Current Magazine February 2017

Current

THE AUSTRALIAN WATER ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE February 2017

P

Volume 1 No 5

WER PLAY

LOOMING CHALLENGES MEAN THE WATER AND ENERGY SECTORS MUST LEARN HOW TO MIX

The Australian expert bringing water to Syrian refugees

Water down under: the state of groundwater

Can a new way of thinking about procurement cut costs?

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Current CON T EN TS

F e b r u a r y 2 0 17

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

FEATURES

16

CRISIS RESPONSE Learn how Paul Byleveld used his experience in delivering water to regional NSW to aid Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

20

MEETING OF EQUALS Mentoring doesn’t always have to involve a large age gap. Meet two professionals who took a different tack.

24

DEEPER UNDERGROUND It has enormous capacity to help Australia meet its water challenges, but what is holding groundwater back from reaching that potential?

28

SECURITY GUARDS Looming water insecurity for many of Australia’s closest neighbours brings enormous risks, but also opportunities.

34

WITHOUT A TRACE? Regulators worldwide are paying more attention to a host of new, emerging micropollutants. What is in store for Australia?

44

POWER PLAY Pressure on emissions and water use means the water and energy sectors are likely going to have to learn to work a lot more closely.

50 54

NEW GOALPOSTS Outcomes-based procurement promises greater efficiency for utilities, but how does it all work?

ELECTRIC BUGS Meet the researcher making big strides in a new breed of wastewater energy generation – creating bacteria that generate electricity themselves.

We’re now witnessing the most dramatic economic and political shift in global power arguably since the Roman Empire.

P30 Australian Water Association’s Jonathan McKeown on the challenges and opportunities in global water security.

www.awa.asn.au

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Current CON T EN TS

THE AUSTR

50

24

81

34

68

NEWS

TECHNICAL

08 10 12 13

58 60 62 63 64 66 68 70 72

From the Chief Executive From the President’s desk Association news Vietwater 2016

INDUSTRY 64

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16

Paul Byleveld

Northern Australian water policy Water trading Demand forecasting Water resource planning Water quality management Contamination markers Variable speed pumping Water data science

20

Mentoring spotlight

24

Groundwater

28

Water security

34

Micropollutants

44

Water-energy nexus

76

Ozwater’17

50

Outcomes-based procurement

78

Events calendar

54

Microbial electrochemistry

81

Social pages

Water-sensitive urban design

EVENTS

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Current CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jonathan McKeown Email: jmckeown@awa.asn.au Content and Brand Manager: Maurice Khateeb Email: mkhateeb@awa.asn.au TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Ted Gardner (Chair); Chris Davis, Australian Water Association; Dr Andrew Bath, Water Corporation; Michael Chapman, GHD; Dr Dharma Dharmabalan, TasWater; Wilf Finn, WaterNSW; Robert Ford (rtd), Central Highlands Water; Antony Gibson, IXOM; Dr David Halliwell, Deakin University; Dr Lionel Ho, Allwater; Des Lord, University of Western Australia; Dr Robbert van Oorschot, GHD; John Poon, CH2M; David Power, BECA Consultants; Dr lan Prosser, Bureau of Meteorology; Dr Ashok Sharma, Victoria University; Diane Wiesner, Science Plus Consulting Group.

Technical Editor: Chris Davis Email: journal@awa.asn.au

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

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

369a Darling St, Balmain, Sydney, NSW 2041 Managing Editor: James Chalmers Email: james@mahlab.co Editor: Rachael Brown Email: rachael@mahlab.co Graphic Design: Sonia Blaskovic and Don Tay Senior Account Manager: Stuart Singleton Email: stuart@mahlab.co Advertising Manager: Heidi Krohn Email: heidi@mahlab.co

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS: Acceptance of editorial submissions is at the discretion of the editors and editorial board.

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

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

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

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From the Chief Executive

ON SOLID GROUND IN THE FACE OF GLOBAL CHANGE, THE ASSOCIATION IS READY TO TAKE A STAND. I extend my best wishes to all of our members for a healthy and successful 2017. With a very warm January holiday period behind us, I hope the water sector can look forward to a year ahead that will see renewed focus on sustainable water management.

Over the holiday period, we have already seen the first samples of change that this year will deliver. The inauguration of US President Trump has generated speculation about the international implications of the US adopting a more internal focus and stepping back from its traditional role in providing global political security for other countries. Certainly a dismantling of existing US trade and environmental agreements will have a direct impact on how water management issues are addressed across the globe.

We can only hope that the need to address global warming will not be discarded. We will continue to advocate that implementing new technologies and encouraging community involvement in adopting alternative water sources and water management practices will continue to drive the behavioural change that we all need.

How we manage the growing repercussions from climate change and declining water security in the immediate future will determine the peace and prosperity of not just the Asian region – within which Australia is based – but the wider international community over the long term.

The current challenges of managing human migration that exceeds 600 million people as a result of economic and climate factors, providing sufficient food production to feed expanding populations and providing access to adequate drinking water are fast becoming the major political risks being addressed by governments all around the world.

Managing water sustainably from both an environmental and economic perspective depends on the adoption of science, technology, community engagement and innovative processes. The active involvement of organisations such as the Australian Water Association to facilitate the knowledge and experience of its members is crucial to address solutions for the water challenges ahead. The need for the Association to take a strong stance on global issues such as climate change, water security and sustainable water management has never been more critical. Our role as advocates for these issues is vital to keep them on the agenda of our state and federal governments.

Helping to shape our own domestic water security with the adoption of science, technology, community engagement and innovative processes is at the heart of what the Association facilitates. Through its discussion papers, industry conferences, advocacy efforts and world-class events, including Australia’s largest water conference and exhibition, Ozwater, the Association provides a powerful platform to contribute to the future of sustainable water management.

The theme of Ozwater’17 is Embracing Innovation and Disruption for a Smart Water Future, and its packed program will cover seven key themes: water’s contribution to communities of the future; innovation in operations and asset management; changes in governance, policy, regulation and structure; customers and community; managing change, people and organisation in the water sector; water for rural, remote and regional areas; and public health. With 250 trade exhibitors, 218 platform presentations and 16 specialised workshops, Ozwater’17 will continue to be one of the most important events for the water sector in Australia.

I invite you to get involved in the Association’s activities this year to benefit from accessing and being part of Australia’s largest water network while contributing to our most vital issue: sustainable water management.

THE NEED FOR THE ASSOCIATION TO TAKE A STRONG STANCE ON GLOBAL ISSUES … HAS NEVER BEEN MORE CRITICAL.

Jonathan McKeown Australian Water Association Chief Executive

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From the President’s desk

NEW YEAR, NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDUSTRY GROWTH Welcome to 2017 and the new future it brings. Last year was big for the Association’s development, full of many highlights worthy of reflection.

We continued to move forward with our very successful digital platform at the start of the year, and the first edition of our new Current magazine was published in February. This was followed by the Association and the IWA jointly sponsoring the Young Water Professionals Conference, an outstanding Ozwater’16 in Melbourne and the World Water Congress in Brisbane (an event we co-hosted).

In addition to these major events, the Association continued to build on its relationships with the Federal Government and partner associations overseas, with additional MoUs being signed and a large and very successful delegation of our members attending Vietwater 2016.

Our new systems have been embedded into the organisation, and we are starting to see returns that will enable the Association to focus its efforts and grow into the future. We have also maintained good relationships with our sponsors and been able to demonstrate the value they get from their sponsorship, which is no easy feat in an uncertain economy.

The other area of achievement in 2016 was membership. When I was elected as your president, I wanted to focus on maintaining and growing the Association’s membership base. We are, after all, a membership organisation, and everything we do is aimed at supporting the industry and our members.

We have moved from being an industry that received enormous investment to one that is in a more steady state.

However, our customers still demand excellent service, as well as leadership in sustainability for our communities through water management.

With the new foundations I described earlier in place, the Association commenced significant consultation across the industry. This culminated in the launch of our new membership offerings in mid-2016. These provide a fresh view on membership categories and enable as many people as possible to access information on our industry. Our new digital offerings provide this exposure.

Like many organisations, our goal is to strike a balance between providing exclusive benefits for members of the Association while extending our reach to as many people in the industry as we can. Our Association offers so much more to members than just access to information, and this is what we need to focus on in retaining and encouraging new members to join.

Yes, membership offers opportunities and benefits such as access to technical sessions, conferences and the associated collaborations, and knowledge sharing. But more importantly, membership provides the opportunity to develop networks and friendships, it enables mentoring, skills development and knowledge sharing, and it provides collegiates opprtunities to drive the agenda for our industry.

The Association is well placed through staff, volunteers and information systems to work with current and potential members to ensure a strong base going forward.

I encourage all readers to continue their membership, and encourage your organisations and colleagues to join; benefits extend beyond what you can get out of membership as an individual, because it also enables you to be a driving force for the water industry of the future through your active participation in the debate.

Let’s have a great 2017 developing a stronger Association together.

OUR ASSOCIATION OFFERS SO MUCH MORE TO MEMBERS THAN JUST ACCESS TO INFORMATION.

Peter Moore PSM Australian Water Association President

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Association news

ASSOCIATION SPECIALIST

NETWORKS REFRESH

M

embers will notice that the specialist networks have been revamped this year to reflect the evolving face of the water industry and embrace new ways of sharing information. Members can now communicate with specialist network committee members and other like-minded individuals through online communities.

Participants can also deliver dedicated specialist network industry news through the national Source newsletter. This will help give members a stronger voice when it comes to water policy and advocacy issues, and means members will see a wider variety of specialist network content through events, webinars, print and digital publications.

Now is the time to ensure your member profile is up to date. There are 19 specialist networks that cover all aspects of the water industry.

Joining a specialist network will give you the chance to help shape the discussion and

direction of the water industry, become more involved in industry events, gain access to professional development and networking opportunities, and share information and resources with members across Australia.

The 19 specialist networks include: • • • • • • • • • •

Asset Management Biosolids Catchment Management Environmental Water Management Membranes & Desalination Operations Rural Water Small Water & Wastewater System Source Management (Liquid Trade Waste) Sustainability

• • • • • • • •

•

Water Education Network Water Efficiency Water Management Law & Policy Water in Mining Water Quality Monitoring & Analysis Water Recycling Water Retail Water, Sanitation & Hygiene in Developing Communities (WASH) Young Water Professionals

To learn more, visit: bit.ly/specialistnetworks

THE CASE FOR ALTERNATIVE FINANCING MODELS Australia is facing unprecedented challenges when it comes to how we plan and manage our water resources, according to a new discussion paper from the Australian Water Association.

A growing population combined with ageing infrastructure, climate change and increased urbanisation presents a unique set of challenges for the country’s water industry – and current financing models just can’t keep up. Utilities have traditionally relied on borrowing to fund projects, but the Australian Infrastructure Investment Report 2015 indicates that investors favour roads over water assets.

The paper presents alternative financing models for water infrastructure through case studies, as well as identifies new opportunities for developments that can meet future needs.

To download this paper, visit: bit.ly/discussionpapers

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AUSTRALIAN DELEGATION TO VIETWATER 2016 ASSOCIATION BOLSTERS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIES

T

he Australian Water Association’s trip to the Vietwater Expo & Forum 2016 has been deemed an “overwhelming success,” strengthening ties between Australian and Vietnamese water utilities.

International Manager Paul Smith said the five-day event, hosted in Ho Chi Minh City in November 2016, generated strong interest from Vietnam’s water sector in Australian innovation and expertise.

“The Australian Government’s relationship with the Vietnamese Government is changing from a relationship based on development aid to one strengthening its focus on trade and investment, by helping to improve the business climate and expand the scope of business opportunities for mutual benefit,” Smith said.

In addition to enabling and strengthening business ties, the Association is also facilitating the implementation of a VietnamAustralia utility twinning program. “The principal focus of the twinning program is to connect Australian water utilities with similar water utilities in Vietnam for the purpose of sharing knowledge and improving the ability of those water utilities to deliver safe, secure, efficient and sustainable water services,” Smith said.

“Australian utilities are in a good position to share their reform journey experiences with their counterpart water utilities in Vietnam to improve their capacity to manage emerging challenges.”

Aside from commercial opportunities and sector partnerships, the delegation also had a strong aid focus, with the Association taking the opportunity to strengthen its relationship with the Vietnam Women’s Union through provincial development projects.

“The union’s objective is to reduce domestic violence, and child and women trafficking, by introducing new revenue into provinces that have been a target for trafficking,” Smith said.

“We’re facilitating the introduction of Australian innovation in water treatment systems in rural areas across Vietnam. This initiative is contributing to the Vietnam and Australian governments’ objectives for increasing access to safe drinking water.”

The treatment systems not only provide quality drinking water, but also create a revenue stream for the families operating the treatment systems. “This is empowering community members to say no to traffickers by giving them a financial alternative,” he said.

Delegates said they gained invaluable insight into conducting business in Vietnam, and enjoyed learning more about the country’s specific water and environmental challenges. This was in addition to a number of leads for development opportunities, as well as useful contacts in the research, government and private sectors.

When they weren’t networking, delegates attended and hosted a number of workshops, technical seminars and even toured water treatment plants in the area.

Smith said he is looking forward to seeing the relationships fostered at Vietwater 2016 develop further in the future.

“Doing business in Vietnam requires strong relationships. The Association’s role is to support relationships between the Australian and Vietnamese water sectors and raise the profile of Australia’s technological innovations and experts,” Smith said.

“It’s from this platform of relationships that commercial opportunities for our members have arisen.”

To download the full report, visit: bit.ly/Vietwater2016

Vietwater 2016 by the numbers 72 Australian delegates from the private sector, government, R&D institutions and utilities attended – the largest number yet $

$15 million worth of business leads generated 5 twinning pairs established between Australian water utilities and Vietnamese water companies

400 exhibitors from 41 companies attended.

Australia was one of 11 countries to have an international pavilion www.awa.asn.au

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Current THE AUSTRALIAN WATER ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE

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

16 20 24 28

CRISIS RESPONSE How Paul Byleveld used his experience in delivering water to regional NSW to aid Syrian refugees.

MEETING OF EQUALS Mentoring doesn’t always have to involve a large age gap. Meet two professionals who took a different tack.

DEEPER UNDERGROUND It has enormous potential to help Australia meet water challenges, but what is holding groundwater back?

SECURITY GUARDS Looming water insecurity for many of Australia’s closest neighbours brings enormous risks, but also opportunities.

34 44 50 54

WITHOUT A TRACE? Regulators worldwide are paying more attention to a host of new, emerging micropollutants.

POWER PLAY Pressure on emissions and water use mean the water and energy sectors must learn to work a lot more closely.

NEW GOALPOSTS Outcomes-based procurement promises greater efficiency for utilities but how does it all work.

ELECTRIC BUGS Meet the researcher who is making big strides with a new breed of wastewater energy generation.

www.awa.asn.au

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Dr Paul Byleveld

Crisis RESPONSE AS THE MANAGER OF NSW HEALTH’S WATER UNIT, DR PAUL BYLEVELD HAS SPENT HIS CAREER HELPING PROVIDE WATER AND SANITATION SERVICES FOR SOME OF THE STATE’S MOST ISOLATED COMMUNITIES. RECENTLY, THOSE SKILLS WERE CALLED UPON FOR THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS.

AUSTRALIAN WATER ASSOCIATION: You have recently spent six months in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley as part of the Australian Government's response to the Syrian refugee crisis. What are the day-to-day challenges relating to water and sanitation there?

PAUL BYLEVELD: The Bekaa Valley borders Syria; in that region there are about 365,000 refugees but very few organised refugee camps. Maybe half live in buildings, from rented apartments to factories, garages or incomplete buildings, and have some access to a town water supply.

But the other half live in informal, tented settlements in rural areas. They need their own water and they need their own toilet systems.

Many of these settlements have access to boreholes, but often the bores are owned by farmers and the refugees might have to pay a fee to access the water. Sometimes that bore water isn’t great quality; it could be affected by sewage contamination from latrines or from farmland pollution.

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Sometimes the chemical composition isn’t good either.

One of the chemicals that was present in a number of the bores in the Bekaa Valley was nitrate, and high doses of nitrate is bad for infants, particularly those aged three to six months who are being fed on infant formula.

There was no community-level treatment of the bore water, but in some settlements there was household-level treatment. Some of the non-government organisations (NGO) had provided household water filters.

That’s the water side. On the sanitation side, the refugees would often construct simple pit latrines, and the United Nations and other organisations would work with refugee communities to improve the latrines, build septic tanks and pump out sewage. The nature of the karst geology and the soil meant that the groundwater could easily be contaminated.

AWA: What was the scope of your work there?

BYLEVELD: I was engaged by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australian Civilian Corps, assigned to work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as a water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) officer. The UNHCR has a program throughout Lebanon – including in the Bekaa Valley – to support the needs of refugees in all dimensions of their life, and one area where support is needed is WASH. We helped design the program: we set the targets for the number of sites that might be supported and what the interventions would be; designed the strategies to put in piped water and truck in safe water; implemented water testing; informed the community about water-quality risks; and improved the latrines. We would design a program, set targets and then fund an NGO to deliver that work in the field. I had almost daily contact with the NGO. That was one dimension of the work. The other dimension in my first few months in Lebanon was to help with meetings where UNHCR coordinated all the different NGOs that were delivering WASH services. We would have a monthly coordination meeting and each of the agencies working in the Bekaa would share information about what they were doing, where the gaps were and any problems that had arisen.

THIS IS

BIG.

THERE ARE 1.5 MILLION REFUGEES IN LEBANON.

ONE IN FOUR PEOPLE INSIDE THE COUNTRY IS A REFUGEE.

www.awa.asn.au

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Dr Paul Byleveld

WE DID NOT SIMPLY DELIVER THE SAME SERVICE IN EVERY PLACE, BUT WORKED OUT WHERE THE GREATEST NEEDS WERE. AWA: Can you give some sense of the scale of the challenge being faced there?

BYLEVELD: This is big. The Lebanese government estimates that the country hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees. One in four people inside the country is a refugee.

It’s fair to say that the government and people of Lebanon have been incredibly generous. Lebanon has responded with humanity to welcome and host the refugees.

Lebanon’s tiny and it’s not rich; the economy is depressed and unemployment is rising. One of the complexities is the unknown time refugees will be there. The crisis has entered its sixth year. Until there’s a stable situation and peace in Syria, the refugees can’t return home safely. This presents an increase in pressure on poor Lebanese communities because often it’s some of the poorest communities that are hosting the largest number of refugees.

In a couple of municipalities, there were more refugees than there were Lebanese people. Municipal services are stretched, and there is an extra burden on infrastructure because of the extra number of people they’d never planned to have in town.

The situation calls for strategic planning. We had to analyse the data for numbers. the distribution, and to help in planning and coordinating the response. Part of my role was to support and facilitate this.

AWA: How do the specific WASH challenges compare to others you have encountered in your career?

BYLEVELD: One challenge was the decentralised model for refugees living in Lebanon. There are many small, informal tented settlements.

Compare that to Jordan, where there are several large refugee camps; I think one of them peaked at a 130,000 inhabitants, and it’s probably now sitting at 80,000. In Lebanon, there are many smaller settlements, and the dispersed nature of small refugee settlements over reasonable areas of land makes it harder to plan and provide services.

A refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley (below), and construction underway on a latrine and septic tank (right).

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My work with NSW Health includes the Aboriginal Communities Water and Sewerage Program. We support 60-odd discrete Aboriginal communities. There are similarities with dispersed service models, but in emergency settings there are often efficiencies if people can be grouped together into larger community structures.

AWA: In those sorts of circumstances, how do you proceed with properly targeting your efforts for maximum impact?

BYLEVELD: UNCHR analysed vulnerability data and used that to target services, with the idea that if the services were well targeted to the areas of greatest vulnerability then by the end of the year of the program we should have reduced the vulnerability we were focusing on.

We did not simply deliver the same service in every place, but worked out where the greatest needs were. For example, if it was a lack of latrines, then latrines should be prioritised. If it was a lack of water systems, then we should put in a water system.

That methodology could be transferred elsewhere, and was a particularly useful initiative.

The vulnerability assessment was based on a survey of the WASH conditions in each settlement and scored by criteria such as the adequacy of water supply and storage. We considered what their water source was, how it was stored and the conditions for the latrines, along with awareness about water quality and hygiene.

We also looked at vectors of disease, the prevalence of flies, mosquitoes, rats and mice.

We scored those criteria to rank their vulnerabilities.

Separately, another team was performing evaluations to look at socioeconomic vulnerabilities. For example, if you had a site that had poor sanitation conditions but was relatively wealthy, you might reach out to them with information about improving hygiene conditions to reduce their disease risks, but you don’t bring in contractors to provide comprehensive services.

AWA: What lasting lessons did you learn over there?

BYLEVELD: One thing that could be transferred from my learnings – other than the vulnerability assessment – is the UN’s approach to strategic planning, which I think was excellent, especially where resources are limited. At times I thought I was doing a mini MBA, because I was juggling such a broad spectrum of planning considerations, as well as program management, budgets, staff and more.

Mentoring

PETER PAT As told to Cecilia Harris

WHILE MENTORING IS COMMONLY A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NOVICE AND INSTRUCTOR, THE LATEST MENTORING PROGRAM PAIRING SHOWS THE VALUE OF SEEKING INSIGHT AT ANY CAREER STAGE.

F

ollowing 25 successful years of work in plumbing, Peter Lynch decided to change direction, enrolling in a Bachelor of Science and Business as a mature-aged student. But making career decisions in your 50s comes with a unique set of challenges.

Peter was paired with Pat Nixon – and for good reason. Changing direction requires a road map, and who better to assist him than someone who has taken the path before?

Mentee PETER LYNCH, UNIVERSITY OF THE SUNSHINE COAST I was a self-employed plumber at age 21, which I really enjoyed. But, as age started to catch up with me, I worked in supervisory roles and realised my skills were a lot broader. I didn’t have the academic rigour to get to where I wanted to go, so at the same time I sent my daughter to university, I went with her. I enrolled in a dual business and science degree. I didn’t expect to return to the water industry, but I went on an overseas exchange studying Norwegian water cycles and the experience really whet my appetite. On returning, I joined the Australian Water Association and shortly after signed up for the Mentoring Program.

My intention was to be an economist within the water sector, but I wanted to learn more about the industry. By joining the program, I wanted to find out whether the career path I wanted would be available to me at this stage in my career. Pat has such a broad understanding of the industry, and was able to identify which parts of the water industry might offer opportunities for me. Pat encouraged me to be really specific about what I want to do, as I expect I’ll only be working in the industry for another 15 years.

Mentor

Mentee

Pat

Peter

Jacobs

University of the Sunshine Coast

Age:

Age:

52

52

Time in industry

Time in industry

27 years

30 years

Nixon

Lynch

Industry experience gap

-3 years

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Mentoring

Pat made me feel very comfortable; he allowed me to take my own direction with our meetings. He explained to me that he had been a mature-aged student too. Like me, he had done a few other things before he went to university. I think the team who matched us up did a great job. There was definitely a connection in how we thought and felt about things.

After our second meeting, I was able to express some insecurities about my current position. Everyone puts on a front, but I was trying to get the most out of the mentoring relationship. I didn’t want to waste the opportunity. I also think that us being the same age was an advantage. I felt like Pat’s experience provided insight into my career, so I didn’t need to explain to Pat the different perspective that I take. We both see all this as about the learning.

We also discussed my personality.

I was encouraged to speak to my last manager and ask for some frank and fearless feedback on how I work. That was great, but also a bit humbling. Pat and I discussed all of these things to ensure that, at each step in my learning and networking, I was doing it as authentically as possible. We wanted to make sure I got the most value out of prospecting opportunities. I learned a lot from him. I’m sure Pat has got outstanding engineering skills, but his people skills were what really impressed me.

The Mentoring Program is really different to the university culture. My experience with the program is that it’s really about self-improvement. I think I’ll be applying my learning from the program towards my intuition about job selection, as I now have a broader understanding of the industry. I’m also thinking about doing my master’s by research, which I hadn’t considered before.

It’s been really great to get advice on where I am heading from a source who’s not critical to my immediate career.

Disagreeing with a more senior work colleague might appear confrontational, but our mentoring relationship allowed me the opportunity to learn, test and examine. It was a really unique opportunity to grow professionally.

to go. The types of things I was able to discuss with him were my understanding of the different components of the industry, as well as various work-life balances within different parts of the industry, which was useful for him.

A lot of people are blinkered by the positions that they’re currently in and don’t have an easy way of appreciating the breadth of the water industry. I think this limits their opportunities. I explained to Peter that there are many options: he could be a contractor or a consultant, or he could work for the government or in research, which might cover one or more areas. What he needed was to work out what he wanted to do with his career going forward. Then I helped him map out the opportunities he’d need to chase in order to achieve what it was that he was after.

Peter was the first mature-age person that I mentored in this way.

He came with life experiences and that gave him certain perspectives, but also certain behaviours that may or may have not been appropriate for the area that he aspired to go into. There were some behaviours that we had to question: ‘Well, do you think that is going to work in the new environment that you want to go into?’ We discussed how doing a little bit of negotiating and socialising initially can help to make sure that everyone was going to get something out of the work or project. For Peter, we were trying to fast-track his career development.

The mentor program helped me relearn some things, too. When mentoring younger people before, I was always the older, experienced one, with the younger-older dynamic at play there. But with Peter, we PETER LYNCH were both the same age. We had had different life experiences, but we were able to talk about them. It allowed me to communicate on a different level with someone who had more of an affinity with the journey I’ve had. It also made me stop and check myself to make sure I wasn’t projecting certain things onto our interactions, particularly ways of communicating with people from another generation.

I have no hesitation in recommending that people of all ages get involved in mentoring. The people who are going to benefit the most from it are those who have already done a little introspection and have realised they need to develop to achieve their desired outcome. A mentor can guide, provide advice and help along the journey. If you are in a situation where you know something is missing but you don’t quite know what it is, then the Mentoring Program presents a great opportunity.

I DIDN’T NEED TO EXPLAIN TO PAT THE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE THAT I TAKE. WE BOTH SEE ALL THIS AS ABOUT LEARNING .

Mentor PAT NIXON, JACOBS For me, the key thing with mentoring is that you get more out of it the more you put into it. I derive satisfaction out of learning and passing on useful things, so when one of the organisers of the Australian Water Association Mentoring Program approached me, I thought: why not?

Peter and I were matched based on my areas of experience and what he indicated he wanted to gain from the program.

Peter was part of the water industry, but he was in a part of the industry that wasn’t particularly aligned with where he wanted

22

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To get involved in the Australian Water Association’s Mentoring Program, as either mentor or mentee, contact your state branch.

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Groundwater

UP TO A THIRD OF THE WATER AUSTRALIA CONSUMES IS GROUNDWATER, BUT MANAGEMENT OF THIS PRECIOUS SUBTERRANEAN RESOURCE FACES MANY CHALLENGES: FRAGMENTED REGULATION, A LACK OF PLANNING AND THREATS FROM MINING.

By Charley Rico

O

ut of sight often means out of mind, and that has long been the case for Australia’s groundwater.

The only source of water in many communities, it also underpins vast amounts of agriculture and is responsible for billions of dollars in economic value each year. But when it comes to regulation and planning, it has been consistently overshadowed by more visible sources of water.

With some exceptions, most regions of Australia have been significantly increasing their reliance on groundwater in recent decades. In the past 10 years, meanwhile, the body of research around groundwater has grown substantially, fuelling a greater understanding of the elaborate complexities of the system, as well as calls from scientists urging governments to step forward and start planning for sustainable groundwater use on a national scale.

MEASURING STICK “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” has been a touchstone of the water industry since the Millennium Drought, and the approach to groundwater is no different. A major driver of improving knowledge in this sector was the National Groundwater Action Plan (NGAP).

“One of the critical NGAP results was an improvement of the access to data and collaboration between government and industry on collating national groundwater data,” CSIRO Experimental Scientist Andrew Taylor said.

Jurisdictional groundwater data across Australia is now available thanks to the Bureau of Meteorology’s National Groundwater Information System and the Australian Groundwater Explorer.

However, we remain a long way from gaining a complete understanding of the complexities of and relationships between all of the country’s various aquifer systems, Taylor said. “Not all groundwater systems in the country are equally characterised, and such knowledge is critical to support regional development,” he said. “There is a need for improved understanding of the landscape and hydrogeological settings of Australia’s groundwater systems. This influences our knowledge on the groundwater balance: recharge to and discharge from aquifers, and surface and groundwater interaction.

“Better understanding and quantifying the interconnection between groundwater systems in large geological basins with shallow groundwater is critical, particularly for the sustainable development of the resource sectors.”

In some regions, there is poor measurement and regulation of groundwater extraction. Jacobs Principal Hydrogeologist Dr Richard Evans said there was lax enforcement of illegal pumping in some jurisdictions.

“We need to get serious about enforcing laws surrounding people who have illegal bores or who are illegally pumping,” he said. “Currently, there are few implications. If people want water, they just go and pump groundwater. It’s illegal use but they don’t worry about it because the compliance process is weak in some jurisdictions.”

To University of New South Wales Associate Professor and Connected Waters Initiative Research Centre Member Bryce Kelly, part of the problem is a lack of precision in monitoring groundwater extraction. “Measurements of stock and domestic use in many areas is just guesswork,” he said.

OUT OF MINE Kelly also called for better monitoring networks around coal mines, as well as oil and gas projects. “Why is it that we have hundreds of groundwater monitoring locations assessing irrigation impacts in the Namoi Catchment but only six coal seam gas (CSG) monitoring wells initially planned to monitor the Pilliga coal seam gas developments?” he said. “We need all catchment water balance models in the public domain so that others can explore conceptual and calibration issues with the models.”

He’s not the only one concerned, with the Australian Water Association’s recently released Australian Water Outlook finding that more than half of Australia’s water professionals are concerned about the possible impacts of the extraction of unconventional gases – such as coal seam, shale and tight – could have on water supplies, with community concern even higher.

Almost two-thirds of water professionals also thought water trigger legislation should cover all unconventional gas extraction, while just 13% thought there was adequate scientific information on the impacts of unconventional gas on water.

However, some recent strides have been made in the field, with a recent CSIRO study shedding light on how to reinject large volumes of water produced by CSG extraction without compromising water quality.

Experiments on re-injection at Reedy Creek and Condabri – both in Queensland’s Surat Basin, where CSG extraction produces an average of 70GL of water annually – found that stripping oxygen from treated CSG water prior to reinjecting it could prevent the mobilisation of harmful chemicals such as arsenic.

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UNITING DATA TO INCREASE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

I

n 2004, Maroochy Shire Council on Australia’s Sunshine Coast was wrestling with the problem of how to smooth water and energy demands on two water treatment plants and maximise network asset utilisation.

The operators of the Landers Shute and Image Flat water treatment plants, in the former Maroochy Shire, believed that smoothed flow profiles were essential to improving the operability, efficiency and water quality of their respective plants.

Unitywater’s Engineering Operations Manager Michael Doher ty was the Network Operations Manager at the time. As the technical lead of the project, he says the challenge was to remove the demand peaks from the water treatment plant supply and to achieve linear flow requirements across the 24-hour day, while maintaining water pressure standards of service and minimum storage levels throughout the reticulation system.

With two treatment plants, 22 reservoirs, four pump stations and 13 flow control valve sites of significant demand and supply, the challenge was beyond the ability of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system’s automatic control, Doher ty recalls. The team turned to AQUADVANCED Energy.

“SUEZ’s team star ted from scratch in solving the problem. They went through a three-month data gathering phase, developed schematics of the network and the network interactions. They engaged our operators and all staff involved in existing processes, including the SCADA staff, and a hydraulic model was developed,” Doher ty explains.

“Once they had all the data, they then optimised and implemented the AQUADVANCED Energy software. SUEZ had their systems engineer onsite for the first three months following the go-live. We were very impressed with the ability of the team to get to know us and our business and to work with us as a single team to implement the solution.

“The results exceeded our expectations.

Not only did AQUADVANCED Energy solve the problem of smoothing demand on the water treatment plants, but it also played a wider role in providing economical, reliable, proven distribution of water within Maroochy Shire. The installation was the first in Australia and we have given many demonstrations of its operation to interested visitors from other water utilities around the country,” Doher ty says.

Predicting demand The AQUADVANCED Energy solution schedules pump run and flow control valve set point predictions for the following 48 hours. This is achieved by using historic data, seasonal demands and current reservoir levels to calculate a predicted demand profile for each of the controlled reservoirs.

AQUADVANCED Energy displays the predicted demands over a 24-hour period with site and total predicted demand and actual volumes provided live on screen. A daily repor t is emailed to system operators and suppor t personnel, for a summary of the system’s operation.

The system reads reservoir level and system flow rates from the SCADA outstations every 10 minutes and performs a ‘solution’ calculation every 30 minutes,

resulting in a control set point command being sent to each pump and control valve under AQUADVANCED Energy control. The 30-minute solutions finetune the predicted values and quickly adapt to demand fluctuations for each site. This compensation takes into account events, such as a sudden rainstorm, where demand can quickly reduce by up to 30%.

Using the predictive and modelling capabilities of AQUADVANCED Energy, maintenance throughout the network can now be scheduled intelligently. By being able to accurately predict demand, operators can use the system to schedule maintenance in such a way as to maintain pressure and later quality throughout the system. In day-today operations, AQUADVANCED Energy has reduced dependence on individual operators, often with differing ideas on how to manage the system for best efficiency.

AQUADVANCED Energy’s algorithmbased calculation of factors such as system pressures and pump curves not only reduces the demands on operators but also makes it much easier to train new operators and to ensure highly consistent and highly efficient operational decision making. Water quality has also improved, with AQUADVANCED Energy taking into account water storage and water age by automatically turning over water in the reservoirs. Along with sophisticated operational optimisation comes real time operational suppor t from the SUEZ team.

As par t of an annual service agreement, SUEZ’s technical exper ts receive emailed status messages and can monitor the system in a remote connection, ensuring the system runs according to specification at all times.

Groundwater

Since 2015, more than 10GL of treated CSG water have been reinjected into the area’s aquifer, currently making it Australia’s largest treated water reinjection scheme and causing the first rise in nearby groundwater levels recorded in decades.

UNDERGROUND STORAGE That title is unlikely to last for long however, with WA’s Water Corporation’s Groundwater Replenishment Scheme ramping up. The first stage is expected to annually pump up to 14GL of recycled water into Perth’s aquifers, the source of almost half its potable supply. Once the second stage of the scheme is in place in coming years, that total could double to 28GL. Many hope the high-profile project will awaken other regions to the potential offered by managed aquifer recharge, described by UNSW researcher and CWIRC member Dr Wendy Timms as a much smarter way to store water than shallow, evaporative dams. However, she said the challenge lies in a lack of incentive or pricing signal to actively manage recharge to balance the use of groundwater.

“Despite Australia leading world practice in water management, some cross-jurisdictional and cross-disciplinary challenges remain,” she said. “For example, seepage losses from a surface water model often do not match gains in a groundwater model, and a groundwater model with horizontal outflow should match horizontal

OUR KNOWLEDGE BASE HAS IMPROVED GREATLY, BUT OUR POLICY BASE HAS NOT MOVED FORWARD AS MUCH AS OUR SCIENCE. DR RICHARD EVANS, JACOBS

The study included a basin-wide investigation of water resources, as well as the potential impacts of climate change and groundwater development to 2070.

The study also revealed that establishment of latent geological basins and subjacent shallow groundwater is likely connected with aquifers in the GAB. This indicates that groundwater in the GAB has a higher possibility of moving vertically than originally thought.

Most importantly, the assessment brought together knowledge of the geology and hydrology of the GAB in a consistent way, providing an analytical framework to assist in future water management.

inflows to a groundwater model in the adjacent catchment area, even if crossing jurisdictions.”

Australia’s hydrogeology makes this a vital concern, with the Great Artesian Basin, for example, spanning Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Groundwater policy at present is managed at the state level, but groundwater researchers urge that a national policy is desperately needed to ensure the asset is managed sustainably.

“Our current policy is largely managing the status quo,” said Jacobs’ Dr Richard Evans. “Aquifers around the world are treated as a huge asset, but we generally don’t see them as an asset in Australia – we only think about the water itself.

“The question then becomes: What is the national policy for how that will be handled? There isn’t such a thing. There are plenty of policy documents written, but there is no national vision on how we’ll get there. Our knowledge base has improved greatly, but our policy base has not moved forward as much as our science.

“It’s all about realising we have this great natural asset. We can use it much more to our advantage, but unfortunately people don’t yet understand the value of it.”

www.awa.asn.au

27

Water security

Troubled water GROWING POPULATIONS AND A CHANGING CLIMATE ARE SET TO GREATLY CHALLENGE THE WORLD’S WATER SUPPLIES AND POLITICAL STABILITY IN THE COMING YEARS. BUT IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AUSTRALIA TO SHOW LEADERSHIP.

By Cecilia Harris

28

www.awa.asn.au

T

he world is navigating through a major shift in resource demand. “With food production a growing global concern in the years ahead, water is quickly overtaking oil and coal as the principal political risk borne by governments and becoming a source of international tension and conflict,” said Australian Water Association Chief Executive Jonathan McKeown.

And although Australia has water management challenges of its own, we are rich in hard-won water scarcity insight.

But how can Australia play its part in working towards equitable and sustainable water management internationally? McKeown says it’ll be about sharing knowledge through strong partnerships and being open to new ways of thinking in delivering a program of ‘aid-to-trade’ in the region.

SOURCE OF SECURITY Water is fast becoming a governance priority for nations across Asia and regions such as the Middle East, and is emerging as a trigger for political turbulence worldwide.

“The world’s population is estimated to grow to 9.5 billion by the year 2050,” McKeown said. “This will create a fundamental shift in the demand for water to provide food security.

Triggers for conflict have always been dressed as opposing political influences, but this barely shrouds the underlying issue: the control of energy sources.

“We’re now witnessing the most dramatic economic and political shift in global power since the Roman Empire.”

Water scarcity is now on the map as one of the most significant threats to political and economic stability.

Resource depletion issues are quickly becoming the biggest hurdles facing regions in the process of rapid industrial and economic development.

“China is continuing to expand economically, India has emerged as a global world economy in its own right, and the nations of south-east Asia are morphing into the world’s largest zone of middle-class aspirants, with increasing consumer demand,” McKeown said.

And while many regions have struggled with water resources management during periods of intense development, south-east Asia’s concerns are unique: The complicated hydrological make-up of its rivers, waterways and wetlands means they survive or suffer at the hands of upstream players.

“China is the upstream state for a great many of the major rivers in south-east Asia. Those rivers include ones like the Mekong, the Irrawaddy, the Salween and also the Brahmaputra,” said Associate Professor Jamie Pittock, from the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University.

“The rivers that are shared between two or more countries are always places of potential conflict. How China manages its international relationship with the other states will be quite important in terms of whether those resources are managed sustainably and shared equitably.”

Pittock said two areas stood out as fertile ground for Australia to share its experience.

“One is the whole question of how do you define water entitlements, put a price on water, set up a market-based system that enables water to be used efficiently and to go to the highest venue users to maximise the benefits to society,” he said. “Certainly, as countries like Vietnam are experiencing increasing water scarcity, they can look to Australia to see what they could learn about introducing cap and trade water systems to get the most out of what they’ve got.”

www.awa.asn.au

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Water security

The other is the potential to share insights around using non-government partnerships to manage water better.

“This is the whole area of building human capacity and institutions that benchmark performance within industries across different sectors and help companies help local governments to do a better job,” Pittock said.

“So the establishment of the Australian Water Partnership with funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a good initiative to help do that.”

WATER WOES But the challenge is not just about who gets what, as University of Sydney Human Geography Professor Philip Hirsch points out. What is done with water once it’s allocated has huge implications for managing social and environmental factors that contribute to political and economic instability.

“We tend to think mainly in terms of water sharing. We tend to think in terms of which stakeholders and which states get how much,” he said. “The real problem is not about sharing water in a relatively water abundant system – it’s about how water is used and understanding the ecology of the system.”

A leading example of application impacts is the use of water for energy production in China versus agriculture in south-east Asia. Waterway ecology is crucial to the health of inland fisheries, which means that hydropower poses a

THE RIVERS THAT ARE SHARED BETWEEN TWO OR MORE COUNTRIES ARE ALWAYS PLACES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT. JOHN THWAITES, MELBOURNE WATER CHAIR large threat to agricultural production – and export balance sheets – for many downstream communities.

“There are competing demands here that are very difficult to mitigate,” he said. “We need to understand water in terms of the wider geopolitical shift going on in the region.”

Although development of energy production sees the livelihoods of many communities rise, any pressure on food supplies will hit the poorest members of those communities the hardest.

“All of this comes back to water being used for food production. By 2050, the world will be juggling access to water, both natural and man-made, to secure higher rates of productivity and profitability based on food security,” McKeown said. “Both Australia and New Zealand have real opportunities to help secure our region’s future in this changing global environment.”

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Australian National University Crawford School of Public Policy Research Fellow Daniel Connoll said there is much Australia can offer developing regions. First and foremost, approaching complicated water management requires context.

“One of the things the Australian experience does show is that you do need a very detailed knowledge and understanding of the particular context. You need to work within the confines,” he said.

ALL TOO FAMILIAR Australia’s experience with trans-boundary water management in the Murray-Darling Basin offers insight for international neighbours, but this is the tip of the iceberg in regards to the knowledge up for offer, McKeown said.

One way that Australia can help alleviate international water management issues is through the provision of services and technology, particularly those that help with issues arising from mismanaged water application.

“Trans-boundary water management is not our only strength.

Australia has a lot of varied knowledge of how to provide better forms of water security during increasing climate variability,” he said. “Look at how we confronted the production of water in Perth during the Millennium Drought, or how we conserve water in our metropolitan areas when times are tough.

“We have also increased our agricultural productivity, within the confines of diminishing water resources, to grow more food to provide us with security and also to increase exports.”

Further to advances in innovative agricultural technology and world-class urban demand management schemes, McKeown said he hoped to see Australia start to share its water-quality expertise with the world to help manage growing urbanisation internationally.

“The number of economic migrants seeking improved lives in urban areas could be anywhere north of 600 million. The biggest shift in the demographics of these economic migrants is occurring in Asia,” he said. “As economic migrants come into urban areas, the demand for health regulations to get water quality right will increase. Australia leads the world in its drinking water guidelines.”

McKeown said there is also potential for south-east Asian nations to leapfrog infrastructure planning and development difficulties by learning from Australia’s experience.

“Parts of Asia are lacking infrastructure but are set to grow.

We can share our experience from the past 100 years of what works, what sort of urban planning is required, and what water technologies and processes have worked in Australia.”

A NEW WAY FORWARD Having the insight is one thing – imparting it is another matter.

McKeown said if the Australian water sector is going to deliver services and technology to other countries, it requires more involvement from from the private sector to meet the Australian Government’s aid objectives in the region.

“Australia really needs to focus its aid efforts in water by tying Australia’s sustainable water management expertise into our aid programs,” he said.

BUILDING STRENGTH THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS Through its international program, the Australian Water Association is facilitating aid-based projects to help transfer Australia’s water expertise to Southeast Asia.

Areas of knowledge transfer include services and technology in water quality, rural water usage, and enterprise development based on improved water infrastructure, as well as working towards the empowerment of women and local communities to manage water resources sustainably.

“We are doing our very best to respond to the demands coming through the Asia region for the skills in sustainable water management that Australia’s proven itself with,” McKeown said.

“It’s being funded by aid at the moment. Already we’re seeing partnerships emerge out of these aid-based projects that are going to lead to longer term partnerships between Australia’s water sector and the water sectors in Asia.”

Further to this, the Association will host a delegation from Vietnam to Ozwater’17, introducing key Vietnamese water sector leaders to Australian counterparts. The Association also takes Australian delegates to Vietwater, Vietnam’s biggest annual water conference, with the intention of supporting commercial partnerships.

Water security

“It means more funding from government aid going into the establishment of water sector partnerships. It’s this kind of ongoing support in sustainable water use that will underpin the economic prosperity of the countries that receive Australian aid.”

McKeown said this effort will require private and public sector support, whereby the provision of services and technology moves away from more traditional aid-based projects and further into the realm of more equitable, longer term commercial partnerships.

“If we get the model right, our approach could move from straight-out aid given by the Australian people into international partnerships between the Australian water sector and those countries’ water sectors,” McKeown said.

“You’ve got to integrate the knowledge and the skills and the energy of both the private and public sectors in those early stages of the aid development around water in order for them to have lasting effect.”

Aside from supporting the region with sustainable and equitable solutions, another upside to self-sustained partnerships is building a stable platform from which to manage cultural and geopolitical differences.

“You can’t simply turn up and force change around water management because the perception, the knowledge, and the cultures of how people interact with water in Asia are very different to how we manage water in Australia,” McKeown said.

Connoll agrees, saying a contextual understanding is crucial to implementing water management aid abroad.

“There is a real need for comprehensive analysis of the particular dynamics of a particular place,” Connoll said.

“Australia has insight to share, but it certainly is not a matter of offering templates and approaches that can just be imported to produce wonderful benefits with easy processes. You need to pull back and achieve a certain level of understanding first.”

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Emerging chemicals

ONE IN A

BILL

AUTHORITIES ACROSS THE WORLD ARE TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE IMPACT TINY DOSES OF EMERGING POLLUTANTS CAN HAVE ON WATER SYSTEMS. CAN AUSTRALIA EXPECT TIGHTER RESTRICTIONS, OR IS THE SECTOR ALREADY AHEAD OF THE GAME?

By Thea Cowie

34

www.awa.asn.au

ION P

harmaceuticals, disinfectants and personal care products are some of the perks of modern life, but research is increasingly revealing the risks they can pose to water supplies.

There is growing concern that micro-pollutants in water, even in small doses, threaten human and environmental health.

Currently, the European Union is proposing a 50% increase in the number of substances that are monitored and controlled in surface waters – a move projected to cost utilities billions of euros in treatment and monitoring upgrades.

Closer to home, Australia is beginning to acknowledge and address micro-pollutant issues, said CH2M’s Regional Technology Manager for the Asia Pacific Region John Poon.

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (2011) (ADWG) outline a general approach to setting limits for inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and pesticides, and there are specific guides for hundreds of individual chemicals outlined in factsheets. But as the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment (CRCWQT) noted: “The ADWG includes numerical guideline values for relatively few chemicals.”

A compulsory full review of the guidelines occurs only every 10 years, but can be recommended after five by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

www.awa.asn.au

35

Emerging chemicals

I THINK THE IMPORTANT CONVERSATION GOING ON RIGHT NOW IS AROUND HEALTH-BASED TARGETS. SOPHIE DW YER, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH QUEENSLAND. The council said it used a variety of mechanisms to keep abreast of emerging issues. prioritising them based on potential human health impact and stakeholder concern.

“There are a number of formal mechanisms that exist for jurisdictions and regulators to provide input into NHMRC’s program of work on water,” a spokesperson said.

“This includes: states and territory Chief Medical Officers … NHMRC’s membership on enHealth … and membership to the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources’ Water Quality Policy Sub-Committee.”

But it’s an approach that has room for improvement, according to Dr Janet Tang from the University of Queensland’s Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (incorporating the former Entox).

“Scientists are being really proactive in letting the panel and regulators know these chemicals are emerging and are the subject of concern, but because of limited funding and resources they can’t take all of our advice,” she said.

However, Chair of the Environmental Health Standing Committee, Associate Professor Sophie Dwyer, said

UNFANTASTIC PLASTIC

Whether you’re buying toothpaste, face wash or liquid soap, it can be difficult to find a personal care product on supermarket shelves that doesn’t contain tiny pieces of plastic for exfoliation.

With typical wastewater treatment processes unable to filter out these microplastics, they’re making their way into our waterways and food chain, with each single use of a product that contains microbeads releasing tens of thousands of them.

In fact, studies have shown Sydney Harbour has some of the highest concentrations of microbeads in the world. According to research, there are 60-100 microbeads per 100mL of water.

Microbeads are prone to adhering to existing organic pollutants and are then consumed by marine species through either ingestion or filtration, leading to significant ecological health risks.

So what’s being done to control and regulate microplastics in the environment?

In February, then-Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt announced a voluntary phase-out of microbeads by July 2018.

“If by 1 July 2017 it is clear that the voluntary phase-out will not achieve what is effectively a

emerging and micropollutants were not a high priority.

“In trying to deal with health risks of emerging contaminants, you’re usually working at what I call ‘the edge of evidence’; there’s suggestions there might be health risks, but it’s unclear,” said Dwyer, who is also the Department of Health Queensland’s Health Executive Director, Health Protection Branch, Prevention Division.

MANAGING THE TRANSITION If a substance of concern is not yet listed, the ADWG outlines a hierarchy of documents to consult, starting with the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling (Phase 2), then the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality.

When Hunter Water began dealing with suspected carcinogenic water contaminants from the Williamtown RAAF base, it consulted number five on the list of acceptable documents: the United States Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.

“For reticulated supplies, the Australian guideline doesn’t apply. That’s created some real issues in the community to understand why those differences exist,” said Hunter Water Chief Operating Officer Darren Cleary.

“Many new chemicals of concern would already be in our screening program, and we would already have some background information on their prevalence and concentration in the region,” Cleary said.

“If required, an assessment of the removal or formation through water treatment and distribution would be undertaken, and – if also required – there would be monitoring of drinking water.”

widespread ban on microbeads, the Federal Government will take action to implement a ban in law,” Hunt said.

Retailers such as Woolworths, Coles and Aldi have stopped using the plastics in their own products, while many manufacturers (including Unilever and Johnson & Johnson) have said they’ll find alternatives to plastic exfoliants.

The changes here are part of a global movement to stamp out the substances.

In the US, the manufacture of products containing microbeads will be banned starting July 2017. In addition, the United Nations Environment Assembly has adopted a resolution that encourages product manufacturers “to eliminate or reduce the use of primary microplastic particles in products.”

www.awa.asn.au

37

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REDUCING RISKS With the emergence of these pollutants, as well as an expected increase in recycled drinking water, it’s more important than ever to monitor and remove contaminants from the water cycle.

CRCWQT research shows standard drinking water treatment technology generally provides sufficient barriers to prevent unsafe exposure to headline-grabbing substances such as antibiotics and hormones.

But as Seqwater’s Duncan Shillito noted: “The effectiveness of removal of any single analyte is strongly dependent on its affinity with water and how effective the conventional or advanced water treatment plant processes are at either settling, filtering, oxidising or biologically changing the micropollutant to reduce its concentrations.”

Like many utilities, Seqwater is ramping up its monitoring, with targeted micropollutant testing. It has currently expanded its list to include 155 different substances and a non-targeted library of an additional 3000-plus substances.

In 2014, the utility switched from grab sampling to passive samplers, which are deployed for 28 days at a time.

“This gives a more holistic understanding of the micropollutant load of polar and non-polar chemicals under both summer and winter conditions, as well as during short seven-day rainfall events,” Shillito said.

Although public concerns about wastewater and stormwater re-use are putting the spotlight on pollutant levels, experts say there is no cause for such concern, as recycled water is already subject to much greater scrutiny and high-tech treatment processes than many other water sources.

“Australia is doing very well,” Tang said. “Even at the [Queensland] Western Corridor Recycled Water plant, all the testing – no matter if we do it from a chemical side or from a biological side – passes all the standards.”

CH2M’s John Poon said: “You’ve got to remember these chemicals are at very low levels – you’re talking parts per trillion, and they’re surprisingly common. Otherwise, we’ll end up investing billions of dollars on treatment plants and upgrades with no sound reasons.”

GUIDELINES IN COMING YEARS Disinfection by-products (DBPs) – which have been linked to low-level risk of bladder cancer – are currently looming large on the CRCWQT radar.

“We can cause much more harm by not having sufficient disinfection but guidelines would be helpful when you’ve got to manage disinfection by-products because of organic load,” said enHealth Chair Sophie Dwyer.

The overall toxicity of chemical mixtures is another concern that is drawing attention, said UQ’s Tang.

www.awa.asn.au

39

Emerging chemicals

CASE STUDY: Caution: That was Hunter Water’s approach to managing drinking water supplies in the face of emerging chemical contamination from the Williamtown RAAF base.

“One of the biggest issues was that the impact of the chemicals was very uncertain,” said Hunter Water Chief Operating Officer Darren Cleary.

“We dealt with them on the basis that they could be a significant problem, even though there wasn’t conclusive evidence.”

In 2012, Hunter Water said it became aware that suspected carcinogenic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which had been used in RAAF fire fighting foams, were present on the air base and could threaten nearby soil and groundwater supplies.

Although the nearby aquifer was not in use, Hunter Water began extensive testing, referring to the

United States Environmental Protection Agency’s guidelines on safe PFAS levels as the substances were not included in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

“Around two years later, it looked likely we’d have to use the aquifer, so we implemented a detailed risk assessment and isolated bores that had the potential to be impacted, even though we had no evidence they had been,” he recalled.

Cleary said Hunter Water’s detailed understanding of the hydrogeology of the catchment was “invaluable” for largely containing contamination.

“We have 40 years of groundwater level data for our bore fields which we used to model how groundwater moves,” he said.

“That supported the sampling regime and allowed us to

YOU’VE GOT TO REMEMBER THESE CHEMICALS ARE AT LOW LEVELS, AND THEY’RE SURPRISINGLY COMMON. JOHN POON, CH2M “Maybe individually they’re below the guideline level but when they’re mixed together in a cocktail at low concentrations they might cause some toxicity,” she said.

Tang suggested that enhancing import regulations could keep many chemicals out of that cocktail – or at least help monitoring efforts.

“We need better labelling and import transparency so utilities at least know what chemicals they might expect,” she said.

Dwyer predicted that guidelines might move towards a different style of target for chemicals in future. “I think the important conversation going on right now is around health-based targets – it’s certainly there for microbial reasons, not necessarily for chemical,” she said.

40

www.awa.asn.au

demonstrate that it was safe to take water from other bore fields because it wasn’t possible for contamination to move into them.”

In September 2015, the discovery of a chemical contamination around the air base was made public, with the State Government issuing fishing bans and precautionary measures for residents within the investigation area.

Hunter Water has continued to routinely sample for PFAS in all its drinking water supply zones and release monthly water quality reports of its findings.

So far, those reports show the drinking water it supplies has remained safe to drink.

“But that sort of philosophy – where you look at your source water, the risks and then you implement controls suitable for the risks – I think that’s where we’re heading.”

While future guidelines, testing regimes and technology will strive to keep up with emerging risks, all that effort could be in vain if the industry fails to bring the public along, CH2M’s John Poon warned.

“We can do all the tests and health studies, go to the scientific and engineering communities, build treatment processes – I think that’s the easy stuff to do,” he said.

“What’s harder is to be able to communicate to the public how much effort is taken to make the water safe to use.”

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41

Emerging pollutants

TINY MOLECULES,

BIG TROUBLE? THEY ARE ONLY PRESENT IN VANISHINGLY SMALL DOSES BUT A NUMBER OF MICROPOLLUTANTS ARE GETTING A LOT OF ATTENTION.

ESTIMATED SOURCES OF PHARMACEUTICAL RESIDUES IN WASTEWATER: AUSTRALIA USES

700

TONNES of antibiotics per year, and we’re only

effective in removing antibiotic residue in influent.

Australian research has found most micropollutants are occurring at concentrations

25 to

orders of magnitude lower than PNEC (the predicted no effect concentration).

Sources: The Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment; NSW EPA; Water and Wastewater International; Institute for European Environmental Policy.

0.005 PARTS PER BILLION

Concentrations of contraceptive ingredient 17a-ethinylestradiol as low as 5 nanograms per litre have been shown to cause reproductive failure in some fish and the collapse of local populations.

15

Number of chemicals the European Commission is proposing to add to the list of substances monitored and controlled in surface waters.

CURRENT AUSTRALIAN DRINKING WATER QUALITY GUIDELINES FOR PFOA PFOS * *

5

7

ESTIMATED COST OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY MICROPLASTIC POLLUTION IN BILLION EUROPE EACH YEAR.

RECENTLY UPDATED US DRINKING WATER HEALTH ADVISORY LEVELS FOR PFOS AND PFOA CHEMICALS.

€

2 MICROMETRES to 5 MILLIMETRES Size of microbead particles.

0.5

0.07

*MICROGRAMS PER LITRE

28 to

MICROMETRES Size of most bacteria.

JULY 1, 2017 DATE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS GIVEN INDUSTRY TO CEASE MICROBEAD PRODUCTION UNDER THREAT OF A LEGISLATIVE BAN.

*

Water-energy nexus

WITH DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS INCREASING AND WATER SECURITY CONCERNS RISING, THE WATER-ENERGY NEXUS IS POSING BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT INTEGRATED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. HOW MIGHT UTILITIES PRODUCE MORE WATER AND ENERGY WHILE USING LESS OF BOTH?

By Joshua Hoey

W

ater and energy provision have traditionally been viewed and managed as separate resources.

While water utilities need energy and energy companies need water, the interconnectedness of the two resources has typically been under-appreciated and the prospect of joint management largely absent.

But as water resources come under increasing pressure from population growth, shifting consumer demands and climate change, the connection between water and energy, and the impacts each have on the other, are becoming key issues for utilities in what has now become known as the water-energy nexus.

CURRENT CONSUMPTION In Australia, the water-energy nexus is significant, with urban water management directly or indirectly influencing more than 8% of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Australia has typically used its relative energy surplus to offset water shortages, relying on pumping or, more recently, energy-intensive desalination to ensure water supply.

“We’ve just thrown energy at solving a water problem or water at solving an energy problem, but now they’re both constrained,” said Dr Steven Kenway, who is the WaterEnergy-Carbon Research Group Leader at the University of Queensland’s Advanced Water Management Centre.

“In Europe they’ve got an energy constraint rather than a water constraint, so the problem is shaping up differently in different places. The water-energy nexus is about how we deal with the next 100 years with simultaneous constraints in water and energy.”

NEW THINKING Reconciling the countervailing challenges of the water-energy nexus will require a systems-thinking approach, taking into consideration the impacts and reliance on both resources.

Dr Imran Ahmad, Head of the Future Earth Program at the Australian Academy of Science, believes that the realities of climate change and its diverse impacts are spurring the change in thinking.

“If you look at the South Australia blackout, stakeholders have realised that they had to take an integrated approach to climate and energy, for instance. That type of systems approach is slowly emerging,” Ahmad said.

The scale and complexity of the water-energy nexus is daunting, involving mining, power generation, utilities, industry, agriculture, residential users and environmental considerations, with many stakeholders simultaneously supplying and consuming either or both resources.

John Thwaites, Chair of the Melbourne Water Board of Directors, divides the nexus into three key areas of consideration: water and energy utilities, and how they each use both resources; households and the nexus

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45

Water-energy nexus

of water and energy, typically in water heating; and how increasing decentralisation could help address the nexus.

“We are seeing more decentralised water and energy supplies. More people are putting on solar PV; we see shared solar, more distributed water with local capture of storm water, recycled water, and co-generation,” Thwaites said.

There are benefits in addressing the nexus through integrated systems management to drive efficiencies in the use of both resources. Improving energy efficiency in water treatment and distribution has been a focus for water utilities.

But moves toward renewables and reducing greenhouse gas emissions will put more pressure on these efforts.

“In the future, with potentially carbon pricing to reduce emissions, there will be a greater business incentive to reduce energy and be more efficient,” Thwaites said.

MEETING EXPECTATIONS US-based Cambi Technical Director Bill Barber is an outspoken proponent of the need for water utilities to reinvent themselves for the 21st century, shifting their focus from wastewater treatment to energy and nutrient recovery.

Triggering that shift though, he said, will likely require either financial or regulatory pressure.

He said many consumers currently take water services for granted and use them unsustainably, but this can be changed.

IN THE FUTURE, WITH POTENTIALLY CARBON PRICING TO REDUCE EMISSIONS, THERE WILL BE GREATER BUSINESS INCENTIVE TO REDUCE ENERGY AND BE MORE EFFICIENT. JOHN THWAITES, MELBOURNE WATER CHAIR “People expect clean water and wastewater treatment as a right and don’t give it any value, which is unfortunate for the utilities themselves,” he said. “But 50 years ago, Singapore’s water industry was very, very far behind; now it’s among the most forward-thinking on the face of the earth.

“That came from the government basically saying energy and water are resources that were undervalued, and they were not going to continue to subsidise them. That creates a huge amount of incentive to save water and energy.”

Barber said solving many water-energy nexus challenges will require strong dialogue between both those working in the industry and regulators.

CO N N ECT I N G T H E DOTS

46

WATER FOR ENERGY

ENERGY FOR WATER

Fossil-fuel fired power plants use water for cooling, but most is lost in evaporation with little captured and returned to water sources.

Fossil-fuel mining and gas use water during resource extraction.

Pumping water accounts for 1.4% of Australia’s total energy use.

Wastewater pumping and treatment accounts for 50% of total water utility energy use.

Desalination typically uses significantly more energy than other treatments.

www.awa.asn.au

RESIDENTIAL Households consume four times the waterrelated energy of utilities.

“People say, ‘We’re going to treat water to this standard, because that’s what we’ve been told to do’. But if industry can speak with regulators about how that standard affects other aspects of the process, then they have the opportunity to better balance local and global pollution.

“You can treat water to an extremely high level, but it might cost 10 times the energy to do that. In a global picture, is that actually the right thing to do?”

IN THE MIX One major Australian provider already jointly manages water and power supply: Power and Water Corporation in the Northern Territory. While the small customer base in the NT has facilitated the joint management and provision of power and water, the utility has also been able to collaborate and share in research and technical expertise across both their water and power divisions of the business.

“We’ve got common databases and IT support. In Darwin and Alice Springs, we operate out of common sites, which provides us with both scale and efficiency,” John Pudney, Water Services General Manager at Power and Water, said.

While the utility is able to integrate services and thus work towards reducing duplications, Pudney does point out that it can sometimes be difficult to make a case for reducing water or energy use.

“We have worked with colleagues in the power side to put cases for water efficiency within the power plants, but the difficulty is, without regulation, they will simply look at whether it is good financially, and generally it won’t stack up,” he said.

Yet the kind of streamlining that Power and Water Corporation currently uses can be the basis for power and water savings that would take some of the strain off Australia’s precious water assets while also helping the nation achieve reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

With the Victorian Government now requiring water corporations to work towards zero net emissions by 2050, such savings are increasingly vital. California is currently running multiple pilot programs using advanced metering technology across water and power utilities to drive efficiencies in both. Smart water and energy meters have been rolled out across multiple states in Australia, and could be the basis for similar programs.

Importantly, water and power efficiency at the household level has the potential for the largest impact on Australia’s water-energy nexus. While many assume water distribution and treatment are the biggest users of energy in water provision, residential water use accounts for four times the energy consumption of water utilities.

In fact, a 15% saving in residential hot-water heating would offset the entire energy consumption of supplying urban water.

Water-energy nexus

FIT FOR PURPOSE Australia faces a particular challenge in the water-energy nexus in that the fossil fuels used to provide electricity are the most water-intensive form of power generation.

Our abundance of coal and natural gas has seen the country lag behind other developed nations in the uptake and shift to renewable sources of energy. But adopting the right types of renewables is key to reducing water consumption in the energy sector, particularly given that Australia has such a harsh climate.

UQ Advanced Water Management Centre’s Steven Kenway said once one factors in the irrigation needs for biofuel crops, or the high rate of evaporation from hydropower dams in Australia’s hot climate, the water savings compared to fossil fuels often aren’t as significant as one would expect. And even though dry-cooling gas-fired power stations might take less water, they also return less water to the system, resulting in a similar net loss of water as traditional cooling techniques.

Wind turbines in combination with pumped-hydro storage

CALIFORNIA PILOTS In Australia, utilities and regulators are now looking at how to address the water energy nexus. In the United States, though, the Department of Energy (DoE) has established the Water-Energy Tech Team to examine the nexus and work with multiple partners to address the unique issues raised by the convergence of energy and water.

Water shortages due to severe drought in 2012 saw many power plants in the US unable to operate, and the rapid growth of the unconventional oil and gas sector, with its high water demands, has put pressure on US regulators to find ways to innovate and adapt.

The US DoE has prioritised efficient use of freshwater in energy production and efficient use of energy in water production, as well as developing synergies between water and energy sectors.

California has been one of the states hardest hit by drought over recent years and, consequently, has been at the forefront of driving efficiencies in both sectors, but particularly in water. Pilot programs organised by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) have partnered water and energy companies together to share data.

In one pilot, energy provider Southern California Edison is partnering with the City of Beverly Hills; the two will combine water and energy use data from smart meters into a single display for customers. In another pilot, the Southern California Gas Company and the San Gabriel Valley Water Company are sharing data across both their networks to identify hot water leaks and develop behavioural analytics based on gas and water usage.

Similar pilots have been launched across the state and preliminary reports are expected in 2017.

and sheets of floating solar cells are possible solutions that fit Australia’s unique climate.

“Floating solar reduces evaporation from water storage, while also providing a cooling effect that means the panels perform better as well,” Kenway said.

Ultimately, it is the complexity of Australia’s water and energy markets that will make integration and co-regulation a significant undertaking. Managing the Murray-Darling Basin is an example of the innate complexity of water management, and the importance of getting it right.

Crises like the South Australian electricity blackout, or the contribution of dry weather patterns and infrastructure outages to blackouts in Tasmania, have led to discussion and investigation that could see a more systems-based approach to managing such sectors, and ultimately that is what is needed to combat the constraints of the water-energy nexus.

“This nexus is important,” the Future Earth Program’s Imran Ahmad said. “You can’t just delineate each separately; water, energy, food – all are important and you need to really look at

the integrated picture and then take a policy direction.”

COMBINING FOR CUSTOMERS Integration of energy and water could see improved efficiency in how resources are managed and delivered to customers. Two Australian utilities that currently do this say customers appreciate the effort.

The NT’s Power and Water Corporation provides water and energy to urban households. “I think the community would see that we’ve joined the utilities together to get value,” Pudney said. “We can leverage better pricing by scaling up the business instead of having two asset management systems.”

Hydro Tasmania also manages energy and water. Although Wholesale Energy

Services Director Gerard Flack said the company’s main focus is generating electricity, he does point out that they have integrated water supply to a number of customers and sectors.

UQ’s Advance Water Management Centre’s Steven Kenway said where integration has begun, customers are often better off. By collaborating, power and water providers are able to drive operational efficiencies and reward customers, like in US. “A number of water and energy companies are partnering to provide service. They bill customers, they interact with them, they give rebates for efficiency measures,” Kenway said.

NEXUS KNOWLEDGE “Effectively, water and energy are seen as separate markets, and so you tend to have regulations covering each,” Entura Water Management and Technology Principal Consultant David Fuller said. But to effectively address the water-energy nexus, regulation must take into account each resource and drive efficiency in both.

Indeed, research has shown utilities’ operations are overwhelmingly motivated and guided by regulation; it’s hard to drive water savings without greenhouse gas credits for improving water efficiency, for example.

How might it be regulated in Australia? “I think it has to be driven at both levels: state and federal,” Dr Imran Ahmad, Head of the Future Earth Program at the Australian Academy of Science said, pointing to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority as a prime example of how this can be accomplished.

Many suggest incentives for efficiency at the household level, as well as integrated labelling programs for appliances that factor in both water and energy efficiency. But before regulations can be drafted, the real groundwork of defining the issue and collecting data needs to happen, as data on Australia’s water-energy nexus is currently lacking.

“We need good quantification of the water-energy nexus.

That hasn’t happened because regulation is not there, and utilities have no mechanism to cooperate,” UQ Advanced Water Management Centre’s Steven Kenway said.

Workshops between federal, state, and municipal government, water and energy utilities, and other stakeholders in the US, identified the development of clear, combined water and energy standards, guidelines and planning as the key place to start in developing water-energy regulation.

Procurement

ON BUDGET, ON TARGET? IT PROMISES CHEAPER, MORE FLEXIBLE, MORE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR WATER UTILITIES, BUT OUTCOMES-BASED PROCUREMENT IS STILL IN ITS INFANCY IN AUSTRALIA.

By Thea Cowie

W

ith growing populations, ageing infrastructure and tightening budgets, water businesses and suppliers are under pressure to deliver costeffective, innovative and efficacious projects.

For those looking to deliver more with less, outcomes-based procurement (OBP) could be the answer.

In essence OBP, also known as performance-based contracting, aims to ensure the contractor and the client’s objectives are aligned. It’s a step away from traditional practices that pit client against contractor, savings vs profits, innovation vs stipulation.

“Under an outcome-based approach, a customer contracts and pays for business results delivered by a service provider, rather than for defined activities, tasks or assets,” said Corrs Chambers Westgarth Lawyers Partner James North, whose expertise is in outsourcing and procurement contracts.

“The contract focuses on the desired outcome of the work to be performed (the ‘what’) rather than the manner in which it is to be performed (the ‘how’).”

For example, under a traditional procurement approach, a business looking to reduce leakages might pay a contractor to detect leaks and conduct repairs. The contractor gets paid the same amount whether or not they succeed. Under OBP, a portion of payment is withheld if agreed targets are not met.

GATHERING STEAM The approach is not new, but it is gaining traction with support from groups in Australia, the UK, US and Singapore. The International Water Association (IWA) and World Bank have launched a program dubbed Developing Good Performance-Based Contract Practices in the Marketplace to Manage Non-Revenue Water.

Later this year, the IWA is due to release a compendium of articles outlining experience and perspectives on OBP as

50

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part of its task group on OBP. Earlier, the task group wrote: “[OBP] could be applied to a wide variety of activities in the water utility’s value chain (treatment plants, networks, billing and collection), for improving either operational efficiency (reduce costs), service quality or environmental compliance.”

Australian water businesses are increasingly seeking advice on implementing OBP in order to drive greater efficiencies, the Institute of Collaborative Management’s Davin Shellshear said.

“Water authorities are just sick and tired of the waste and the ineffectiveness of the old style of contracting,” Shellshear said.

“Traditionally, water utilities have used hard-nosed forms of contracts that often end up with a huge range of hidden extra costs or waste, and not really delivering what the client wanted.”

But when outcomes are aligned, contractors are motivated to find better, more cost-effective ways to achieve a utility’s goals, said Procure Services Managing Director Charles Salinas.

“Vendors always complain that they don’t have any time for innovation – the only thing they can do in the 26 days they have to respond to a tender is pull a solution off the shelf,”

THE MAIN REASON FOR THE FAILURE OF COLLABORATIVE CONTRACTS IS FAILED RELATIONSHIPS. IT’S LIKE A MARRIAGE. DAVIN SHELLSHEAR, INSTITUTE OF COLLABORATIVE MANAGEMENT

Outcomes-based procurement versus traditional input models

PROS and CONS • Service provider

incentivised to meet client’s needs and achieve best outcome • Encourages innovation • Incentives for service providers to achieve efficiencies (financial and non-financial) • Fewer hidden costs • Client and provider working towards common goal • Often suited to complex, long-term projects

noted Salinas, who has over 20 years’ experience in strategic procurement and infrastructure project management.

HOSING DOWN ENTHUSIASM But if OBP was a silver-bullet, everyone would be doing it. The fact is, not all projects or water businesses are suited to OBP. “It’s typically best for longer-term contracts where there’s considerable complexity, like when you’re delivering services over a period of five or 10 years,” Shellshear said.

“Short-term infrastructure contracts might well be better done through traditional contracts because of the complexity involved in establishing an outcome-based contract.”

Successful OBP implementation also depends on the attitudes of those involved, Shellshear said. “The main reason for the failure of collaborative contracts is failed relationships.

It’s like a marriage: not all clients can work collaboratively.”

Salinas added that water businesses considering OBP must be willing to embark on cultural change. “Usually procurement staff stay away from vendors altogether – they have to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, and because of that there’s no collaboration,” he said. “But with outcomes-based procurement, it’s a matter of trusting the vendor. You need to

• Success hinges on relationships

• Negotiation process

can be complex and time consuming • Defining objective, measurable, clear and realistic outcomes can be difficult • Pricing complexity • Reduced control of project delivery and risk • Cultural change and training are needed • Often inappropriate for short-term projects

be able to form relationships, negotiate, gather information.

All of that culminates in this cultural renaissance that definitely needs to be addressed by business leaders.”

As North has noted, many procurement departments are now staffed with the engineers and technicians who themselves used to do the work they’re outsourcing.

“What they tend to do is what they were trained to do: engineer. They like to minimise risk and tell the supplier how to deliver on the requirements,” he said. “But by being prescriptive about what the supplier must do you box them in, reduce flexibility and then the benefits of outcome-based procurement, including better pricing, better outcomes, are really missed.”

North said training and advice on setting objective, measurable, clear and realistic outcomes was vital for success.

“A lack of relevant metrics or unenforceable metrics is often cited as one of the primary pitfalls of implementing a successful outcome based contract,” he said.

The setting of standards can be complicated if there is insufficient historic or comparable data to act as a benchmark.

“If sufficient data is unavailable, consider including a transition period to baseline the relevant standards before applying the incentives or risk and rewards payment model,” North said.

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51

Procurement

Such standards also need to factor in growing customer expectations, around not only cost and quality of water supply but also environmental sustainability.

SETTING THE STANDARDS Whether or not an OBP drives quality and efficiency is dependent on setting appropriate incentives. Most outcomes-based contracts include a combination of fixed and variable payments that serve as positive and negative incentives. A gain-share model or contingency arrangements might also be included.

The IWA says that: “While a 5–10% bonus provides some incentives for performance, a ‘true’ outcomes-based contract shall aim for at least 20–30% of the remuneration paid through variable fees so as to include not just profit but also part of the contractor’s costs.”

With so much hinging on the establishment of an effective value-add contract, North advised water businesses to seek expert input. “When clients call you back after the implementation of a contract it tends to be about the service specifications and the pricing issues rather than the intellectual property rights clause, or the liability clause,” he said.

“There’s often a gap in the client capability to come up with a suitable commercial model and then document it properly. The difference between a good contract and a bad one will be the client saving 20% of their cost base verses nothing.”

WHAT [ENGINEERS] TEND TO DO IS WHAT THEY WERE TRAINED TO DO: ENGINEER. THEY LIKE TO MINIMISE RISK AND TELL THE SUPPLIER HOW TO DELIVER ON THE REQUIREMENTS. JAMES NORTH, CORRS CHAMBERS WESTGARTH LAW YERS

Luckily, there’s a growing pool of expertise to draw on, including two of the nation’s biggest adopters of OBP: the National Broadband Network and Department of Defence.

Salinas said he expected many of the current barriers will fall away as experience grows. “Once an organisation is experienced and their culture is right, they will be able to do it quicker, faster, cheaper,” he said. “They’ll get more bang for their buck.”

The Australian Water Association is currently preparing a discussion paper examining the broader issues around procurement in the Australian water sector.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

Contract clarity: Poorly drafted clauses can generate undue conflict. Special care should be taken to clearly define the expected inputs tied to fixed payments, and clarify who bears any risks not clearly identified. Choose simple and objective indicators, quantify the targets and spell out how the bonus formula will be calculated.

Financing: Outcomes-based contracts will usually require some ‘upfront’ private financing from the contractor, since part of the remuneration will be paid only after tangible results are shown. The amount expected shall be realistic given prevailing market conditions.

Setting targets: For incentives to work, performance targets need to strike a balance between being ‘achievable’ (i.e. realistic) and sufficiently ambitious.

They may also need some degree of flexibility, to adjust to unpredictable conditions.

Measuring results: It is advisable to use the services of a third party to monitor and evaluate the contractor’s performance on a consistent and transparent basis.

Ring-fencing: The interface between the contractor and utility’s operations needs to be carefully analysed and appropriate steps should taken to separate them.

Ownership and sustainability: Even with good ring-fencing, outcomes will depend on the collaboration of the utility’s staff. Capacity building is needed so that they fully understand the contractual approach. The contract must also include knowledge transfer so that gains are sustainable after the contractor leaves.

Sources: IWA 52

www.awa.asn.au

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ELECTRIC BUGS: A NEW APPROACH TO RESOURCE RECOVERY MICROBIAL ELECTROCHEMISTRY (USING BACTERIA TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY DIRECTLY FROM EFFLUENT STREAMS) HOLDS GREAT POTENTIAL IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT. WE SPOKE TO A LEADER IN THE FIELD TO FIND OUT WHAT’S DRIVING RESEARCH.

By Cecilia Harris

W

astewater treatment facilities are under more pressure now than ever before. As populations increase and assets age, treatment process capabilities are being challenged significantly.

And there’s also energy consumption to consider, too.

Nestled within the Advanced Water Management Centre at the University of Queensland, Dr Stefano Freguia’s goal is to develop technology that can be applied to resource recovery and sustainable asset management. And while his field of research – microbial electrochemistry – is only about a decade old, the results achieved thus far promise some truly extraordinary applications.

“Microbial electrochemistry is about understanding the interaction between bacteria and electrodes – solid surfaces that are able to conduct electricity,” Freguia said.

“We have been exploring how bacteria can chew up organic matter in wastewater, converting it into electricity. The potential is to have a system that treats wastewater while generating, rather than consuming, electricity. This area of research took off worldwide when people realised there was the potential to create revolutionary wastewater treatment technology.”

While energy-creating wastewater treatment sounds like a utility’s dream come true, there’s definitely a catch: not all technology is commercially competitive. Freguia said the cost of applying the technology to large-scale sewage treatment was one of a few challenges they faced.

“Initially, we believed we could turn this idea into a viable technology that could generate electricity out of wastewater.

There’s been a lot of success towards that but some issues have come up,” he said.

“We built the first pilot in 2007 and, although we showed we could scale it up, it was clear that the cost would never be

54

www.awa.asn.au

competitive with existing technology. We also found issues with addressing pollutants; it is not able to address nutrient removal and also the removal of organics is not perfect.”

CHANGING DIRECTION “That’s when things started to shift. We turned to considering what else we could do with this concept. And the first thing we did was starting to look at different types of wastewater,” Freguia said.

Freguia said he and his fellow researchers turned to looking for saltier wastewater sources, as the higher concentration of ions make them highly conductive.

“Urine is very salty. It contains a lot of nutrients. It has plenty of organics too,” Freguia said. “We tried the process out on human urine and found it was working really well and at a much higher rate than we were getting with sewage. That was pretty encouraging, but then we also modified the original idea in a way that we could begin to capture the nutrients too. This is one of the major directions that we have taken now.”

Freguia said the process works similarly to electrodialysis – moving salt ions in water through the application of electricity – with the main difference being that the new technology is self-driven and energy neutral.

“In electrodialysis, we apply a lot of electricity to concentrate nutrients and be able to harvest them. Here, the energy comes from the urine itself. We have now created a technology which is able to recover nutrients, pulling them out of the urine stream using its own energy to do so.”

While the urine study started as an alternative due to financial constraints, it now has the potential to not only become a key feature in saving utilities’ energy costs in future, but also poses a solution to nutrient recovery.

Microbial electrochemistry: How it works 4

PARTIALLY-TREATED URINE 2 Organics are oxidised to CO2 by electrochemically active bacteria, generating protons and electrons for electricity production.

The bacteria are resistant to ammonia toxicity of up to 2.2g/L of free ammonia.

6 Anions, including bicarbonate and carboxylates, migrate through an anion exchange membrane into the concentrate compartment.

3 Cations, including ammonium and potassium, migrate across a cation exchange membrane into a concentrate compartment.

The partially treated urine stream flows to the cathode side of the cell.

5

ANODE

CATHODE 2 Oxygen

2 Carbon Dioxide

+

3

Potassium

+

Bicarbonate

Hydrogen

+ Organics

34 Phosphate

4 Ammonium

An air-breathing cathode delivers the anodegenerated electrons to oxygen, reducing it to water and generating hydroxyl ions.

2 Water

TAILORED CONCENTRATE

TREATED EFFLUENT: LOW COD & NUTRIENTS

SOURCESEPARATED URINE 1 Pre-hydrolysed undiluted human urine enters the anode compartment of the electrochemical cell.

8 H 0 flows into the concentrate 2 compartment, as a result of osmosis and electro-osmosis, combining with nutrients to generate a concentrate ready for re-use.

“About 25% of the total energy to run a wastewater treatment plant is attributed to nutrient removal. It’s quite significant,” Freguia said. “Most of the nutrients that come to a sewage treatment plant come from urine itself. If we could pull those out at the source with this technology, which does not require any energy, it could significantly lower electricity requirements to run the wastewater treatment process.”

EVERY LAST DROP The urine study now faces one key problem: source separation.

Figuring out this step will be key not only to making the process financially viable, but also to find use for the by-product.

“There are a lot of water-less urinals installed in airports.

At the moment, it’s just a measure to save water, so the urine is collected separately but immediately mixed back with the rest of the wastewater. We are proposing to start from those selected locations that are already using urine separation to apply our new concept,” Freguia said.

“We would like to use our results as a way to promote source separation, especially in large buildings.”

Aside from aiding energy-use reduction, another benefit of source separation is harvesting nutrients, as the by-product of

7 Treated effluent, low in organics and nutrients, is released from the cathode side of the cell.

the electrochemical process is rich in nutrients that are readily available for plant growth. Freguia said the fertiliser is fast release and would work very well with hydroponics.

“We think that concentrate could be used as a fertiliser for gardens. From there, it could be applied to horticultural farming, where you need to add the nutrients at the time the fruits are being produced,” Freguia said.

“The key with this by-product is that it’s quite concentrated, but it’s also clean; it does not contain any significant amount of micropollutants, such as pharmaceuticals, that you’d have in the pre-treated urine. It does not contain harmful microorganisms or pathogens, either.

“We need to figure out what we can do with the product, as this will be key to having the technology taken up by industry.”

Dr Stefano Freguia leads the Environmental Electrochemistry group at the University of Queensland’s Advanced Water Management Centre.

www.awa.asn.au

55

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

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

58 60 62 63 64

WATER POLICY IN THE NORTH How a lack of consistency in water law and policy affects northern development.

66

NEW CONTAMINATION MARKERS A new approach to measuring human faecal contamination.

68

CUTTING PUMPING COSTS

70

WATER DATA SCIENCE

72

LOWERING IMPACTS

WATER TRADING The journey towards creating a water market in the Melbourne region.

SUPPLY AND DEMAND A review of the water demand forecasting models being used in Australia.

RESOURCE PLANNING Calculating uncertainty in the supply-demand balance.

WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT The opportunities presented by health-based targets for drinking-water safety.

How variable speed pumping can cut power consumption.

Putting big data to use in urban water utilities.

Water-sensitive urban design in new Chinese cities.

For extended papers on the latest research in the Australian water sector, visit the Water e-Journal at bit.ly/water_ejournal www.awa.asn.au

57

executive summary law and policy

The impact on development and investment of water law and policy frameworks in Northern Australia: A review M Hartley

N

orthern Australia (or, ‘the North’) is defined as all of the Northern Territory (NT) and those parts of Western Australia (WA) and Queensland (QLD) north of the Tropic of Capricorn. The vast landmass of the North means that its resources are governed by four distinct jurisdictions: the Commonwealth (Federal Government), Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland. The resulting regulation is individualistic to the jurisdictions, meaning that there is no consistent water law across northern borders, despite the sharing of water resources between WA and the NT and – to a greater extent – the NT and QLD. With Commonwealth policy supporting the development of Northern Australia, investors are actively scrutinising market potential.

The current interest is also buoyed by the recognised room for growth in areas of northern agriculture, aquaculture and infrastructure, which is propelled by both the substantial underdevelopment of the North and a burgeoning Asian middle class,

which offers a close trade neighbour to the northern jurisdictions.

The obvious challenge in water law in Northern Australia arises from legal inconsistency across jurisdictions.

In the absence of a Commonwealth referral of power from WA and QLD, as illustrated in the Murray Darling Basin region of Australia’s east coast, water laws in the North will continue to be inconsistent and impact the attractiveness of the investment market. This is particularly problematic for water resources that are shared across jurisdictions. There currently exist no intergovernmental agreements in the North between jurisdictions. There currently exist no intergovernmental agreements in the North, either between States and the Territory (including with respect to the Great Artesian Basin), or State, the Territory and Commonwealth Governments. Northern Australia would be wise to consider a ‘wholeof-system’ approach – which accounts for the North’s climate, isolation and land mass, and is similar in effect to that endorsed by the National

Managed aquifer recharge creates an opportunity to store water underground, and quarantine it against high evaporation rates, for year-round use.

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Water Initiative – and create a legal framework that is consistent across jurisdictions and, therefore, conducive to development. In the absence of doing so, the jurisdictions run the risk of poor equitable distribution of water, its ongoing undervaluation, poor monitoring, limited data availability and, most notably, stalled development opportunities.

Consistency in policy and law will not only secure investment, but it will also ensure that ongoing investment is supported by understood, and therefore sustainable, water resources.

Development of the North will also create a greater need for water storage, as the area suffers from ephemeral stream flows, a disproportionately long dry-to-wet season ratio, and large volumes of rainfall falling in a few short months.

Managed aquifer recharge creates an opportunity to store water underground, and quarantine it against high evaporation rates, for year-round use. Consequently, it also means that the natural distribution of water has the potential to change relative to the scale of northern development.

Each of these areas – reconciling distinct water laws, the possible creation of an intergovernmental agreement, and managed aquifer recharge – bring unique legal challenges that remain largely unexplored and, in their current state,

have the prospect of hampering development in the North.

This article will examine the current water law and policy frameworks that exist in the North and scrutinise their impact on development and investment. The article concludes that the current state of flux of some of these frameworks is creating investor uncertainty. This must be addressed as a first step before any real progress can occur with respect to reducing barriers to northern development.

Dr Madeleine Hartley is a solicitor at Kingfisher Law. Madeleine is an expert in urban and regional water issues, having completed her doctorate in law at the University of Western Australia with field work in Western Australia, New South Wales and Colorado; and complementary environmental, Indigenous and dispute resolution law studies in Canada. She advises corporations, farmers and growers of food and fibre in some of the most remote and distant parts of Australia on irrigation policy; acquiring, selling and trading water licences; and reviewing adverse licensing decisions, water related contracts and insurance matters.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at

bit.ly/water_ejournal

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water 0 er tank assume astruct council d Council in SSO tinuous organis com ticularl is tes dy es ena ons e ma 24.1% of 48 the outlet during require the rain d the s red in service a number ƉĞƌĞĚ͕ ŝƐ interpre s (Waltz, of infr ment The resu con rainwat , which is area. and time n stu s, Hours to link ation, par s theory ION dvantaged in countri ar disput reduce 0.5 operati sustain is 0 with ted nal Lan viders s ϮͿ͘ tion Ŷƚ ŝƐ ŚĂŵ CT drain g proces to be ope govern uction. in delay time er dra with 12, 24 nt y ML case Thi water rigi ater sen per cle 0, to ϮϬϭ . ƉŵĞ viou rela red in disa ver has (2) a 573 DU pro ls long t mw of pre the Abo ǀĞůŽ ŽŶŇŝĐƚ͕ coo ernme for of dra

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NSW ing er tank it slow NSW of vio mo ry rs. The capital rainfall ously rou in unit et al., 201 ƚĞ ŐŽ lth ĂƚĞƌ ƐĐĂƌƌĐŝƚLJ ;ZĞŶ of diffi 24 Drain munitie times. ment found whereas ple of ctorate D is rainwat off since the Height RESU SSION sewer modell indust ůůLJ͘ t the ste social provide s to in hea 0, 12, ŵĂƚĞ ƐƚĂ ODUC betwe 24% delay rs drain delavolume, ll com ŶŶƵĂ ǁĂƚĞƌ ƐĐĂ MM, rs (Walsh C using continu refore, Govern ůĞŐŝƟ run Offset ter Dire nal Peo lth Officer ugh sma INTR rcity is an exil, one whichd will 1 context of service proces CU es of the water tank sented PH[PVU In SW ĐĂƉŝƚĂ ĂŶŝƟŽŶ ŽĨ . The Drain d ) (mm) (Local (NSW Wa ween ing nance. ƌƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ in Hea ZZVJ surface water thro fixed tank 12 hou on in SSO Aborigi 24% ƌ ƉĞƌ from ple in hou DIS d area bet ef ulat in atic ĚĞĮ inte ten ŽƌĚĞ [LY ( (H is PVU PVU PVU y viva com y ǁĂƚĞ sca peo on T pre Chi a rain vide ƚŚŝƐ way ma es calc ed tem VJPH[ VJPH[ VJPH[ U >H arit con sur d to s, and [YHSPH Y (ZZ Y (ZZ Y (ZZ ĞƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ utilities reducti (hours) ĞƚƌĞƐ ŽĨ ƌƉŽƌĂƚĞƐ disp scarcit The out different 2010 are reducti s the stor . Thus, for of the Water to state (as pro modifie re, for no sys ration and increas original (\Z lts ntists >H[L >H[L >H[L of M [OL Delay HSPHU HSPHU HSPHU ƚǁŽ ƐƚĂƚ munitie ĐƵďŝĐ ŵ ĂƉĞƌ ŝŶĐŽ was the time scie As water ificant ing YUHS V (\Z[Y (\Z[Y (\Z[Y Therefo of D in mm to be non-Ab health ope the resu the release ce pipe in drain Hence, in with Drain threat mental values L QV\ M [OL M [OL M [OL Ĩ Ăƚ ůĞĂƐƚ a sign Area ĂŶ ϭ͕ϳϬϬ ŚŝƐ Ɖ and nal com vices did ters dur 4. For ress has tly. orifi ease res, ion es The 6USPU % YUHS V YUHS V YUHS V ĂƌLJ Ž ƐƐ ƚŚ ŶŶƵĂůůLJ͘ d ous rigi ed The nal (2) let add ame can iron on. figu L QV\ L QV\ L QV\ (3).

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TH ITAL -MAL NEO IAL CAP C A SO

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Submit your technical paper for the Water e-Journal, the Association’s online repository of water-related papers.

Visit the Association’s website and look under the Publications tab or email journal@awa.asn.au for more information. www.awa.asn.au

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executive summary water trading

Water trading in the Melbourne region A DISCUSSION ON THE DRIVERS AND BARRIERS OF WATER TRADING. H Eggestrand, K Gan and M Moglia

S

ince the Millennium Drought, the Melbourne region has moved to a more secure water supply with a desalination plant and the North-South Pipeline.

In addition, there is considerable progress in the use of recycled water, rainwater and stormwater. However, the challenges of rapid population growth and a drying climate still put

the region’s water supply under stress.

Trading water over a highly connected water system is gaining interest.

The Melbourne water supply system is interconnected with the adjacent systems of Western Water, Barwon Water, Westernport Water, Gippsland Water, South Gippsland Water and Southern Rural Water. These systems are connected to others. For example,

VICTORIA’S WATER GRID AND MARKETS

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through the North-South Pipeline, the Melbourne system is connected to the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District in northern Victoria.

Melbourne’s three water retailers and a number of adjacent corporations have the right to individual delivery entitlements from water catchments and the desalination plants in a way that facilitates trading.

The literature highlights the role of markets in supporting efficient water use so that water is transferred to the highest value uses.

This article combines literature reviews with insights from industry representatives to examine the drivers and barriers of water trading in the Melbourne Region. The literature highlights the role of markets in supporting efficient water use so that water is transferred to the highest value uses and water security benefits are shared. However, this might not take social and environmental aspects into account, resulting in negative public perceptions and less water for the environment.

While interviewees agreed with the drivers and barriers identified, they also noted particulars pertaining to the Melbourne region. Chief among

these are the limited number of potential traders and the lack of heterogeneity among them. The lack of antecedent trades makes it difficult to adopt appropriate market positions, especially in regard to the value of water. This is exacerbated by the lack of clear security criteria.

As there is a strong case for uniform water restrictions over the whole of Melbourne, any water trading that results in substantial supply imbalances among the three retailers is likely to require artificial corrective measures. Another barrier is the prohibition on the transfer of water through the North-South Pipeline, which limits urban-rural trades.

The Victorian Government has proposed developing defined market trading rules and a five-year trial of the southern market. One approach could involve the use of agent-based gaming software. This enables exploration of the interplay of various human, climatic, spatial and temporal factors.

Hanna Eggestrand was a Masters student in the Division of Industrial Ecology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm at the time of this research.

Dr Kein Gan is an Adjunct Professor in the College of Engineering and Science, Victoria University.

Dr Magnus Moglia is a Senior Research Scientist in CSIRO Land and Water, based in Melbourne.

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

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executive summary water demand models

Current issues in water demand models being used in Australia: A survey A REVIEW OF THE CURRENT DEMAND FORECASTING MODELS USED BY WATER AUTHORITIES AND AGENCIES IN AUSTRALIA. R Sarker and S Gato-Trinidad

C

limate change, drought, growth in population, economy and agriculture, along with social and environmental changes, trigger competitive uses of water. As a consequence, patterns of water consumption change over time and alternative sources of water are found.

The effect of these changes needs to be incorporated more into current water demand models.

This paper presents the results of a survey conducted to determine if the water demand and forecasting models currently used in Australia incorporate the effects of climate change, end-use, conservation programs, water restrictions and alternative sources of water supply. This paper also presents limitations identified in the current demand models.

The survey targeted 100 managers of the water authorities, agencies and consulting firms in Australia who were involved in water supply planning, demand modelling and management. Survey tool Opinio was used for the design of the questionnaire and the implementation of the survey project.

The survey questions related to the demand models currently being used, the issues found with these models, and the appropriateness of the models when factors like the effects of climate change, water restrictions and water conservation practices are considered.

Sixteen responses were received from the survey. The models used are: End Use Model (EUM—four respondents); Resource Allocation Model (REALM—two); Demand Side Management Decision Support System (DSM DSS—two); In-house model (two); and the remaining six resondents use other types of models.

The survey revealed that, while some current models have incorporated one or two

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Climate change, drought, growth in population, economy and agriculture, along with social and environmental changes, trigger competitive uses of water. factors such as end-use analysis, climate change, water conservation programs or water restrictions, no model has ever incorporated all of the above factors together.

From the results, it is recommended that a water demand model that integrates all of the end-use analysis, climate change, water restrictions, water conservation and alternative sources of water be developed.

For example, as models such as EUM, integrated Supply-Demand Planning and DSM DSS simulate water demand, they can be integrated into supply models such as REALM. The climate-corrected data input required in DSM DSS can be addressed by integrating a model-like demand-trend tracking and a climate correction model that incorporates the effect of climate change.

The outcomes of this survey would greatly benefit water resource planners and policy makers, managers of water authorities, water agencies and consultancy firms, and researchers who are involved in water demand modelling and forecasting.

Ram Chandra Sarker is a PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, where Dr Shirley Gato-Trinidad is a Senior Lecturer and Major Discipline Coordinator for the Civil Engineering Undergraduate Course.

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

executive summary water resources

Calculating uncertainty in the supply-demand balance USING THE CONCEPTS OF OUTAGE AND HEADROOM TO BETTER CONSIDER RISK AND UNCERTAINTY IN SUPPLY-DEMAND BALANCES. C Reed, J Reed and C Green

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utage and headroom are concepts that are included in some form in many water utilities’ approach to water resource planning.

Outage represents an allowance for a reduction in source or treatment capacity.

Headroom represents uncertainty, of either the yield that sources can supply, or the demand that is forecast.

These concepts therefore provide a framework for considering risk and uncertainty in the supply-demand balance in a clear and transparent manner.

Watercare supplies water to the Auckland region and plans to meet a current peak demand of 500ML/d. As part of its long-term planning, Watercare has carried out assessments of outage and

headroom using probabilistic techniques, which enable it to plan to a known level of uncertainty or risk.

The assessment commenced with a literature review of available international methods. The review found that the UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) methodologies are the most structured and detailed available methods, complemented by scenario analysis where single factors (such as population) have a disproportionate impact on the analysis outcome.

INTO THE OUTAGE At any given time, it is unlikely that a water utility will have all of its sources and treatment works available at their specified capacity. Reductions in capacity can be due to planned and unplanned maintenance and changes in raw water quality, such as turbidity or pollution events.

Watercare used historic data, combined with operational knowledge, to estimate the duration, magnitude and expected frequency of possible outage events. Monte Carlo modelling enabled these data to be combined to produce a frequency distribution of outage events and a likely outage figure for the peak month to be identified.

MORE HEADROOM Headroom represents an allowance for uncertainty in the supply-demand balance.

The methodology applied by Watercare is a Monte-Carlo based probabilistic method, which enables an understanding of the likelihood of the combined outcomes of each specified principal uncertainty in the supply demand balance that lies outside Watercare’s direct operational control. It does not consider uncertainties within its operational control.

The output of the method is a probability distribution, from which Watercare can select a value that reflects the exposure to uncertainty that it can accept and that is also acceptable to customers.

Outage represents an allowance for a reduction in source or treatment capacity.

The benefit of this methodology is that the outcome can be a single value of a reasonable buffer, or uncertainty allowance, for each part of the planning period.

Watercare has successfully applied these methodologies to both its metropolitan Auckland supply area and to the small community of Waiuku, therefore quantifying and improving its understanding of the relative impact of key risk factors on these systems.

The paper describes the process developed to assess these uncertainties and recommends approaches that could be taken to other municipal supplies in Australia or New Zealand.

Charlotte Reed is a Senior Water Resources Specialist at Tonkin & Taylor.

Jonathan Reed is a Principal at Beca and Carmel Green a Water Quality Analyst at Watercare.

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

www.awa.asn.au

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executive summary water quality

Increasing the transparency of water quality management HEALTH-BASED TARGETS OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER SAFETY. C Owens, M Angles, M Crabtree

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t is intuitive to judge the safety of drinking water principally on an observed absence of contamination. This was the case at the birth of modern drinking water quality management; in 1855, John Snow (the founder of modern epidemiology) hesitated to link a substantial cholera outbreak to the Broad St pump due to a lack of visible contamination in the water.

To an extent this is also true in modern times. This is because water utilities typically offer insights into the microbial safety of drinking water based on an observed absence of specific pathogenic and indicator organisms in the supply.

The context of water treatment and the ‘multiple-barrier’ approach is not necessarily (or usually) included in this discourse. Thus, an erroneous inference of operational response being made solely on the basis of lagging indicators may be made.

Such a circumstance is not of benefit to the consumer or the utility.

A FRESH APPROACH Focusing consumer confidence reporting on critical control processes increases the importance of what is reported. Events known to be related to public health outcomes are highlighted, and conversely, results not as strongly associated with public

health outcomes do not need to be included. Both cases are beneficial.

Essentially, the connection between public health theory and drinking water supply practise can be reaffirmed. The introduction of a health-based target for the microbial safety of drinking water provides an opportunity to pursue a shift in focus.

This was implemented in the case of Sydney Water in four steps.

First, source risk and commensurate treatment requirements were identified using the two-tiered method established by Water Services Association of Australia.

Second, treatment requirements were formalised under a Hazard Analysis

Figure 1: Excerpt of the Sydney Water daily drinking water quality report, demonstrating achievement of critical limits set under national guidelines, including those linked to health-based targets.

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The implementation of the microbial HBT provides an opportunity to improve the importance of consumer confidence reporting. and Critical Control Point (HACCP) approach. Third, HACCP performance data were assembled for internal reporting. Finally, organisational and stakeholder acceptance was established for these data and the processes they describe to form the basis of refocussed consumer confidence reporting.

An online, daily report was established, with the purpose of demonstrating and recording the performance of the filtration, primary and secondary chlorination, and fluoridation processes against national guidelines and the achievement of the 10-6 Disability-Adjusted Life Years per person per year health outcome target (Figure 1).

Establishing the report saw the need to create algorithms for treating and assembling operational data.

Acceptance of the approach within the water utility was also important.

The implementation of the microbial

HBT provides an opportunity to improve the importance of consumer confidence reporting. The associated measures may not be immediately intuitive, but by their nature are a powerfully transparent and accurate characterisation of whether and how the safety of drinking water is, in practice, assured.

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Chris Owens is a Service Planning Senior Analyst, Dr Mark Angles a Service Planning Lead and Mark Crabtree the Service Planning Manager – Supply Products, in the Liveable City Solutions division of Sydney Water.

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

E-mail: info@odatech.com.au www.odatech.com.au 65 www.awa.asn.au odours….controlled naturally

executive summary water quality

Bacteroidales: revolutionising microbial source tracking THE AGE OF USING ESCHERICHIA COLI AND ENTEROCOCCI SP. AS STANDARD FAECAL INDICATOR BACTERIA IS COMING TO AN END. BJ Tillet, V Pettigrove 40

AVERAGE CROSSING POINT

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Universal

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Ruminant Duck

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SITES anagers of recreational waterways are increasingly concerned with harmful health risks associated with human faecal contamination of waterways.

Currently, Escherichia coli and Enterococci sp. are the standard tests used to assess whether waters are safe for recreational activities. However, they are general indicators of faecal pollution from warm-blooded animals and do not specifically indicate the presence of human faecal contamination.

There is also growing evidence that certain strains of both E. coli and Enterococci sp. are able to propagate in external environments reducing confidence that observed levels are truly representative of faecal contamination.

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Bacteroides-Prevotella spp. is an abundant group of bacteria living in the gut of all warm-blooded animals and therefore present in high concentrations in their faeces.

It is now evident that for the most part, these bacteria are species specific and therefore can be used as a diagnostic signature for the origin of the faecal contamination, that is, human faecal contamination versus other animals such as dogs, bovines, pigs and birds, which may also be important contributors to urban and rural water quality problems.

These targeted indicator bacteria allow water managers to better source what animals are contributing to faecal contamination in waterways and consequently better predict

human health associated with such contamination.

NEW APPROACH Bacteroides spp. assays, unlike standard measures of E. Coli and Enterococci sp., amplify bacteria to quantifiable levels using genetic (quantitative polymerase chain reaction, or qPCR) methodologies.

These technologies use a suite of specific enzymes and thermo-cycles rather than bacterial viability. As such these new Bacteroides spp. assays quantify both viable and non-viable bacteria increasing assay sensitivity compared with standard FIB. Also, because the amplification of bacterium is measured per cycle during the qPCR process, accurate determination of overall amplification

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The greater sensitivity of Bacteroides spp. indicators have identified faecal contamination that was not detected by standard FIB. efficiency and limits of detection and quantification are also calculated.

Water quality assessments that have included Bacteroides spp. assays have provided water managers with vital additional information on sources of contamination in waterways than if only E. coli or Enterococci sp. had been quantified.

The greater sensitivity of Bacteroides spp. indicators have identified faecal contamination that was not detected by standard FIB. Also, Bacteroides spp. assays have discriminated bird and dog faecal sources of contamination identifying otherwise un-described non-point source faecal contamination.

And lastly, human specific Bacteroides spp. markers have also been used to trace faecal contamination up sewage

infrastructure to identify cracked sewage infrastructure leaking directly into stormwater.

Dr Bree Tillett is a research fellow at the Centre for Aquatic Pollution Identification and Management (CAPIM) at the University of Melbourne. Vincent Pettigrove is the Chief Executive Officer of CAPIM and Principal Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He is also a Principal Ecologist at Melbourne Water.

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executive summary energy use

Reducing pumping power costs by variable speed pumping THE MISSING LINK BETWEEN THE SYSTEM CURVE AND VARIABLE SPEED PUMP CURVE REVEALS THE BENEFITS AND POTENTIAL PITFALLS OF VARIABLE SPEED DRIVES. T Leyden

P

ower consumption is an expense that often drives capital expenditure decisions and maintenance schedules to ensure it is minimised. By thorough understanding of the relationship between the system and the pump performance there is often the opportunity reduce the energy consumed to pump a given volume by modifying the time taken to pump it.

A synergy of equations has been utilised to produce a term that quantifies

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the energy density (ED) of any given system flow rate using any given pump.

The equations have been presented in a format intended to have the most relevance, that is, Kilowatt Hours per Mega Litre (kWh/ML).

It can be shown that when a pumping system has been chosen based on peak demand periods that include seasonal demand and firefighting capacity, pumping at a flow rate slower than the design duty often delivers significant energy savings.

The ability to realise these benefits depends on the ability of the pump to operate effectively at the duty identified in the analysis. However, with the increased acceptance of systems that allows pumps to readily be run to 50% of the nominated pump curve speed, often there is only an operational adjustment required to realise these benefits.

Through analysis, it can also be determined the flow rate at which the benefit is maximised, and therefore the limit for how slow the pumps should

Pumping at a flow rate slower than the design duty often delivers significant energy savings. typically be run. There is the potential that some systems are being run too slowly on the assumption that the less power being used instantaneously, then the greater the reduction in total energy consumption.

There is also the risk that pumps are being inadvertently operated outside their range of appropriate application. The equations developed that allow for the ED to be determined also allow for the pump efficiency across a range of flows to be analysed. This can aid in determining the pumping flow rate that coincides with the minimum flow rate of the pump to be identified.

Thus, the analysis available from the utilisation of the equations presented can potentially assist to optimise pump systems, both by reducing the energy to pump a given volume, and also by minimising maintenance tasks that could have arisen from pumping outside the range of application.

Troy Leyden is the Operations Engineer of Fitzroy River Water.

He has worked in the water and wastewater industry for more than five years in the design, development, review, evaluation and optimisation of process systems.

To read the full article, visit the Water e-Journal at

bit.ly/water_ejournal

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executive summary data science

Lifting the ‘big data’ veil HOW APPLIED DATA SCIENCE CAN CREATE VALUE FOR URBAN WATER MANAGERS. P Prevos

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he phrase ‘big data’ has become synonymous with promises of boundless benefits. Big-data algorithms are attributed almost mystical capabilities to improve the experience of customers or optimise treatment processes and profoundly change urban water management overall.

There are some famous examples of successful companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Google, where big data forms part of the fabric of the enterprise. But for most organisations, including water utilities,

success in this area has to this point in time been limited.

The big data moniker is burdened with undelivered promises. As big data surfs the technology hype curve, the discipline of data science emerges as a practical way to extract more value from data.

Data science is a multidisciplinary field that combines mathematics, computing and subject matter expertise to develop actionable insights. Value from data comes from sound, useful and aesthetic information. Data products firstly need

to be reliable and useful to add value and aesthetics ensure that information is communicated in a comprehensible way.

GOING TO WATER Data analytics comes naturally to the engineering and science-focused organisations that water utilities are. Given our reliance on data and technology, the benefits promised by big data should be within reach for water utilities.

The data science continuum (pictured) illustrates the value chain for business

PLOTTING A COURSE Various data mapping techniques for every stage.

Transformed

Semantic Data Visualization

Prescriptive Understanding Patterns

analytics maturity

Predictive

Understanding Social Context & Meaning

Diagnostics

Optimizing Systems

Descriptive Forecasting & Probabilities

Data Quality

Aspirational

Identifying Factors & Causes Business Intelligence

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business value

Strategic

analytics. Before any value can be created, we first need to assure data quality because the law of ‘rubbish in, rubbish out’ is immutable.

The data science continuum is strictly hierarchical. Organisations cannot evolve to a level without first mastering the previous ones.

The majority of data management projects are located on the second level of the continuum. Business reports provide descriptive statistics that summarise existing data.

Data visualisation techniques serve to enhance the information to help the reader better understand the presented information – and thus make better decisions. The craft of visualising data has developed in the past years combining perception psychology and creative input from artists to improve the way data is communicated.

Most engineering and scientific analyses in water utilities relates to diagnostics.

At this level of value, new information is

Value from data comes from sound, useful and aesthetic information. created from existing data. Water utilities mostly operate at this level through water and sewer system modelling.

Predictive analysis or machine learning is the core of data science. New predictive analysis techniques provide opportunities to understand our customers and equipment better.

The final two levels of the data science value chain enable intelligent water networks. In prescriptive analysis, the outcomes of diagnostics and predictive analysis are used to make operational decisions. Semantic analysis relates to using analysis to understand the messy data of the social world better.

Coliban Water has enacted a strategy that allows us to reap the benefits of the emerging data science technologies to improve the customer experience and bottom line of the organisation. This essay

provides a primer on how to leverage the benefits of new developments in data science to improve water utilities.

Read the full article for examples and practical advice on implementing data science projects by leveraging existing technologies and competencies.

Peter Prevos is a civil engineer and social scientist with Coliban Water. He is responsible for creating value from data at Coliban Water by providing sound, reliable and aesthetic information to assist the organisation in making better decisions.

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

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Sulzer Australia Pty Ltd Phone: 03-8581 3750 jonathan.fullford@sulzer.com www.sulzer.com

www.awa.asn.au

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executive summary water use efficiency

The evolution of low-impact development WATER-SENSITIVE URBAN DESIGN AND ITS EXTENSION TO CHINA AS ‘SPONGE CITIES’.

J C Radcliffe

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ince the 1980s, there has been recognition that urban development should take account of natural water cycles, seeking to manage water flows as would have occurred on the original greenfield site, emulating the original ecosystem services it provided and the quality and quantity of water flowing therefrom.

These approaches advanced in North America under the name of Low-Impact

Britain adopted Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) techniques, incorporating the integration of surface run-off within the urban form. In Europe, planners and local government respond to the EU Water Management and Flooding Directives on a river basin basis.

Development (LID) and later Green Infrastructure (GI) in response to the 1972 passage of the Clean Water Act (US).

Such developments can incorporate green roofs, rain gardens, swales, permeable pavements, wetlands and urban natural vegetation corridors to improve urban amenity as well as reducing flood and pollution risks, though there is variability in the regulatory environment between the states governing such facilities.

LOCAL FLAVOURS In Australia, similar policy developments took place under the philosophy of

SOAKING IT IN Thirty major cities in China act as ‘sponges’.

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Pingxiang Fuzhou

Guian New Area Yuxi

Qingyuan Nanning

Xiamen

Shenzhen Hong Kong Zhuhai 500 km

Pilot “Sponge Cities”, 2015-2016

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Sanya

300 mi

Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD).

The components and drivers varied somewhat between the states, with each choosing emphases appropriate to their catchments, infrastructure, seasonal climate, local water cycle and individual community expectations.

Water use efficiency was highlighted in the planning of new Sydney developments.

Protection of watercourse and littoral environments were especially important considerations in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. Perth was protective of the groundwater on which the city’s water supply depends. In some but not all states, a statutory basis was provided for the approach adopted.

New Zealand policies were developed for adoption by local government using the approach of Low-Impact Urban Design and Development (LIUDD), which included awareness and understanding of Maori cultural interests in its framework.

Cities in east Asia have been undergoing urbanisation at a much faster

rate over the past 40 years than those of the developed world, often accompanied by increased flooding.

This is especially so in China, where the building of high-rise urban conurbations has threatened water supply sustainability and has increased flooding, pollution and ecosystem problems.

In 2013, the President of China, Xi Jinping, introduced new urban development policies which included the concept of building and even retrofitting urban areas as ‘sponge cities’, where “stormwater can be naturally conserved, infiltrated, and purified” for potential reuse, thereby reducing flood risks and increasing water availability.

By 2015, construction guidelines for sponge cities had been issued. Thirty major cities in China have been identified to participate as pilot cities for the program. Each city is eligible for central government subsidies of between 400 and 600 million RMB (approximately A$85 million to A$128 million).

Addressing technical integration problems, legislative constraints and community acceptance will be necessary if the program is to succeed. There will be inevitable conflicts between the traditional large “end-of-pipe” solutions, some of which might still be needed for extreme storm events, the adoption of green, environmentally sensitive “sponge city” approaches and ensuring a resilient urban water supply system.

Effective integration of responsibilities between departments within local government must occur. In some cases, legislative changes to allow the adoption of sponge city standards may be required.

John Radcliffe is an Honorary Research Fellow at CSIRO, having previously been an Institute Director and Deputy Chief Executive.

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

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

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

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BIGGEST SHOW IN TOWN Ozwater returns to Sydney for 2017, and it’s set to be the biggest one yet.

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SOUTHERN SUCCESSES Biosolids experts gathered in Melbourne; and Tasmania ended the year with a bang.

EVENTS PLANNER Plan your professional development with the latest listing of the Association’s event calendar.

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CROSSING THE BORDER QWater opened up to interstate visitors, with encouraging results.

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CELEBRATING THE BEST Both the Northern Territory and Western Australia gathered to toast the stars of the water sector.

CREAM OF THE CROP Legends of Water were honoured in NSW; and the ACT cruised into the new year.

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Ozwater’17

Meeting of the minds FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS, AUSTRALIA’S WATER COMMUNITY WILL GATHER IN SYDNEY FOR THE LARGEST WATER CONFERENCE THIS SIDE OF THE EQUATOR.

“ C

hange is the only constant.” It might be an overused line, but Heraclitus was onto something there. The water industry is not immune to the disruptions seen in other sectors, which means that it must explore ways to innovate – or risk falling behind.

That’s the aim of this year’s Ozwater’17 conference. Held at Sydney’s new International Convention Centre, it will feature more than 150 speakers over nine streams to answer that vital question: what does the future of water look like?

“The industry is getting to a point where there is an unprecedented amount of change happening,” said Program Committee Chair Paul Plowman. He highlighted three major areas where the water industry is rapidly evolving: adoption of holistic approaches to the water cycle; the entrance of smart technology and artificial intelligence; and the “customer revolution,” putting the end-user at the heart of the process.

“It’s timely to have a conference around what are the innovations available to us, but also how disruptive they will be to all of our current business models,” he said.

Those three topics fit seamlessly with this year’s overarching theme: Embracing Innovation and Disruption for a Smart Water Future.

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Sydney Water Managing Director Kevin Young shared Plowman’s sentiments. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to share innovations, and to learn new and improved ways of doing things to improve customer experience,” he said.

Building on the success of last year’s conference, new elements have been introduced this year to complement the already stellar line-up, said Australian Water Association National Events Manager Kirsty Blades. These will include: a keynote speakers program that draws on expertise from outside the water industry; dedicated innovation, water policy and university hubs in the exhibition hall; a strengthened international program; the launch of the Australian water security scorecard; and pre- and post-event innovation challenges.

“Ozwater is your one-stop-shop for all things water in 2017,” Blades said.

“As an Association, we are proud to deliver Ozwater’17 with a completely in-house team that works closely with our members to produce a valued, engaging event.”

As the cherry on top, the water industry’s best and brightest will be announced at the AWA National Water Awards. The event, held during a gala dinner, celebrates the hard work of water industry professionals, and showcases their

continued contributions to the community at large.

“Innovation and disruption are just part of our work lives everyday, and it’s great to have some time out to talk with colleagues across the industry,” Plowman said.

“It’s also a time to work on shaping our future, rather than just facing it.”

GO WITH THE FLOW The theme of this year’s conference is Embracing Innovation and Disruption for a Smart Water Future. Within this are nine streams to choose from, plus poster presentations.

X Water’s contribution to communities of the future X Innovation in operations and asset management X Changes in governance, policy regulation and structure X Customers and community X Managing change, people and organisations in the water sector X Water for rural, remote and regional areas X Public health

OZWATER’17: THE BASICS WHERE: International Convention Centre, Sydney. This brand-new, state-of-the-art venue is bringing Australia’s water industry back to Sydney for the first time in five years.

WHEN: 16–18 May. WHO: Almost 4000 water professionals across sectors as diverse as engineering, research, policy, utilities, advocacy and more. The exhibition hall will be packed with more than 220 companies displaying the latest in water science, technology, innovation, products and services.

OUT AND ABOUT GET SOCIAL: Sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know. Take advantage of the planned social events and get to know your peers – and have some fun. Things formally kick off with welcome drinks on Monday night, followed by a happy hour at the Club House on Tuesday night. The social calendar is capped

by Wednesday night’s gala dinner and AWA Australian Water Awards.

TAKE A TOUR: Register for one (or all three) of the technical tours. Tour one takes you to the Cronulla Waste Water Treatment Plant, where you can see the latest water tech in use. Tour two takes you into the belly of Sydney’s Tank Stream, which was built by First Fleet convicts in the late 1700s and is a prime example of historical water works. Tour three shows you the inner workings of the Prospect Water Filtration Plant, a leader in environmental sustainability.

HOW MUCH: Early-bird registrations close March 31. The trade exhibition is free to attend.

Early-bird full registrations AWA member: $1265 New AWA professional membership + Ozwater’17 registration: $1505 Non-member: $1645 Full-time student – AWA member: $630 Full-time student – non-member: $820 Retired member: $630 Day registrations AWA member: $625 Non-member: $810 Young Water Professionals Full Program AWA and YWP network member: $195 Non-member: $275

To learn more and register, visit: bit.ly/Ozwater17

www.awa.asn.au

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Association events

EVENT CALENDAR MARCH

M AY

08

QLD: TECHNICAL SEMINAR Unitywater – Treatment services strategy

04

SA: TECHNICAL TOUR Barossa Valley

09

VIC: MENTORING PROGRAM LAUNCH

10

QLD: TECHNICAL MEETING Wastewater process

15

QLD: YWP DISCUSSION PANEL

16

WA: INDUSTRY SEMINAR Workforce Skills Development

21

TAS: TECHNICAL SEMINAR Bureau of Meteorology NSW: TECHNICAL SEMINAR WASH

22

VIC: TECHNICAL SEMINAR Catchment Management SA: TECHNICAL SEMINAR Wastewater

29

NSW: YWP MENTORING PROGRAM LAUNCH

A PR I L

06

WA: MENTORING PROGRAM LAUNCH

16-18 26

NAT: OZWATER’17 Embracing Innovation & Disruption for a Smart Water Future VIC: YWP ANNUAL BALL

YWP

NSW

Professional Development: YWP online leadership course In partnership with the International Water Centre, this course meets the needs of young water professionals (YWPs) using the latest online learning platforms, research findings and facilitation techniques.

When: Commences March 6

SA: YWP SEMINAR

11

VIC: TECHNICAL TOUR Indigenous Heritage & Water walking tour

12

QLD: TECHNICAL MEETING Seqwater – Update on water security planning

18

NAT: MEMBERSHIP MATTERS WEBINAR Savvy networking skills

20

VIC: YWP PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR 1

FOR MORE DETAILS AND TO REGISTER, VISIT BIT.LY/AWAEVENTS 78

www.awa.asn.au

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Out and About

QWATER IN NSW | T WEED HE ADS, NSW

F

or the first time, Queenslandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual water conference last year invited New South Wales delegates to join. The joint effort was a great success, with attendees enjoying a program packed with cross-border insight.

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Out and About

BIOSOLIDS AND SOURCE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE | VIC

W

ater professionals from across Australia and New Zealand gathered to trace the evolution of biosolids management, and try to predict its future course.

GAL AH DINNER | HOBART, TAS

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asmaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2016 Galah Dinner hosted water professionals from around the state to celebrate another year of hard work and success.

www.awa.asn.au

SA WATER AWARDS | ADELAIDE, SA

T

he brightest in South Australia’s water sector came together at the SA Water Awards with winners celebrated for their achievements. The evening was filled with well-deserved banter as the state’s industry relaxed at The Ellington in Hackney.

WATER FOR VICTORIA L AUNCH | MELBOURNE, VIC

W

ater for Victoria provides strategic direction for the state’s water management and the report was launched last year with a keynote presentation from Minister for Water Lisa Neville. Attendees came together to discuss and celebrate the future of the Victorian water sector.

www.awa.asn.au

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Out and About

WA WATER AWARDS | PERTH, WA

W

estern Australia’s leading organisations and professionals were praised for their exceptional work at the state’s annual awards ceremony, with attendees enjoying a night of networking and lively celebration.

NT WATER AWARDS | DARWIN, NT

2

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016 saw the north end celebrate their first ever Water Professional of the Year, with attendees to the ceremony enjoying an afternoon off to congratulate one another for another year of hard work.

NSW LEGENDS OF WATER

L

eading water experts were honoured at an awards ceremony hosted by the Australian Water Associations NSW branch in November.

DEBATE ON THE L AKE AND AWARDS | ACT

A

gainst the backdrop of a cruise around the beautiful Lake Burley Griffin, some of the ACT’s best and brightest gathered for a night of friendly banter. The evening was capped by the ACT Water Awards, which recognised the hard work and dedication of those in the ACT water community.

www.awa.asn.au

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The Last Drop

SIMON THORN

SIMON THORN HAS SEEN A LOT IN HIS TIME AT COFFS HARBOUR CITY COUNCIL, BUT THE ONE THING THAT’S UNIFIED HIS CAREER IS THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE COMMUNITY’S EFFORT TO DO THE RIGHT THING.

I GREW UP ON A TOBACCO FARM IN Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. As you can imagine, effective water management was always very important to my family.

That interest continued when I left school. I joined a government’s water development department in Rhodesia, obtained a civil engineering diploma and worked for them for 11 years. Following this, I moved to South Africa to work for a water board, before moving to Australia in 1989.

I ended up with Coffs Harbour City Council as assistant water and sewage engineer, and I stayed on with the council for 24 years. By the time I retired, I’d become Executive Manager for Water and Sewage Operations.

GREEN THUMB My role with Coffs Harbour City Council has been extremely varied. But one of the big things that has always been in the picture is managing environmental challenges. All the projects that I’ve been involved in have a lot of environmental consideration. My main responsibility at the council was making sure the systems operated effectively, but I was also heavily involved in planning and implementing new works.

During that time, I was also involved with alliance contracting for the construction of the new Coffs sewage treatment works and water treatment plant. We managed to close all the outfalls that were there when I first arrived and replaced them with one deep-sea release point, which is of course much more environmentally sustainable.

Environmental considerations, including environmental flows in rivers, have increased phenomenally for the rivers that Coffs Harbour sources its raw water from.

Not only that, the regional water supply is mainly gravity-fed now, whereas before there was considerable pumping involved. Now the use of electricity is substantially diminished.

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I think we need to look further ahead in order to discover what the needs of the area are going to be in the long term and how to make sure it’s sustainable.

TAKING IT BACK There’s also a lot of reclaimed water used in this area now. The mid-north coast is a bit of a hot spot for recycled water use, and there has obviously been a very big push by local people. Things have changed dramatically through legislation and government policies, but also through the local community wanting to protect the environment.

A long time ago we had a large demonstration against an outfall at Emerald Beach, which resulted in the council working towards bettering the outfall process. We started doing experiments on using reclaimed water in a small way on bananas and that just grew and grew. As we put new sewage treatment works in, the standard of treatment increased and now many consumers are keen to use as much reclaimed water as possible.

Council now supplies consumers with reclaimed water from Woolgoolga down to Sawtell. There are a lot of blueberry farmers, banana farmers, golf courses and many sporting grounds using reclaimed water, which means that there’s not a lot of waste. We’re also not pumping as much out to sea.

THE MARCH OF TIME Generally speaking, throughout the industry, things have changed a lot in the past 25 years. When I first came to Coffs Harbour, we didn’t have a water treatment works. I was a little bit shocked. This was a huge difference to how things work in South Africa, in that the rivers here are very pristine. But you can even look at things

like metering. When I first arrived, not all houses had meters. Now every supply has to be metered. So much has changed, including the level of service expected by customers, treated water standards, environmental standards and risk management. We definitely need to have a lot more long-term planning as projects take much longer to implement than they used to. This is good news though. I think we need to look further ahead in order to discover what the needs of the area are going to be in the long-term and how to make sure it’s sustainable.

But I think what really makes the difference is the people. There are a lot of really great people involved in the water sector as a whole. I’ve been through a lot, I have seen drought and floods, but I have always found that everybody has a really good outlook. I’ve really enjoyed my time in the industry. It’s one where people are always striving for the best.

I’m proud to have been awarded NSW AWA Water Professional of the year in 2012 and then NSW Legend of Water this year by my peers. But I’m actually very proud, I suppose, of all that has been put in place in Coffs Harbour during my working life. I think I’ve been fortunate to have really good people to work with.

It makes a huge difference.

Simon Thorn is former Executive Manager of Water and Sewage Operations at Coffs Harbour City Council.

He is the recipient of the 2012 NSW Water Professional of the Year award, was named a 2016 NSW Legend of Water.

REGISTER NOW! 16-18 May 2017 | International Convention Centre Sydney

Embracing Innovation and Disruption for a Smart Water Future

Australia’s international water conference & exhibition Ozwater’17 has presentations, panels and workshops for any professional working in water. From operators and engineers to change managers and researchers, there are more than 62 sessions to choose from. This is your chance to increase your knowledge and awareness of issues that are affecting the water industry in Australia and overseas and to learn new solutions from professionals across the industry.

View the preliminary technical program at: www.ozwater.org Principal Sponsors

OZWATER’17 Call for Papers & Workshops

www.awa.asn.au

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