TECHNICAL
CONTAMINANTS OF EMERGING CONCERN FOR THE URBAN WATER INDUSTRY Dr Louise Reeves Program Research Coordinator qldwater
Water and sewerage services in Queensland are provided by a diverse group of businesses, ranging in scale from tiny remote councils servicing just 100 sewer connections to very large, distributed retailers with up to 60,000 sewer connections. For at least half of Queensland’s Water Service Providers, meeting a level of service that meets health and environmental regulatory requirements is particularly challenging due to the combined factors of a small rates base, a dispersed population, and remote locations. However, these WSPs all work within the same regulatory framework and must manage challenges common to all modern utilities. The Sewerage and Water Environmental Advisory Panel (SWEAP) is an expert group comprised of representatives from water service providers across Queensland. The panel was originally convened in 2012 to provide a forum for discussion and consultation on environmental matters relating to sewage treatment, arising
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from legislative changes which concerned multiple service providers. Since then, the group has been meeting regularly to provide advice on environmental management and regulation of treatment plants, sewers, and sewage pump stations, and to foster collaboration on joint submissions to the Queensland Government on policy issues. One of the issues that has arisen in recent years, partly due to community concerns that have been exacerbated by media attention is that of contaminants of emerging concern (COEC). Water and sewerage service providers are an important gateway between the community and the environment. Wastewater treatment plants accept, manage, and treat water from domestic, industrial, trade waste and landfill sources on its journey to the broader environment. Many contaminants enter our sewers as the result of normal human activities: preparation and cooking of food; bathing; laundry; managing our health with medications and supplements; exercise and leisure activities… the list goes on. Concern about contamination from legacy and emerging contaminants is high and likely to grow as community and regulator expectations continue to increase in parallel with the ability to detect these trace contaminants. At the behest of the SWEAP, expressions of interest were sought from members for developing a Consortium of water utilities to participate in national industry research and innovation on COEC. Individually, most councils do not have
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | JUNE 2021
the resources to maintain membership in national research organisations or to influence the direction of research. It was felt that a cooperative consortium coordinated through qldwater could provide opportunities to direct research in technology and policy at state and national levels on this important topic. As a result, the qldwater Consortium for Research and Advocacy on Contaminants (qCRAC) was established with the initial aims to: • Jointly address political drivers and Regulator and public reaction to media concerns on COEC. • Avoid duplication, information collection. • Influence research and advocacy at state, national and international scales. • Create new resources for members. The costs to Queensland WSPs of dealing with contaminant issues will inevitably increase but can be mitigated through joint action and collaboration in national and international initiatives for research, policy and advocacy. The strategic objectives of the Consortium are outlined here, summarised using the mnemonic SAFETI for emerging contaminants.
S
is for Source Control.
Delineate source vs treatment issues in sewage Recognise need for controls on emerging contaminants from residences as well as industry National policy to reduce contaminant inputs (e.g. why remove PFAS at the STP)
