

Leader: Bundaberg Regional Council and AECOM

Bundaberg Regional Council's award-winning Bargara Emerging Community Infrastructure Planning project is designed to forge more resilient and sustainable communities in the face of climate challenges.

By Adam Turner

In 2021, Bundaberg Regional Council partnered with infrastructure consulting firm AECOM to prepare an integrated trunk infrastructure masterplan for the Bargara Emerging Communities Area. Earmarked for future urban development, the coastal area sits just east of Bundaberg, on the edge of the Great Sandy

Marine Park and the Great Barrier Reef.The land has the potential for 70 hectares of developable area, built around a 24-hectare "green infrastructure spine", which incorporates Moneys Creek.

The green infrastructure spine concept treats water as a valued asset with the potential to improve water quality outcomes, while also acting as an integrated

Bundaberg Regional Council's Bargara Emerging Community Infrastructure Planning Project.

public open space, waterway, natural floodplain and active transport corridor.

Rather than sacrificing space for development, optimising how flood water is stored and moved within the creek resulted in a 20-30% increase in developable land.

This water-centric approach to infrastructure planning saw the project win an Institute of Public Works Australasia (QNT) Innovation and Sustainability in Water award, as well as a Stormwater Queensland Excellence in Strategic or Master Planning award.

HOLISTIC STRATEGY

Rapid population growth and development pressure can often result in a fragmented approach to engaging with stakeholders and integrating with the natural environment.

This disconnection creates difficulties when addressing issues such as sustainable development, stormwater, flooding and ecological concerns, according to Timothy Fichera, Senior Engineer at Bundaberg Regional Council.

"This body of work will provide a holistical infrastructure plan for our emerging community areas prior to developers coming in," Fichera said.

"It provides the best opportunity to deliver the greatest value to the community, the developers and also for the natural environment."

AECOM Water Digital Leader (ANZ) Jordan Maultby said part of the challenge has been that planning for different infrastructure classes has been handled

independently, such as water, transport and housing.

Such a disjointed approach means that planning decisions can clash. With the Bargara Emerging Community Infrastructure Planning project, Bundaberg Regional Council and AECOM chose to go down the more difficult path of getting all the stakeholders in a room to develop a holistic water-centric strategic plan for the area.

"This approach is admittedly more work upfront, but it delivers significantly better outcomes for everyone in the long run," Maultby said.

"Ensuring infrastructure networks make the most of natural waterways and wetlands, rather than trying to override or erase them, has environmental benefits, while also avoiding a lot of headaches and expense down the line."

SPINE MINDED

The process fostered working with key landowners and developers to determine regional level infrastructure solutions, Fichera said, providing certainty and time-savings for developers through the approval process.

As part of this new approach, AECOM's multi-disciplinary team collaborated across several Bundaberg Regional Council departments to identify site constraints and opportunities, in order to develop an all-encompassing plan built around the green infrastructure spine.

The green infrastructure spine has been designed with future flood behaviour in mind, allowing for worst-case projected climate change impacts out to 2100

Waterway corridors and wetlands are sized and sequenced to effectively manage flood risk and water quality, for both the site and the broader catchment.

The proposed stormwater network is predicted to deliver a net improvement in water quality to the receiving environment, which includes the Great Sandy Marine Park.

The goal of improving water quality, rather than merely maintaining it, is in line with the Australian and Queensland Government's 'Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan'.

One of the core tenets of the plan is to ensure that projects impacting the world heritage Great Barrier Reef deliver an ▶

“ Looking at the big picture, you realise that with concrete drains you've built a singlefunctioning asset, which perhaps clashes with other assets.”

Timothy Fichera, Senior Engineer, Bundaberg Regional Council

CASE STUDY #2

“ Nurturing a sustainable water environment makes a lot more economic sense than maintaining pipes.”

Jordan Maultby, Water Digital Leader (ANZ), AECOM

environmentally neutral outcome, if not a benefit, rather than simply looking to minimise environmental harm.

Working in harmony with waterways rather than attempting to tame them might sound more expensive, but Maultby said it is actually more cost-effective.

Building "grey" infrastructure like concrete channels, pits, pipes and detention basins to manage water can be very difficult to maintain, because it's not a naturally balanced system and not resilient in the face of change.

"Nurturing a sustainable water environment makes a lot more economic sense than maintaining pipes," Maultby said, "Plus, you have more potential to sequester carbon rather than release more into the environment."

"Likewise, taking a watercentric approach to development avoids breaking up natural floodplains and catchment areas – not planning for the impact of water can leave you with ongoing disaster repair bills because you didn't consider the big picture."

BIG PICTURE

Working on the Bargara Emerging Community Infrastructure Planning project with AECOM has helped Bundaberg Regional Council ensure it places greater value on environmental outcomes and their wider benefits, Fichera said.

"Traditionally, stormwater planning's goal would just be getting that water from A to B

as quickly as possible, hence the focus on seemingly easy greyinfrastructure like concrete drains," he said.

"Looking at the big picture, you realise that with concrete drains you've built a single-functioning asset, which perhaps clashes with other assets. Alternatively, a green infrastructure spine does a great job of handling stormwater while delivering multiple benefits, making it a much more valuable asset overall."

Expanding this view to encompass all of the infrastructure planning teams, and then getting them to work in unison, ensures everyone benefits in both the short-term and long-term, Maultby said.

"Often, when you're working with water infrastructure on a brownfields site, you're battling to deal with the problems created by the short-sighted water management decisions of the past," he said.

"In a greenfield setting, like the Bargara Emerging Communities Area, we have the chance to actually avoid future problems by treating water as a highly valued asset and leave a better legacy."

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community

Careers in water, PRW literacy and assisting customers in hardship

62 CAREERS IN WATER

What attracts people to the sector and why do they stay?

68

WATER LITERACY FOR PRW

Educating the community about Purified Recycled Water.

72

CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE

Helping customers work through financial hardship.

POWER IN THE PEOPLE

While it’s normal to switch roles or career paths, perhaps more so in this day and age, there’s something about the water sector that draws people in for life. Here, Current takes a look at the secret ingredient.

By Jen Walker

Attracting the next generation of leaders and thinkers into the water sector is an urgent and a highly competitive challenge. And the need to communicate the value of working in water has never been more important. As all areas of business and industry vie for talent, the water community is in a unique position to communicate its heart to the broader talent pool. So, what is it that working in water provides people that can’t be gained anywhere else?

Despite the complex array of skill sets and perspectives required to make water work, it is the close, collaborative nature of the sector that is one of the main appeals. University of Sydney Professor Stuart Khan describes the Australian water sector as more of a community.

“That sounds pretty cliché, but because of AWA and WSAA and other industry organisations, there are lots of networking events and people do actually get to know each other. The industry is of a size where there’s plenty of opportunity and plenty of mobility, but you still can really feel part of a larger community,” he said.

“And the longer you stay in the community, the more names and places you get to know; people move around, you end up knowing lots of people. You know who to speak to at different organisations when a particular issue comes up.”

Sydney Water Sustainability and Climate Change Adaption Advisor

Elliot Cichero agrees that the collaboration in the water sector is

pretty powerful: “Even though we have somewhat different contexts and challenges, ultimately there’s a lot of commonality in the challenges that face the water industry. For example, finding out what Seqwater is doing and how that might be advantageous for Sydney Water and vice versa,” he said.

“It’s non-competitive in that respect, because it’s an essential service that’s state owned. We still need to do our jobs well to be a trusted brand and provide good value for service. But there isn’t that cutthroat competition, which allows people to be a little bit more passionate and caring and do their work with more empathy and openness. We’re all aligned in our commitment to providing good service to our customers.”

Iota Services Marketing and Partner Director Emma Milburn, who is also the Victorian President for AWA, said there is a great level of support within the sector – it is quite nurturing in terms of developing emerging leaders, offering professional development opportunities and making sure people are able to make the most of their skills.

“The industry tends to view people for the skills they have that are transferable, rather than just consider them for the role that they’re currently in,” she said.

“And once you’re in, the idea of being able to add value with the skills that you have is really captivating, but also creates longterm impact for something bigger than yourself and bigger than financial return.”

“ The industry is of a size where

where there’s plenty of opportunity and plenty of mobility, but you still can really feel part of a larger community.”

Professor Stuart Khan, University of Sydney

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Being able to support communities is a major part of the appeal of the water sector for Beca HunterH2O Principal Process Engineer Michael Carter. He spent the first part of his career in cities, but came to really appreciate his job when he started working in regional NSW.

“I realised then that there was a huge discrepancy between the quality of water that some regional towns were receiving compared to the city. I started to work with more and more regional councils and realised this is a common theme.

People were saying ‘Well, this is just how it is’ but I’m thinking ‘Well, that’s not good enough’,” he said.

“That’s when I realised I could make a difference in regional communities – by improving the capacity, taste or safety of the drinking water – rather than in a city where the water’s already safe. That’s when I really realised how much I love this work; I can make a real impact’.” ▶

AWA’S CAREERS IN WATER PROGRAM

The war for talent in Australia continues and the water sector needs to find more people across an increasingly broad skillset.

Last year the Water Services Association of Australia’s (WSAA) People and Capability Committee recognised the need for an industry-wide Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to raise the profile of the industry, help attract potential candidates to the sector, and remind those who already work here of the importance of what they do.

WSAA joined forces with the Australian Water Association (AWA) to create a campaign – Careers in Water. The AWA funded and delivered a dedicated platform to host the discussions and insights produced. The program focuses on what differentiates the sector.

Project objectives include:

• Driving understanding and awareness of the water industry and the vital role those who work in the industry play;

• Positioning water as an industry of choice;

• Instilling a sense of pride and desire for both existing employees and prospective talent; and

• Driving applications for key talent segments across industry members and partners.

Program resources available include video and short story content featuring water professionals, development of campaign brand assets for use by members and a media tool kit.

Interested in learning more about how your organisation can support careers in water?

Visit careersinwater.com.au

increasing demand. Business-asusual isn’t going to be sufficient, so we need to attract people with the right skills to deliver now and into the future.”

Ironically, the better the industry is at looking after our water, the more invisible it becomes, which presents a challenge when trying to raise the profile of water.

“Nobody wishes for a crisis, but future challenges such as climate change are things we need to deal with, leading to discussions in the media, around the dining room table at home, and in classrooms.” Khan said. "This is an opportunity to make sure that the diversity

of jobs and opportunities we need in the water industry is broadly discussed.”

Cichero suggests improving water literacy with customers so that they better understand the value the industry provides

“Improving the visibility of the industry as a whole is a starting point, leading to a bit more water literacy, or people understanding how the water cycle works, and how we provide services to customers. Then that in turn breeds a better understanding of the value that the industry provides. We’ve become more affordable, but the value that

“ I realised I could make a difference in regional communities… rather than in a city where the water’s already safe. That’s when I really realised how much I love this work.”

Michael Carter, Principal Process Engineer, Beca HunterH2O

we’re providing is arguably increasing. There’s a balance there that we need to keep, and I think informing customers of that value is important.”

Perhaps it comes down to those in the water industry spreading the word.

“I do think there is something unique about the industry. If people want to have a really rewarding career, and be supported throughout their work, water is a really good place for that,” Milburn said.

“There’s an ultimate common purpose that is tied to society, the community and the environment.”

“ Being able to add value with the skills that you have is really captivating, but also creates longterm impact for something bigger than yourself and bigger than financial return.”

Emma Milburn, Marketing and Partner Director, Iota Services

CASE STUDY #3

RECYCLED WATER FUTURE

Project: Purified Recycled Water Demonstration Plant

Region: Greater Sydney

Started: 2020

Leader: Sydney Water

Sydney Water’s Purified Recycled Water Demonstration Plant could provide up to 25% of the city’s water needs by 2056.

By Elle Hardy

Water sourcing that is independent of rainfall is becoming an increasingly important component of a utilities’ supply planning.

Greater Sydney, with a population of five million, currently relies on rainfall for over 85% of its water supply, with the remaining 15% coming from desalination.

In late 2020, Sydney Water began a demonstration project

to investigate the use of purified recycled water for a more resilient and reliable water future. For James Harrington, Project Manager at Sydney Water’s Purified Recycled Water Demonstration Plant, the challenge is not so much technical – rather, the most significant hurdle is managing community engagement and education about the importance of alternative water source options.

“Purified recycled water provides huge opportunities

Sydney Water's Purified Recycled Water Demonstration Plant.

to leverage the circular economy through our wastewater servicing, and also provides that capability to reuse our water rather than send it back out to the ocean,” Harrington said. “It's proven technology, but it is a new technology, and of course that comes with its own challenges.”

Far from going it alone, Sydney is joining some 35 global cities, including London, Singapore and Los Angeles, in using purified recycled water in their supply. To date, water from the Demonstration Plant has been used for irrigation and nondrinking purposes. Sydney Water hopes to eventually incorporate recycled purified water into the general system, easing burdens of a growing population and climate change by recycling up to a quarter of the city’s water in the decades to come.

After first being treated at the Quakers Hill Water Resource Recovery Facility, recycled water is piped to the Demonstration Plant, where it undergoes two filtration steps and two disinfection steps. Firstly, it is treated with ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis. This is followed by advanced oxidation using ultraviolet light and, as with standard drinking water, it is chlorinated to ensure that both the water and pipes are free from any remaining microorganisms.

“This is a very well known process stream around the world, and we are modelling off places like Singapore,” Harrington said. “For us, the challenges are in demonstration outside of the Plant. Changing the operational philosophies and mindsets to create a new product is one of the

bigger challenges in making sure that we are adequately controlling the risks throughout operations.”

The fact that the project has been piloted through a demonstration facility means that operations have been running at a small scale. “It can be quite a challenge scaling down some technology, such as the remineralisation process, because we have to look at alternative pathways to a full-scale dosing system,” he said.

RESOURCE LITERACY

The core functions of the Demonstration Plant are the technical aspects of testing processes and training staff, as well as communicating with stakeholders, Harrington said.

“We undergo a process of testing the water quality that can be produced out of these plants and working with our regulator, New South Wales Health, to ensure the water quality and reliability of the safety of that water long term,” he said.

There are challenges in training technical operators to understand the philosophies behind a new product, which blends wastewater and water treatment to make sure

that there is a robust system in place for eventually scaling up the project. But Harrington said the most important role of the Plant is engaging with the public.

“Rightly, people get concerned when a large organisation starts making changes,” he said. “For us, having a facility where people can come see the water – touch, feel, and observe the process –provides us the capability to go into detailed conversations.”

Harrington said engagement is crucial to help people value water more, as well as the work that goes into supplying it.

“Helping people build up a higher level of water literacy of where it comes from – and how precious of a resource it actually is – is almost as important as the infrastructure itself,” he said.

The Demonstration Plant is already at maximum capacity and will only ever be used for irrigation and potentially local recycled water. This means that the future for recycled water in Sydney would be a separate, full scale plant. In order to get to that point, increasing literacy around alternative sources is critical.

“Obviously, we have traditional and social media plans, but ▶

“ For us, having a facility where people can come see the water – touch, feel, and observe the process – provides us the capability to go into detailed conversations.

James Harrington, Project Manager at Sydney Water’s Purified Recycled Water Demonstration Plant.

CASE STUDY #3

we also have information items such as our ‘wonders of water’ van, which attends community events,” Harrington said. “The main channel for talking about full scale purified recycled water will be using the Environmental Impact Statement process with the Department of Planning and Environment to have a really broad engagement with Greater Sydney, because this affects all of us.”

In the meantime, Sydney Water has been hosting key stakeholders

at the Demonstration Plant, and is soon opening it up to anyone in the community who would like to see the process for themselves, or ask questions and present their concerns.

“We want the public to understand that Sydney Water isn't hiding anything,” Harrington said. “We also want to have enough time that we're not rushing any issues and we've got a robust process around having these conversations.”

Sydney Water customers are interested in how the purified recycled water practice is already in common use around the world.

“The fact that Perth, Singapore and America are already doing this gives people a sense that we're not going into uncharted territory – it's a proven technology,” Harrington said. “People have a strong level of trust in Sydney Water, and we want to keep building on that by moving into the future of water properly.”

CASE STUDY #4

CREATING A RECIPE FOR CUSTOMER SUCCESS

Projects: Financial support

Region: ACT and SEQ

Started: Ongoing

Leaders: Icon Water and Unitywater

“We look at different kinds of variables that might highlight that a customer might be having financial hardship.”

Celia Farnan, Insights and Research Lead, Unitywater

Most utilities are observing increasing numbers of people struggling financially. Here, Icon Water and Unitywater discuss the innovative ways they’re ensuring nobody is left behind.

By Chris Sheedy

The Staying Connected program at Icon Water is not just about looking after customers when they’re struggling financially. More importantly, it’s about meeting a strong social expectation that water authorities will always look after all of the community.

“As we came into the pandemic, most utilities quickly moved to consider how to support our customers in that moment of significant uncertainty,” said Davina McCormick, General Manager Customer Engagement at Icon Water.

“We did a couple of things straight up, including making a decision to freeze prices that first year.”

At the same time, Icon Water considered who should be part of the customer support program, traditionally designed for residential customers. The decision was made to bring small business customers into the fold. Then the utility analysed more broadly its role in the community.

“We looked at how we impact the community, and how we act in a fair way that balances the need to continually invest in assets with how

we help customers who are struggling financially,” McCormick said.

“We talked to the community and received a clear message not to delay prudent and efficient investment, but at the same time it was really important that we consider those who may be struggling.”

The real challenge, McCormick said, was to identify, understand and communicate effectively with those in financial difficulty.

SEEING INTO THE FUTURE

At Unitywater, Insights and Research Lead Celia Farnan has been facing a similar challenge.

The business has not just been focussing on understanding who is currently facing financial hardship; it has also been looking for ways to predict who would likely face such issues in the near future.

“We took a data-driven approach to understand what that looked like in our customer base,” Farnan said.

“In simple terms, we use what data we already have. We look at different kinds of variables that might highlight that a customer might be having financial hardship.”

For example, if a customer extends the payment terms on their

bill, it could hint at future financial challenges, although that’s not conclusive on its own. If a bill is paid late over two or three quarters, that’s another indicator.

“We put different indicators together into one model, and that can help us predict which customers might be in financial stress,” she said.

What then is the result of that data? Does Unitywater approach individuals directly with offers of help, for example?

“It’s not an approach we’d make on an individual basis,” Farnan said.

“It might be the case that if our credit team is talking with a customer and they see some of those indicators, it gives them a better understanding of the customer and they can deal with that accordingly. Or, there might be a communication sent to a group of people flagged as potentially more vulnerable, that will give them more relevant information.”

The current process involves a simple traffic light system, with red being the most vulnerable people and orange being those who could tip over into red. Yellow is a less critical to-watch category and

“

As we came into the pandemic, most utilities quickly moved to consider how to support our customers in that moment of significant uncertainty.”

Davina McCormick, General Manager Customer Engagement, Icon Water

green, the majority of customers, are those showing no signs of vulnerability.

“This information helps us because it makes our conversations with customers more insightful and relevant,” Farnan said.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

For similar purposes, Icon Water has launched a research study into the lived experience of people who are struggling financially, McCormick said. It will result in the organisation being able to communicate more effectively and on a more relevant level.

“During COVID, everything was done very quickly,” she said. “Now, we have the opportunity to speak with those customers directly, to understand their lived experience as well as talking to those that advocate for them.”

Work conducted so far has identified the fact that those suffering financial challenges are not necessarily those who are unemployed or underemployed.

Often they are employed, with young families. Sometimes it is caused by sudden illness or a significant life event. Many are 25 to 40 years of age,

with dependent children or other family members living in their home.

“Financial vulnerability can hit anybody,” McCormick said.

“We want to understand the different types of vulnerability and hardship and what that means to those customers, in their own words. Only then will we truly understand and with their involvement design support options that best support their needs.”

Davina with Kids in Care

Powell & Advanced Industrial Products (AIP) product range

The acquisition by Motion meant Powell and AIP previously a competitor could offer their customers an even wider range of high-quality products and has made them a major supplier of products in the fluid power industry, which offers a hose that’s right for every application.

A perfect example of that is PVC and polyurethane hoses. Powell provides Optima PVC Industrial Hoses. Optima hose has been used in the industry for many years and has been the product of choice in the dewatering and wastewater markets. However, did you know that Powell also supplies Optima layflat hose, which has gained significant market share over the past five years?

Dewatering is important for Powell

The layflat hoses provided by Powell are designed for dewatering applications, made of various substances. By offering assemblies with male and female Bauer couplings, the hoses are easy to use and can be used on almost any site. It also has a crimped solution for layflat hose assemblies, a new and innovative approach. Powell’s crimping solution provides a much better fitment method and almost completely eradicates assembly failures on layflat hoses.

The Exitflex suction hoses are among the range of suction and delivery hoses designed for standard dewatering activities. They are highly flexible, feature soft ‘cuffed’ ends so the couplings can be easily attached, and feature easy-to-handle lengths.

The cuffed ends on the Exitflex suction hose allow for much greater compression and a better fitment method compared to standard water suction hose. We offer these as pre-made 3 and 6-metre assemblies off the shelf to ensure the contractor can quickly get to the site and install them at a moment's notice,” said Pembroke.

We have seen a real shift towards companies wanting to buy our assembled product. Therefore, we have changed our stocking profile to ensure we have ready-to-go hose assemblies for those urgent jobs that creep up occasionally,”

- Matt Pembroke, Powell’s National Sales Manager – Industrial.

BALANCING ACT

Repurposing biosolids for land-based applications is a key lever for achieving circularity, but effectively managing emerging contaminants presents an ongoing challenge for biosolids producers and managers when it comes to ensuring the health of ecosystems.

By Adam Turner

“ The list of emerging contaminants continues to evolve as awareness grows and it can be difficult for state regulations to keep up.”

Kelly Hopewell, Manager of Quality Assurance, City of Gold Coast

BIO BENEFITS

Creating a circular economy within the water sector will require the sustainable management and reuse of all elements of the wastestream – including biosolids. While there has been considerable focus on reusing biosolids as fertilisers for agriculture, emerging pollutants – such as microplastics, PFAS and pharmaceuticals – have the potential to contaminate ground and surface water sources via land application, presenting significant reuse challenges if not managed appropriately in accordance with regulation and available knowledge.

While biosolids return vital nutrients to Australia's soil as organic fertiliser, emerging contaminants create challenges for water treatment plants looking to ensure that wastewater byproducts don't inadvertently threaten the wider ecosystem.

On average, every person in Australia produces 200 litres of wastewater per day, from sources like toilets, showers and laundry. On top of that, industrial and commercial processes large and small also generate significant amounts of wastewater.

According to the Australian & New Zealand Biosolids Partnership (ANZBP) End Use Survey, around 350,000 dry metric tons of biosolids were generated from Australian wastewater in 2021 – roughly 70% was used for agriculture. Typically, biosolids are reused as organic fertiliser, contributing to the circular

economy. Meanwhile, around 10% of Australia's biosolids are used in landscaping and land rehabilitation, while around 15% are landfilled, stockpiled or incinerated.

EMERGING CONTAMINANTS

One of the key challenges with using biosolids in agriculture is to strike the right balance between providing adequate nutrient levels for crops, while ensuring nutrient and contaminant levels remain safe.

City of Gold Coast Manager of Quality Assurance, and former Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Biosolids Partnership (ANZBP) Kelly Hopewell said that, while wastewater treatment plants have always played a key role in tackling pollutants – such as heavy metals, pesticides and carcinogenic organics – today, they must also deal with a new generation of complex emerging contaminants.

"The list of emerging contaminants continues to evolve as awareness grows. It can be difficult for state regulations to keep up. Fortunately, Australia's water community is highlyconscious of its impact on the environment and proactively measures all types of contaminants, even if they are not yet covered by regulations," she said.

Best-known due to their use in firefighting foams, PFAS are found in non-stick cookware and fastfood wrappers, and personal care products like cosmetics, shampoo and sunscreen. Studies of animals have shown adverse effects of ▶

Reuse of precious natural resources

Reduce need for synthetic fertiliser alternatives

Returns crucial nutrients to soils

Reduces dumping to landfill

“By removing all of the volatile contaminants…you've sacrificed a lot of the good stuff along the way –including two-thirds of the carbon.

chronic PFAS exposure on the liver, gastrointestinal tract and thyroid hormones, but there are no well-established, long-term impacts on humans, according to the Australian Government PFAS Taskforce.

Meanwhile, microplastics resulting from the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste are already found in the oceans, the soil and the food chain. The compounds that leach from plastic are linked to serious health issues, such as endocrine disruption, weight gain, insulin resistance, decreased reproductive health and cancer. Once again, the long-term health impact of microplastics is still unclear, according to the World Health Organisation.

Eliminating the source of contaminants has traditionally been one of the most effective tools in protecting public health, Hopewell said, but this new wave of more pervasive contaminants are more difficult to combat.

"Source elimination, stopping contaminants getting into wastewater in the first place, has been very effective when addressing industrial sources, such as heavy metals," she said.

"However, source elimination becomes far more difficult when substances like PFAS and

Professor Damien Batstone, University of Queensland …we should be really conscious of the agricultural and environmental benefits that biosolids bring to society before we go creating too many alternative uses for them.”

microplastics find their way into wastewater through so many every-day products, many of which are manufactured overseas so they are difficult to address."

APPROACHES TO PFAS REMOVAL

While source elimination is an important focus, currently the most efficient way to remove PFAS and microplastics from biosolids is via thermal treatment such as incineration and pyrolysis.

University of Queensland Professor Damien Batstone said, while neutralising contaminants, today's thermal treatments to create biochar unfortunately also sacrifice much of the carbon and nutrients that make biosolids so valuable.

"There are efforts underway in Australia to process biosolids into biochar, basically removing all of the volatile contaminants, but you've sacrificed a lot of the good stuff along the way – including two-thirds of the carbon," he said.

"You can potentially recover some nutrients, such as nitrogen using gas recovery, but it's a very expensive process."

To address this, there is increasing interest in technologies for upstream

Catherine Vero, Principal Process Engineer, Ekistica

extraction of nutrients and carbon from wastewater.

In Australia, the ARC Transforming Biosolids Training Centre is working on a range of technologies for extracting greater value from biosolids.

Existing biological and thermal processes – such as anaerobic digesters and advanced treatment methods like drying, thermal hydrolysis, pyrolysis, gasification and hydrothermal liquefaction –are being studied to realise their techno-commercial potential in different scenarios.

Aside from fertiliser, biosolids have been used in Australia for forestry and mine site rehabilitation, along with landfill capping and road base, but the risk of contaminants leaking must still be managed.

Another way to reduce the release of emerging contaminants into the environment is to use biosolids for other purposes.

Turning biosolids into construction bricks has also shown promising results, tackling two environmental issues in the stockpiling of biosolids and the excavation of soil required for brick production. As well as being cheaper to produce, biosolids bricks also provide lower thermal conductivity, transferring less heat to potentially ▶

give buildings improved environmental performance.

ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES

Second-generation biofuels can be produced as part of the biosolids treatment process to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and tackle carbon emissions. Production of biogas from biosolids digestion is common in Australia, and the biogas is often used to generate electricity, reducing the amount of energy needed from the grid. Australia’s first biomethane project at Sydney Water's Malabar treatment plant will provide thousands of Sydney homes

and businesses with renewable green gas for uses such as heating and cooking.

While there is huge potential to use biosolids for a wider range of applications, Ekistica Principal Process Engineer Catherine Vero said returning vital carbon and nutrients to Australian soil should remain its primary use.

Despite the complexity of managing contaminants, primarily using biosolids for fertiliser offers a range of environmental benefits. Firstly, it ensures nutrients are returned to soil. Secondly, it reduces the dumping of biosolids in landfill, where it generates significant levels of greenhouse gases. It

POLICY PERSPECTIVE

also reduces Australia's reliance on chemical fertilisers, which are energy-intensive to manufacture.

"We have such degraded soils in Australia and the wastewater industry's biosolids can make a serious positive contribution to improving our soils and our crop yields," Vero said.

"While acknowledging contaminant concerns and the need for diversification of biosolids markets, we should be really conscious of the agricultural and environmental benefits that biosolids bring to society before we go creating too many alternative uses for them."

Emerging contaminants are currently governed in Australia by guidelines rather than regulations, with Australia's PFAS National Environmental Management Plan providing guidance and standards on the management of PFAS waste and contamination in the environment.

Public consultation for the draft PFAS NEMP 3.0 closed earlier this year. Meanwhile, the NSW Government is also undertaking a biosolids regulatory review.

Several jurisdictions in the United States and Europe have significantly limited the use of biosolids for land application due to concerns around emerging contaminants, but thankfully levels are much lower in Australia due to lower industrial use and better source control.

An ANZBP survey of 13 sewage treatment plants across the country found the majority of treatment plants had lower concentrations of PFAS than the Australian Government's draft NEMP 3.0 biosolids criteria for restricted use biosolids. However, some biosolids were above the draft limits and management of biosolids application rates would be required to ensure safe final soil concentrations.

According to the ANZBP, it is difficult to reliably estimate microplastics concentration due to the lack of standardised analysis methodologies. Australia does benefit from the fact that most local jurisdictions do not combine their stormwater and sewerage systems, with stormwater a significant source of plastic.

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More than a steel pipe supplier

WATER AND THE CARBON BUDGET

CSIRO’s Dr Pep Canadell is a Chief Research Scientist in CSIRO Environment, Chief Lead Investigator in the Climate Systems Hub of the National Environmental Science Program, and Executive Director of the Global Carbon Project, a global consortium of scientists under the umbrella of Future Earth and a scientific partner of the World Climate Research Program.

HIGHLIGHTS

Target: Mature the field of carbon accounting in Australia to enable and support carbon sequestration initiatives. Method: Focusing on carbon accounting in inland water across Australia to build a comprehensive carbon budget.

Inland waters and coastal ecosystems

are significant contributors to Australia’s overall carbon budget, in terms of

sequestering, emitting

and moving carbon. There’s still a way to go to understanding these carbon flows, according to CSIRO Chief Scientist Dr

Pep Canadell, but work is underway. As told to Cecilia Harris

Tell us about the relationship between the water and the carbon cycle.

The carbon cycle and water cycle are intimately linked through a very unique pore on the leaves of plants, which are called stomata. Stomata need to open to take in carbon dioxide and make carbohydrates to grow. But as they open, the plant loses water. Plants have had to strike the ultimate balance between eating up CO2 and losing water, so they can maximise their growth.

This simple scientific fact describes the entire carbonwater cycle in Australia. As a semi-arid continent, we know water resources here are scarce and plants use water to grow. It’s fascinating to me that these tiny little pores on leaves are responsible for driving carbon sequestration across Australia.

There’s a big trade off. If you want more plants and vegetation

cover for carbon sequestration, you’ll have less water for other uses. There will be less runoff, less water going into the rivers, and less water for agriculture or environmental conservation. There is no easy way of having both.

What potential do different water sources have in terms of providing carbon sequestration?

Starting with inland waters, we have rivers, reservoirs, lakes, ponds, dams and wetlands. This inland water continuum is connected to the land and right down to the coast – it’s all linked and carbon flows through it. And most of the inland waters are actually net sources of carbon – they are emitters of carbon dioxide and methane. Reservoirs can bury carbon and play a function of carbon sequestration, but, as a whole, we consider these inland waters as a source of carbon.

We could look for ways to get more carbon into inland water bodies, which, under proper conditions, could create a longterm impact. But it all depends on what you want that water body to do. And if its main purpose is water storage, then sinking organic matter into it to create a carbon sink might not be compatible. We are currently limited in terms of what we can do with carbon storage in inland waters.

On the flip side, over the past 10 years we have learned that coastal zones have a huge carbon stock. Marine ecosystems do take in a lot of carbon, quite intensively, when you compare them to some of the other ecosystems. Mangroves, seagrass meadows and kelp forests have become a really interesting place to look.

In addition, these coastal zones receive carbon from rivers and other inland waters, because they are part of a continuum starting from the land and ending in the open ocean, with freshwater bodies in the middle. There is a huge amount of interest in how these coastal ecosystems might become part of the larger portfolio of carbon mitigation.

Why is it important to understand the links between water and carbon? What will it help enable?

All of this carbon accounting work is part of Australia’s need to draw up a carbon budget. The carbon budget of Australia is everything to do with all the sources and sinks of carbon, both going into and being removed from the atmosphere, and all the reorganisation of carbon that takes place between freshwater systems, terrestrial and

coastal ecosystems, and the oceans around Australia.

Ultimately, we need to know where the carbon goes, and the net balance of carbon from both anthropogenic activities and natural processes. These two streams are no longer independent, because we have altered nature through anthropogenic climate change. The streams are becoming increasingly blurred and we need to understand how they influence each other.

We want to know how much carbon is accumulating at the bottom of reservoirs, so we can consider if these storages can become part of the carbon budget. But freshwater systems also move carbon from one place to another, and we want to know the ultimate fate of all the carbon flowing through the system. This information will help us design strategies and innovations to help us sequester as much carbon as possible.

The Australian Government is responsible for the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory. From

that national inventory, we develop policies to reach our commitments.By 2030, we have committed to 43% emissions decline from 2005 levels.

By 2050, we have committed to achieve net zero emissions; that’s just around the corner.

Net zero emissions mean that if we have some emissions left by 2050, we will need to find ways to compensate by removing CO2 from the atmosphere. It will be very difficult to do.

Every aspect of carbon is going to become crucial. And so, all of the carbon activity in our freshwater systems becomes a very critical component. Land and waterway carbon will remain very important in the overall balance of the carbon budget on this continent.

Where is Australia at in terms of developing an effective approach to accounting for water-related carbon?

There is a consensus across multiple research organisations ▶

Professor Bradley Eyre from Southern Cross University sampling flood waters on the Diamantina floodplain

(Photo: Pep Canadell)

in Australia that we have a very limited amount of observation. Part of this is to do with the difficulties in measuring carbon flows.

If we go into a reservoir or a lake, we can quite easily measure methane diffusion at the site. However, measuring carbon emissions from ebullition, the sudden burst of methane bubbles, is difficult. How do we even begin to put a system in place to capture the amount of carbon released from bubbles? Australia has researchers trying to develop new methodologies to do it.

There are other challenges in doing this work in Australia. We have a lot of water bodies that are temporary and often remote to access. The top end is an example of that. For six months, it's a very active freshwater system within the overall carbon budget, but then everything dries out. We also have massive intermittent freshwater bodies, like Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, which is only full every so many years. So, we have a lot of challenges in measuring these intermittent cycles.

But there is some innovative work going on looking at

Q& A

utilising field and remote sensing approaches, including satellite technology, to help. But first, we need the on-site measurements to know what is going on and to calibrate the remote sensing products. These developments are recent. We have systems and technological capabilities ready to go. But we acknowledge that this is a field that has been poorly studied to date, so setting up the research takes time.

What research is needed moving forward?

Some people thought that, on a dry continent like Australia, there was no need to be concerned about carbon budgeting. That’s when we thought huge carbon sequestration only occurred in places like the Amazon. But this has been a mistake.

Australia’s carbon emissions and sequestration can be very large and incredibly variable, as they interact with a more unpredictable water cycle affected by climate change.

It’s a big challenge. Shifting the industrial sector from fossil fuels to

renewables is very important, as a dominant source of emissions, but the land and freshwater ecosystems play both a role in emissions and carbon sequestration.

Late last year, we published a comprehensive carbon budget for Australia . All the freshwater is included, but all the estimates had to come from overseas products and modeling because we didn’t have enough data available here. The research community in this field agrees that the next step is to improve these estimates with local field and remote sensing measurements. We need to be feeding our systems with real and local data.

Universities such as Charles Darwin and Southern Cross, along with CSIRO, are looking at a comprehensive assessment of what research is needed on carbon and inland waters across Australia, and its links to coastal ecosystems and oceans. We must know as much as possible about the flows of carbon throughout those systems to build an improved and complete carbon budget for Australia, which is what we are working towards now.

A comprehensive assessment of anthropogenic and natural sources and sinks of Australasia's carbon budget (2023)

Professor Bradley Eyre from Southern Cross University sampling flood waters on Lake Eyre. (Photo: Dirk Erler)

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CASE STUDY #5

BELOW THE SURFACE

Project:

Overview of groundwater in the MDB

Region:

Murray-Darling Basin

Completed: 2023

Leader:

CSIRO and ANU

Producing an overview of groundwater response to a changing climate in the Murray-Darling Basin, one recent research project took a closer look at implications and opportunities for management.

By Jen Walker

The Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) covers more than 1 million km2, traverses five states and territories through oceanic, subhumid, semiarid and desert climate types, and includes three broad groups of aquifers: fractured rock aquifers, alluvial deposits and porous rock.

It was a big ask then, when the CSIRO, partnering with the ANU and other technical experts, was invited to give an overview

of the current state of knowledge of groundwater response to a changing climate for the MDB and outline the challenges and opportunities for future groundwater research and management.

CSIRO Senior Research Scientist Dr Rebecca Doble said it was like putting together a huge jigsaw puzzle, but with lots of pieces missing.

“It was a matter of bringing together knowledge from many

Groundwater dependent vegetation at Yanga National Park. (Image: Tanya Doody)

different research disciplines and data sources, using multiple lines of evidence to come up with a cohesive story and the best understanding of likely outcomes from climate change,” she said.

“We wanted to find which pieces of the puzzle are missing – what are the knowledge gaps? How do these different areas of understanding connect and what's missing between them? What levels of confidence or uncertainty do we have in the information, as well?”

Doble said the work brings together research in surface water and groundwater hydrology, ecology and water management.

“We were looking for a bigger picture to give context to research that's occurred over the last 10 or more years and think about groundwater in the future for the MDB.”

DATA COLLECTION CHALLENGE

The MDB is fortunate to have historical groundwater data, compared with other data-sparse regions of Australia, but while the transition to automated logging of bores has allowed for a higher frequency of data observations, the number of observation bores is decreasing due to the costs of obtaining field data. Doble thinks this is a real problem.

“Overall, even with the increasing sampling frequency, the total volume of data being produced at the moment is decreasing, which affects the ability to make science-informed decisions around management,” she said.

And then there’s the issue of climate change.

“There is some understanding of what climate change means for hydrology. We know that in the southern Basin, there's likely to be a reduced rainfall, reduced streamflow and reduced recharge to groundwater. It's a bit less clear in the northern Basin. But how does that play out through the ecohydrological network, through groundwater systems and groundwater dependent ecosystems, such as floodplain vegetation, aquatic ecosystems and wetlands? That's not well understood,” Doble said.

What is clear is that groundwater levels are lowering in many areas of the Basin, resulting in changing connections between rivers and aquifers. Sections of the river that once had good base flow during dry times now have reduced base flow, or are losing more stream flow to aquifer systems. Climate change has increased the uncertainty around groundwater recharge and stream interactions, and how the ecosystem will respond.

“As water scarcity increases, demands for groundwater will increase for both ecosystem requirements, and agriculture and communities. There will need

to be more discussion within communities and within a very broad range of stakeholders, including irrigators, community members, particularly First Nations peoples, about water management,” Doble said.

“It's important for stakeholders to be part of that decision making and water management planning based on their values, and community’s values, so they are able to inform the prioritisation and development of pathways for resilience and adaptation.

“People need to have access to scientific information to be able to have those discussions and make decisions. The best outcomes are usually found where science is combined with local knowledge and values.”

INTEGRATION IS VITAL

Building the integrity and integration of knowledge and data is one of the main recommendations following the research. Doble said remote sensing data has shown potential for tracking groundwater responses to climate change, while AI and data supply chains can be powerful tools for interrogating larger data sets. ▶

“ Ecosystems are complex. Trees and vegetation are complex in the way they respond to lowering and raising of groundwater. What degree of change can they tolerate?"

Dr Rebecca Doble, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO

CASE STUDY #5

However, sometimes it's just making sure there's enough loggers in the right places to inform the specific questions that are needed for adaptive and integrated water management.

Overall, integrated modelling, management and building better bridges between different disciplines is the key.

“Surface water and groundwater, as one example, ha been traditionally managed separately. They are addressed separately in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan (the Plan) and there are opportunities to facilitate integrated management of both surface water and groundwater,” Doble said.

“Water banking is an example of this; it has shown a lot of potential for storing water in aquifers in periods of high surface water flow, and then allowing

that to be used during droughts or dry periods.”

For water banking to work more effectively, there would need to be changes to the existing water accounting systems, with researchers recommending the establishment of demonstration sites to allow for learning and wider adoption.

There is also the opportunity to use alternative water supplies to supplement fresh groundwater. More climate-resilient sources, such as desalinated brackish groundwater or recycled water, might be more economically viable options in the face of the increasing effects of climate change and water scarcity.

“Australia is very advanced in water resource science, particularly groundwater dependent ecosystems, but there's still a lot of opportunities for

better understanding of ecosystem thresholds and environmental water requirements. Ecosystems are complex. Trees and vegetation are complex in the way they respond to lowering and raising of groundwater. What degree of change can they tolerate? How long can they tolerate it before a decline in condition or ecosystem transition?” Doble said.

“It's a matter of trying to put all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together and start thinking of the Murray-Darling Basin as a whole, integrated system and considering what opportunities there are for managing that in a more integrated manner. “

The CSIRO team will continue to work with federal and state agencies to further identify key knowledge gaps and how to address them, leading up to a review of the Plan in 2026.

Field investigations to quantify flow between groundwater and the river. (Image: Sébastien Lamontagne)

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• Kiribati Desalination Project

CCB Envico has experience in and current capabilities with the design, construction, and commissioning of:

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95

GAS INFUSION TECHNOLOGY

Providing an overview of Gas Infusion Technology as an approach for oxygenating and treating wastewater.

96

DESALINATION EFFICIENCY

Implementing artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies at the Gold Coast Desalination Plant.

97

COMPARING SCHEMES

Exploring the differences between decentralised and centralised desalination schemes.

98

SAFE DRINKING WATER

Improving raw water quality from Warragamba Dam following a series of extreme weather events.

99

PFAS TECHNOLOGY

Studying a radial flow cartridge system to remove PFAS from surface water.

100

REDUCING ENERGY COSTS

Strategies for maximising total cost savings for seawater reverse osmosis.

101

MEAT INDUSTRY WASTE

Revolutionising wastewater treatment in the meat industry to help protect the environment.

102 STUDENT PAPERS

Take a look at the latest papers from the Australian Water Association’s Water e-Journal Student Edition.

PFAS removal: the forever chemical now has an expiration date

OLEOLOGY Australia

Developing a water treatment system for the removal of PFAS.

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known as the “forever chemicals” and are persistent in the environment and humans. This is because PFAS contain double carbonfluorine bonds, which are the shortest and strongest chemical bonds. The first appearance of PFAS was in the 1950s, when they were the main ingredients in non-stick and waterproofing treatments and coatings. The manufacture and usage of PFAS subsequently increased in the late 1960s in the United States, especially for use in firefighting foam. PFAS are also transported great distances in the environment via atmospheric and ocean currents, as evidenced by the detection of PFAS in the Arctic environment in biota (e.g. polar bears, seals, etc) and in soils and water.

PFAS have become a global concern, resulting in the creation of relevant regulations and guidelines.

In 2001, an international environmental treaty was signed to

eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PFAS.

In May 2009, nine new chemicals were banned, and the production and use of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), its salts, and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (POSF) were restricted.

In 2018, Australia and New Zealand collectively developed a PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP), which was designed to achieve a clear, effective, coherent, and nationally consistent approach to the environmental regulation of PFAS.

Advancement in technology has been expedited due to the new emerging list of PFAS compounds and can now be measured down to parts per trillion (ppt) as noted in the NEMP. Currently there are four methods of treatment including; granular activated carbon (GAC), ion exchange resin (IX), foam fractionation (FF) and adsorbents (MYX).

Performance of systems consisting of GAC and IX beds have been used to reduce PFAS to compliance levels.

However, the media has shown limitations to the presence of co-contaminants (i.e. emulsified hydrocarbons, suspended solids). Implementing foam fractionation (FF) still requires other polishing

treatment stages and commonly use GAC and IX, however, all aforementioned treatment stages had large volumes of waste and high energy.

OLEOLOGY research and engineering department developed a water treatment system that incorporates an adsorbent media called MyCelx technology. The fixed chemistry of the MyCelx technology is robust, and has affinity for hydrocarbons, organics, metals and synthetic organics which PFAS are classified as. The benefit of this MyCelx fixed chemistry and affinity for cocontaminants and PFAS is the ability to treat more water prior to change of media.

Performance assessment to evaluate the performance comparison against conventional methods (GAC & IX) and in parallel to the OLEOLOGY designed PFAS system demonstrated positive results. The Granular Activated Carbon was heavily impacted by co-contaminants within the first 10,000L of process water prior to change of media, whereas the adsorbent MyCelx media remained operational for 1,000,000L, without breakthrough of PFAS.

By comparison with conventional treatment technologies, MyCelx has a comparatively lower cost, requires a smaller footprint, and allows for easier waste management.

Resilience through disasters: the reinstatement and subsequent restart of the Sydney Desalination Plant

Reece Karamihas and Matt Blaikie

Reinstating the Sydney Desalination Plant following an extreme weather event.

The Sydney Desalination Plant is located in Kurnell, NSW, and has a nameplate capacity of 250 ML per day. The plant has provision for expansion of up to 500 ML per day with inlet/outlet seawater tunnels, delivery pipeline and land already sized accordingly.

On 16 December 2015, an extreme weather event (the Storm), described as a tornado, struck Kurnell with high rainfall, hailstones and unusually strong winds, measuring up to 213 km per hour.

The subsequent Reinstatement Project proved to be a high risk and complex scope of works, particularly due to the catastrophic and widespread nature of

damage and uncertainty of asset damage. All plant buildings required significant repairs, and of the ~34,000 operational assets inspected, about 15% were completely replaced, with the remaining undergoing inspections and repairs to return the assets to their prior condition.

The Reinstatement Project was completed in early 2018, and the plant was successfully restarted on 27 January 2019, as a result of falling Sydney dam levels, with the combined greater Sydney dam storages falling below the 60% restart trigger.

Drinking water was first transferred to Sydney Water Corporation in March 2019 and full production was successfully reached by mid-2019.

How much water supply resilience is enough? – A discussion paper

Lee Donaldson

Investigating the two ends of the resilience spectrum to assess water supply services.

Resilience for water supply systems is the ability to maintain supply when the system is impacted by a disruption from the norm. It is not just about source reliability. It includes all manner of infrastructure failures and natural disasters, and even terrorist and war events.

There is a spectrum of failure scenarios ranging from relatively short, local supply area outages, through to city wide total losses of supply, and the associated consequences range from inconvenience to catastrophic. Whatever the nature of a supply disruption, there will be a resilience measure which could be taken to reduce its impact, but could that measure be justified, particularly when there is a small probability of it ever being needed? Such questions might be addressed by economic assessments for relatively frequently occurring disruptions but become

problematic for rarely occurring resilience events.

This paper’s title How much water supply resilience is enough? – A discussion paper suggests that a level of service approach could be taken where service standards are developed through a peer review process between supply authorities. However, there are currently few Australian authorities with resilience related levels of service standards and, as a starting point, guidance has been taken from any relevant standards, even though they might not even be directly related to water supply. To that end, this paper investigates the two ends of the resilience spectrum, i.e. relatively frequently needed, and exceptionally infrequently needed resilience events.

It was found for frequently occurring events that water supply levels of service of 10 to 15 years are outlined in the Hunter Water version of the Water Supply Code of Australia. Interruption rates collated by the Bureau of Meteorology show that Australian water supply systems are generally operating at similar standards. Storage tanks are often the main source of resilience for such systems and have been historically sized using qualitative methods without reference to level of service requirements. This paper discusses the alternative use of quantitative methods

which combine the probability of a resilience, i.e. failure, event’s occurrence with the concurrent demand probability and the desired level of service.

At the other end of the resilience spectrum, extremely infrequently occurring events have already been considered by many authorities with respect to drought impacts. However, resilience requirements for natural events such as floods, bushfires, and earthquakes, and infrastructure failures, have generally only been achieved as a collateral benefit after meeting drought requirements. The National Emergency Risk Assessment Guidelines indicate that resilience capable of maintaining supply in events with average recurrence intervals of 1000 to less than 10,000 years should be provided. That is consistent with the essential minimum supply volume concept legislated for South East Queensland which provides a 1 in 10,000-year level of service for drought resilience, in conjunction with high level water restrictions. A general review of Queensland urban centres found resilience, and approaching a 10,000-year standard could, in many cases, be reasonably provided in conjunction with high level water restrictions if independent water source and treatment capabilities from adjoining supply areas were interconnected.

Gas infusion technology: an innovative way to oxygenate and treat wastewater

Giancarlo Ronconi, Andre Monutti, Max Mackenzie and Wade Campbell

Providing an overview of Gas Infusion Technology, an innovative approach for oxygenating and treating wastewater.

Gas Infusion Technology aims to dissolve oxygen into liquids without the need for bubbles, resulting in stable liquid streams with high levels of dissolved oxygen. The effectiveness of Gas Infusion Technology was evaluated through full-scale pilot plants in Canada and Brazil, focusing on oxygen introduction and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal. Additionally, the implications of implementing Gas Infusion Technology on capital and operational expenditures (CAPEX and OPEX) for wastewater treatment plants were examined. Traditionally, wastewater treatment plants have used aeration systems with mixers and propellers to introduce oxygen through sparging bubbles into the mix liquor. However, Gas Infusion Technology offers a bubble-less mass transfer operation, allowing

for the dissolution of sparingly soluble gases, such as oxygen, in liquids. Gas Infusion employs hydrophobic microporous hollow fibres within vessels called Inline Liquid Saturators (ILS), providing a large interface area for gas transfer. This technology enables the production of stable liquid streams containing significant amounts of dissolved oxygen.

The process of Gas Infusion involves passing water through the ILS and its fibre modules, where oxygen molecules are absorbed by the water due to their solubility. Simultaneously, other absorbed gases, like nitrogen and hydrogen sulfide, are pushed out of the water.

The resulting oxygenated aqueous stream is stable, providing extended exposure to bio-available oxygen for the target organisms. The high oxygen transfer efficiency of Gas Infusion allows for supersaturation, even in hightemperature environments.

To evaluate the effectiveness of Gas Infusion Technology, pilot plants were established in Canada and Brazil. Both pilots aimed to ascertain the technology’s ability to infuse oxygen into wastewater and quantify potential power savings compared to a reference plant.

The Gas Infusion system effectively transferred oxygen into primary effluent, mixed liquor, and final effluent, reducing the biological oxygen demand

consistently and achieving the required effluent permits.

The pilot plants demonstrated that Gas Infusion Technology can effectively introduce oxygen into wastewater and achieve BOD reduction. The technology offers advantages such as improved biokinetics in the activated sludge process, reduced power requirements and enhanced biological reactors. Implementing Gas Infusion Technology in wastewater treatment processes can potentially lead to significant energy savings and operational efficiencies.

The adoption of Gas Infusion Technology in wastewater treatment plants requires consideration of capital and operational expenditures. The pilot projects provided insights into the configuration of fullscale systems and the associated costs. By understanding the implications on CAPEX and OPEX, organisations can make informed decisions about implementing Gas Infusion Technology in green-field wastewater treatment plants.

Seawater desalination energy efficiency and emissions reduction at Gold Coast Desalination Plant

Jonathan Jo

Implementing artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies at the Gold Coast Desalination Plant to increase efficiency and reduce electricity consumption.

The Gold Coast Desalination Plant (GCDP) faces the challenge of optimising the energy-intensive reverse osmosis (RO) desalination process where the primary objectives are to improve reliability, maintain water quality and improve operational efficiency. The cost of electricity accounts for a significant portion of production costs, ranging from 60% to 70% at higher production rates. In response to these challenges, Veolia has implemented artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies at the GCDP to increase efficiency and

reduce electricity consumption, i.e. scope 2 emissions.

The integration of AI and ML technologies allows for realtime analysis and optimisation of operational parameters in the RO process. By analysing historical and current operational data, the ML algorithm generates daily recommendations for RO operational setpoints, such as RO Recovery (%) and Permeate Flow (m3/h). These setpoints directly influence pump power consumption and energy requirements. The ML algorithm considers various factors including temperature, pressure, conductivity, flowrates and pump power to optimise the operational parameters within design and operational limits.

The collaboration between Veolia and a cleantech startup has enabled the successful implementation of AI and ML technologies at the GCDP. The performance tests conducted have provided valuable insights into the potential energy savings and emission reductions that can be achieved. The results indicate that AI-driven optimisation of the RO process can lead to significant cost savings, improved sustainability, and enhanced operational performance.

Preliminary performance tests have demonstrated a baseline 1.1% reduction in energy consumption for the RO pumps when operating with AI-generated setpoints. This provides a foundation for further improvements in energy efficiency. At 1.1%, the estimated potential energy reduction at the GCDP is approximately 1044 MWh per annum, which would lead to a reduction of approximately 762 tonnes of CO2-e emissions.

Further improvements and refinements are being explored at the GCDP to capitalise on the initial success. One potential avenue is the variation of permeate flow setpoints for individual RO trains, which could yield an additional 1-1.5% theoretical energy savings. This aspect requires further testing to evaluate its feasibility within the existing pressure-centre and control system.

The successful implementation of AI and ML technologies at the GCDP serves as a model for other desalination plants worldwide. The case study demonstrates the potential of these technologies in optimising treatment plant operations, reducing energy consumption, and minimising environmental impact. By adopting AI-driven approaches, desalination plants can achieve improved efficiency, reduced costs, and increased sustainability, all while ensuring a reliable water supply for growing populations.

Here, there and everywhere: a comparison of centralised and decentralised desalination schemes

Rebecca Argento, Nathan Peiper and Greg Finlayson

Exploring the differences between decentralised and centralised desalination schemes to consider suitability within different scenarios.

Desalination plants are a reliable alternative source of potable water in rainfall dependent water supply areas. 10 to 15 years ago, the increased efficiency and reduced costs of reverse osmosisbased seawater desalination plants reached a tipping point and they became viable options for water supply for major Australian coastal cities. This timing matched a period of drought in Australia, and several

large reverse osmosis plants were constructed to supply the major cities of Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Gold Coast and Melbourne. All of these were single plants in a centralised scheme, built to service coastal cities housing millions of people, with large infrastructure and delivery requirements.

This paper seeks to highlight the potential differences between decentralised and centralised desalination schemes and identify the situations in which one is more suited than the other. The discussions presented are based on expectations for Australian projects, and the findings are based on recent work for our clients in Australia who are seeking answers to this question.

A key difference is that decentralised plants can in theory be located near end users (thereby reducing transfer requirements). Centralised schemes by their nature need to supply a larger consumer base and therefore some of these consumers will necessarily be far away, particularly for cities with large urban sprawl and

lower density housing. Therefore, centralised plants tend to be located a large distance away from most end users and require longer and larger delivery systems. The following aspects should be considered when assessing decentralised desalination schemes versus centralised desalination schemes: availability of multiple sites within highly urbanised cities, value of land within each service area, the bathymetry of source waters, the level of management and oversight required to deliver a program of works, site and sea conditions at each plant site and the requirement for multiple approvals, applications and consultations with local government, utilities and community groups. Where these risks are either proven to not exist or are minor in comparison to a centralised desalination plant, t hen a decentralised scheme may be favorable. A cost estimate will be required for the particular scenario to establish the economic context as this can vary widely between sites.

Advanced optimisation in pilot-scale trial and emergency pretreatment design to produce safe drinking water

ASM Mohiuddin, Yue Cong Wang and Saravanamuthu Vigneswaran

Improving raw water quality from Warragamba Dam following a series of extreme weather events.

Sydney’s Warragamba Dam is the largest water source in Sydney, with a storage capacity of over 2000GL of water. The Warragamba Dam supplies raw water to the three water filtration plants (WFPs) and, after treatment, these WFPs produce safe drinking water for more than 4 million people in Sydney. These three WFPs downstream of the Warragamba Dam are contact filtration treatment plants. Hence, the designed raw water quality envelope for these WFPs is low, with turbidity <7 NTU and true colour <30 CU420 (colour unit measured at 420 nm).

Following a severe drought in 2018-19, bushfires in late 2019, and three successive extreme rain

events between 2020 and 2022, the water quality in Warragamba Dam was significantly deteriorated. This resulted in a turbidity of >110 NTU and a true colour of >100 CU at 420 nm, representing a significant increase of suspended particles and natural organic matter respectively in raw water.

Sydney Water carried out advanced bench-scale Jar tests and novel optimisation at the pilot-scale contact filtration plant using the extremely deteriorated quality raw water from the dam caused by extreme events. Utilising the extensive test results, Sydney Water was able to produce safe drinking water (turbidity <0.20 NTU) from full-scale Water Filtration Plants (WFPs) that have contact filtration technology, avoid potential severe impacts on 85% of Sydney’s water supply and ensure drinking water met Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, while raw water quality remained outside the design envelope of the contact filtration plants. The findings from Jar tests and novel optimisation in a pilot-scale contact filtration plant for increased suspended particles (turbidity) and natural organic matter (true colour) in raw water

are discussed in this paper. Sydney Water also carried out extensive Jar tests to design emergency pre-treatment processes upstream of the contact filtration process at the WFPs.

The emergency pre-treatment process design, construction, and commissioning prepared the WFPs to undertake successful water treatment in the event of a further deterioration of raw water at the inlet to the plants. This paper presents the evaluation of various pre-treatment processes and their efficiency in removing elevated turbidity (suspended particles) and true colour (organics) from deteriorated quality raw water. The elevated true colour and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) represents a significant increase of natural organic matter (NOM) in the raw water due to extreme events. The characterisation of DOC of raw water and its impact on the contact filtration water treatment process is also discussed in this paper and fills up the knowledge gap. Through bench-scale Jar tests, the removal of DOC and its fractions by various pre-treatment processes were also evaluated.

Per and poly-fluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) removal by a radial flow cartridge system

Studying a radial flow cartridge system to remove PFAS from surface water.

The environmental management of per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a high priority for environmental regulators around the world. There is a need for technologies that can appropriately remove PFAS from surface water. Two field-scale studies were undertaken of a radial flow cartridge system (RFCS) installed to remove PFAS from surface water at a site in Western Sydney, NSW, Australia.

The RFCS incorporated a media blend for the removal of PFAS previously tested in a laboratoryscale environment by Allingham et al (2020). Results from the first field study demonstrated a PFAS removal of 87% (at a mean influent concentration of 1.43 µg/L) for a total load removal of 0.34 grams during the peak performance

period – after which replacement of the RFCS media would likely be recommended to ensure high PFAS removal rates for a single RFCS. The second field study incorporated pre-treatment using a membrane cartridge system (prior to subsequent treatment by the RFCS) and demonstrated a PFAS removal of 93% (at a mean influent concentration of 66.6µg/L) for a total load removal of 2.01 grams of PFAS removed during the peak performance period. In addition to the high rate of PFAS removal provided, the RFCS is anticipated to provide additional benefits (in comparison to alternative PFAS removal technologies) that will augment the installation and operation of these systems, particularly at constrained sites, such as the ability of the system to be installed and operated below ground level.

Brad Dalrymple, Blake Allingham, Michael Wicks, Warren Jones and James McDonald

Design strategies for reducing energy total costs for large-scale seawater reverse osmosis

Kenneth Chao, Eugene Rozenbaoum and Hoon Hyung

Essential design considerations impacting energy use and strategies for maximising total cost savings for seawater reverse osmosis.

One of the main obstacles limiting seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) from becoming a more widespread solution to water shortages, is the overall capital and operational costs partially driven by energy consumption required for the SWRO process.

Since its inception, however, the power requirement for SWRO has decreased dramatically through numerous factors, including improved RO membrane performance, the introduction of energy recovery systems, and improved design practices and efficiency. While many of these

solutions relate to technological advances, membrane system design can be optimised during the design stage and maximise total cost savings of using SWRO.

Efficient energy use is critical, especially in the Middle East where mega-SWRO projects are in operation and planned. Energy costs have historically made up the second largest portion of expenditure, but now occupy the largest in recent desalination projects. With high feed water salinities driving up feed pressure and wide temperature ranges requiring two-pass systems to meet permeate quality requirements, optimising designs for these mega-SWRO plants can be a complex process.

Minimising energy consumption and equipment capital costs is essential for the cost-effective production of large volumes of water. Numerous mega-SWRO plants expect to operate over several decades, and minor improvements can become sizeable savings over time.

Improving design practice of SWRO to reduce power consumption requires a thorough

analysis of all components, such as operating conditions, recovery, system flux, and membrane model selection. Design choices typically come with a trade-off to take into consideration. In this case, appropriate membrane selection can reduce the energy consumption without compromising quality.

Membranes with higher rejection in the first-pass provide better permeate quality, minimise the size of the second-pass, increase overall recovery, and lower the total amount of required water by the system. While better rejection is typically associated with higher feed pressure, the latter is not the definitive parameter in determining operating cost. Systems can deliver superior overall performance and energy consumption to offset a higher feed pressure disadvantage. System designs need to accommodate worstcase conditions while optimising performance for the most common operating points to minimise power consumption.

Transforming wastewater treatment in meat processing plants

Fabiana Tessele

Revolutionising wastewater treatment in the meat industry to help protect the environment.

Imagine a world where wastewater from meat processing plants can be turned into valuable resources, benefiting both the environment and the bottom line. A groundbreaking study has developed a cutting-edge digital tool that aims to make this vision a reality. This tool revolutionises the way wastewater treatment facilities operate in red meat processing plants, with a strong focus on improving environmental compliance and reducing the overall carbon footprint.

The primary goal of this digital tool is to facilitate the preliminary sizing and economical evaluation of integrated resource management facilities for wastewater treatment in red meat processing plants.

But what does that mean for the average person?

Well, it means transforming traditional wastewater treatment

facilities into resource recovery plants that contribute to a sustainable future.

This innovative tool addresses several key objectives. First and foremost, it aims to reduce nutrient emissions, ensuring that water bodies are not adversely affected by the discharge of harmful substances.

Additionally, it promotes wastewater recycling, minimising water consumption and conserving this precious resource. By optimising waste management practices, the tool also strives to minimise waste generation, promoting a more efficient and sustainable approach.

One of the most exciting aspects of this digital tool is its ability to harness biogas energy production. By capturing and utilising biogas—a byproduct of the treatment process—these plants can generate renewable energy, further reducing their reliance on fossil fuels. This not only benefits the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but it also offers a potential source of cost savings for the industry.

The development of this digital tool was guided by a comprehensive framework that considered various factors. These include the scale of operations,

the urgency of wastewater issues as outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the adaptability of the tool to different plant sizes. By taking these factors into account, the tool is well-equipped to cater to the diverse needs of the red meat processing industry.

The ultimate aim of this model is to provide decision support for wastewater treatment and waste management, empowering the red meat processing industry to align with net-zero goals. By embracing resource recovery and adopting a circular economy approach, these plants can significantly contribute to a sustainable future. It’s a win-win situation, where the environment benefits from reduced pollution, and businesses can thrive by adopting more efficient and cost-effective practices.

In summary, this groundbreaking study introduces an innovative digital tool that revolutionises wastewater treatment in red meat processing plants. By transforming conventional facilities into resource recovery plants, this tool aims to enhance environmental compliance, reduce the carbon footprint, and promote sustainable practices. It is a significant step towards a more sustainable future, where industries and the environment can coexist harmoniously.

Student Papers

Sequencing-based monitoring of pathogenic viruses in wastewater

Tanjila Alam Prosun, University of Wollongong

The concept of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), which was initially developed for polioviruses (and a few other infections) many years ago, was widely used during the COVID-19 epidemic. In contrast to traditional methods, WBE offers low-cost, immediate, and objective findings. It is based on extracting, discovering, examining, and elucidating chemical or biological components, often known as biomarkers, from a wastewater matrix.

Nowadays, wastewater surveillance has become an important tool for monitoring the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within communities. The accurate, sensitive, and highthroughput detection of SARSCoV-2 in wastewater is of great importance for WBE. Researchers found Reverse Transcription Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) has a fast and specific amplification ability of target DNA/RNA sequence. As a result, it has been widely used in

the detection and quantification of human pathogens (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater, but it also has some drawbacks. The limitation of RTqPCR is its poor throughput, which only allows for the simultaneous analysis of a few genomic targets. The limitation of PCR-based approaches is that the pathogen genome must be known in advance to construct the primer and probe.

Drinking water catchment protection as disaster risk reduction: Modelling community support for restrictive recreation policy using the health belief model

Dr Holly Marlin, University of Newcastle

While natural and anthropogenic hazards are increasing, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) can protect individuals and communities from the adverse effects of disasters associated with those hazards. Under global and Australian agreements, all levels of society are responsible for DRR – including the prevention of foreseeable new hazards and reducing existing

hazards – with the greatest onus for action being on government.

DRR can be achieved through implementing policies to reduce or remove hazards. As policies need to be accepted and followed by the community to be effective, it is important to understand the variables influencing community acceptance of those policies.

Drinking water contamination, which can result in the loss of life or injury to customers and damage to water sources, is

a significant public health and disaster hazard. Recreation in drinking water catchments is a preventable water contamination hazard that can be mitigated through restrictive policy.

Recreation in catchments was used as a case study for understanding community acceptance of DRR policy.

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Don Crawford

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Duncan Wallis

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Edward Stewart

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Elaine Pang

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Elvis Saric

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Emily Cotterill

Emily Hill

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Emma Milburn

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Eric Vanweydeveld

Erin Cini

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Francois Gouws

Frederic Blin

Frith McLellan

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS

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Greg Greene

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Jingwen Zhang

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Jodieann Dawe

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THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS

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Zena Smith White

Zhaozhi Zheng

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MORE THAN WORDS

Dr Annalisa Contos is a chemical engineer with a doctorate in aquatic chemistry, and a passionate advocate for neurodiversity in the water sector.

In 2009, I set up my consultancy, supporting water utilities managing drinking and recycled water quality risks. With two boys on the autism spectrum, I couldn’t balance work and supporting them in their therapies and schooling in a salaried role.

Both my boys are very bright and definitely not typical. The low expectations we have for people with disabilities has been a real frustration, and something highlighted by the Disability Royal Commission.

Therapists would ask us to set goals for the boys, like tying their own shoelaces. Mine was always that I wanted them to pay taxes and be contributing members of society.

You can get aids to help with shoelaces – you can’t replicate the dignity of work and supportive, meaningful environments for their wellbeing.

STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY

We know that the water sector has a critical skills shortage,

even if we don’t know how big it is. Neurodiverse thinkers have the skills we need and they are underemployed.

Our sector is well suited to people who are on the spectrum or have ADHD. My younger boy’s reading material of choice is appliance manuals. He loves learning how things work and how to fix them.

What an asset he would be in the right supportive environment.

The technology industry engages well on this front, and we can learn a lot from it. Companies like IBM have great diversity programs that align to the special interests of neurodiverse people.

We also need better inclusivity, like understanding that hotdesking might not work for some people, and how to manage communication appropriately.

My call to action for the water sector is this: what are we going to put in place to tap this massive potential? There’s immense benefit to be had, not just for the neurodiverse, but for business and wider society.

“ Neurodiverse thinkers have the skills we need and they are underemployed. ”

Dr Annalisa Contos

Dr Annalisa Contos is a highly experienced technical facilitator and award-winning risk manager in the water, environment and policy fields. Contos founded Atom Consulting in 2009 to build a business that focused on her passions – sharing knowledge, connecting policy with practice and focusing on the overall health and wellbeing of communities. Contos is a chartered professional engineer in the Chemical and Environmental Colleges, an Honorary Associate at the University of Sydney and was a finalist in the 2020 Telstra Business Women’s Awards.

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