Qldwater Report

Dave Cameron CEO, qldwater

Regional & Remote Communities Workshop Wrap

The joint Queensland and NSW Water Directorates’ Sustainable Services for Regional & Remote Communities workshop held in Goondiwindi on 17-18 February 2021 challenged the minds of attendees. The workshop helped inform the qldwater industry roadmap and develop practical recommendations for service providers and decisionmakers, including regulators, policy makers and elected representatives at all levels. The urge to get out of the office after the long COVID hibernation was evident in the number of in-person registrations (70+!). Still, the hybrid event attracted a strong interest in online attendance as well.

The event started out with a bus tour to the Yelarbon Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP), Water Treatment Plant and reservoir construction site guided by Goondiwindi Regional Council’s Manager Water and Sewerage, Trevor Seth.

The Yelarbon STP services a population of under 400 residents. The plant uses an Imhoff tank and oxidation ponds with digested sludge dried on drying beds assisted by wind and solar energy. It has no environmental discharge.

The water treatment plant uses re-purposed grain silos as part of the treatment train with chlorine gas. A new bore has recently been commissioned, with high-quality source water available to augment the existing source, which had become highly vulnerable in the current drought.

Yelarbon is a great example of a well-managed community water and sewerage service and also illustrates the significant challenges of supporting small towns with limited rates bases. Most recent enhancements included funding support from the Queensland Government’s

Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program.

The bus tour then returned to the Goondiwindi/Waggamba Community Cultural Centre where Trevor provided an overview of the Goondiwindi region. qldwater’s David Cameron and Rob Fearon and Brendan Guiney from the NSW Water Directorate then set the scene for day two, presenting five controversies and provocations: 1. Funding water and sewerage services responsibly and sustainably 2. Choosing fit-for-purpose technology 3. Negotiating levels of service 4. Appropriate approaches to compliance and regulation 5. Readiness for alternative supplies

The first, experimental session asked a mixture of online and in-person participants to split into five breakout groups to identify opportunities and ideas and assign priorities to each provocation. This proved a bit of a challenge for online attendees and we quickly pivoted to a different model for day two where all online attendees were grouped into one breakout room to aim for better sound quality and communications.

Day two commenced with a warm welcome by Cr Rob Mackenzie, Deputy Mayor of Goondiwindi Regional Council.

The program included a mix of speakers on strategic and technical solutions and panel sessions and workshops to further explore the provocations relevant to small and remote communities.

Panel sessions presented food for thought on a range of topics including governance and resilience in small communities, regulatory challenges in regional areas, navigating the tech traps and more. A session on shared strategic challenges included panellists from NSW, NT, QLD and WSAA, providing a broad overview from across Australia. We also heard more about interesting research projects being undertaken by Water Research Australia and Having heard and digested the information from all the speakers and panels, attendees broke into different groups to choose key messages for small communities to inform the industry’s qldwater Roadmap. +

The key messages are still being finalised, but participants indicated strong support for the idea that fundamental change was necessary to the broad strategic approach for managing small communities to have any hope of managing current and emerging challenges.

We thank our hosts, Goondiwindi Regional Council, and sponsors Dial Before You Dig, GanDen Engineers and Project Manager, Royce Water Technologies, Aqualyng, Aquatec Maxcon, 360 Engineering, VEGA, McBerns, CIVILPIPES, Challenger Valves and Actuators and Hydrant Services.

Thanks also to dinner sponsor Xylem who kept attendees happy and hydrated.

19-20 May

Barcaldine Conference hosted by Barcaldine Regional Council Conference theme: Delivery in the West showcasing some of the activities of the Remote Area Planning and Development Board’s Water and Sewerage Alliance which is supported through QWRAP. This event will be a hybrid event with virtual and in person attendance options. Registrations will be opening soon.

21-22 July

Charters Towers Conference - more information coming soon.

7-9 September

Annual Forum Day 1 - Automated Metering. Day 2 includes a trip to North Stradbroke Island with a dinner in the evening. Day 3 - Roadmap and Asset Management. More information published shortly.