Securing Australia's Water Futurue

SECURING AUSTRALIA’S

W AT E R FUTURE Chris Davis and Bob Swinton

Dusk falls on the Murray River.

Contents Introduction Chris Davis SECTION ONE : OVERVIEW and key issues Water reform in Australia Improving water information CSIRO’s Water for a Healthy Country Flagship Dams pause Why surface water/groundwater interaction matters Research and development

SECTION TWO : AGRICULTURAL WATER The Murray-Darling basin Water markets and trading Best practice irrigation

5 8 10 13 16 19 21 23 30 32 34 37

SECTION THREE : URBAN SUPPLIES 44 Urban water overview 46 Indirect potable reuse 53 Urban recycling/reuse 56 Desalination 59 Urban water efficiency 61 Urban water institutional arrangements 63 The urban water business 66 Regulation in the urban water industry 68 Water sensitive urban design 71 SECTION FOUR : The future of water What is to come?

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SECTION SIX : DIRECTORY Business directory suppliers

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Chris Davis is a National Water Commissioner and Chair of the Urban Water Security Research Alliance.

Introduction Chris Davis

Securing water supplies has never been easy in Australia. Prior to the arrival of British settlers in 1788, the Aboriginal inhabitants had little or no impact on rivers, but all that changed when the colonists arrived, complete with European preconceptions about the way rivers should behave.

What the new settlers discovered was, to quote Dorothy Mackellar’s celebrated poem, “a land of droughts and flooding rains”. Often both were happening at the same time in different parts of the country. To compound the problems, the Australian continent is predominantly a very old, flat, eroded and leached landscape, with no real mountains. In their lower reaches, rivers have barely any slope to drive the flow, so they meander, silt up and create oxbows (billabongs). Navigation along the Murray River was only reliable once dozens of locks had been constructed to secure some water within each reach.

It did not take long for the settlers to extract water, gravel and sand from rivers, and to sink wells, run pipelines and build dams. They were very frustrated by rivers that either ran dry or flooded, making life difficult in typical riverside towns. The colonies that would, in 1901, become a federation, had to thrash out a constitution. They agreed that all aspects of water management, other than navigation, would be managed by the states. When irrigated farming took hold in what is now the nation’s food bowl, the Murray-Darling basin, the states through which the Murray and Darling rivers passed had to develop ways to share the available water — a challenge that remains unresolved.

Managing Australia’s rivers and water resources has been a learning experience, resulting in the honing of necessary skills, both technical and political, which are now available on the world market.

The Australian psyche sets great store by fairness, therefore much energy has been devoted to developing operating rules that don’t arbitrarily advantage any group.

The continent is so old that the tiny amount of salt carried inland by onshore winds has accumulated in the soil profile over the millennia, sitting unnoticed underground. Left alone, the salt does no harm, but two activities can mobilise it and thereby destroy soil and crops. The first is rainfall that, thanks to deforestation, is no longer transpired by trees. So it tops up groundwater levels, then ultimately seeps out and scalds the soil. The other action is excessive irrigation, which has the same effect.

Australian scientists and engineers had to develop an understanding of these phenomena. They found that over-irrigation was a relatively easy problem to solve, but that salt movement caused by land clearing took decades to express itself and, even if forests were to be restored, salination would probably take just as many decades to be reversed.

Apart from active salination attributable to human activities, the Murray River has a natural salt load, which is challenging water quality. This has necessitated a sophisticated suite of salt interception

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The irrigation system designed and built by Rubicon at Shepparton uses advanced technology to improve its operation and management.

schemes which, acting in concert, maintain the conductivity (the level of salt content) below 800 milliSiemens per centimetre. Although most Australian cities do not enjoy access to groundwater (some notable exceptions being Perth, Newcastle and Alice Springs), large tracts of the inland do have underlying aquifers (sand, gravel or fractured rock, capable of holding water) and about 30 per cent of water used within them is derived from those underground sources. The most famous aquifer complex is the Great Artesian Basin, underlying large sections of Queensland and New South Wales. A combination of natural springs and manmade bores has seen water levels drop in the Basin, but an ongoing program of bore capping and rehabilitation is gradually restoring the water pressures. Dealing with these and other groundwater challenges has led to the development of a significant pool of talented hydrogeologists.

A contemporary challenge to water management, especially groundwater, comes from mining, oil and gas extraction. Up to now, since some mines ‘make’ water while others have a net water demand, mining has only extracted about 3 per cent of all water used nationally. Although as coal-seam gas extraction increases, the impact on groundwater will escalate. The process of extracting gas from coal involves pumping out a large volume of water, which causes the gas to be released. At this stage, only approximate estimates of water extraction can be made, but they are likely to be very significant. As the water is typically quite saline, it cannot simply be discharged; it must either be desalinated, or re-injected into the aquifer from whence it came – not a simple exercise.

Understanding and managing all these challenges, together with others mentioned elsewhere in this book, has bred a strong research, consulting and policy establishment in Australia. Many universities conduct water research and the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) has a major unit dubbed Water for a Healthy Country Flagship. The CSIRO, state governments and universities have created two collaborative research ventures: the Urban Water Security Research Alliance in southeast Queensland and the Goyder Institute in Adelaide.

There are many expert consulting firms operating in Australia: two of the largest are essentially home grown and the other big ones are part of global businesses. A group of small, niche firms complements the big guns of the major operations.

Co-ordination and communication, aimed at more effective operation of the broad water sector, are carried out by several not-for-profit organisations, including the Australian Water Association, Water Services Association of Australia, Irrigation Australia Limited and the Stormwater Industry Association.

As a nation dealing effectively with permanently challenging water management issues, Australia is a good model and a worthwhile partner or service provider.

This book showcases some of what is on offer.

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Artesian water is playing an increasingly important role in outback Australia.

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Overview and key issues SECTION ONE

· Water reform in Australia · Improving water information · Water for a safer country · Dams pause · Groundwater · Research and development

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Close-up view of the Rubicon structure at Shepparton.

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Water reform in Australia James Cameron

Over the past decade, Australia has committed to an ambitious and challenging water reform agenda driven by a prolonged drought, extreme climate variability, increasing demand for water for consumptive uses, environmental degradation and uncertainty around urban water security.

Under Australia’s federated system of government, water management is primarily vested in the six state and two major territory governments. The need to move the management of Australia’s water resources to a more efficient and sustainable footing was first reflected at the national level in the 1994 Council of Australian Governments (COAG) water reform framework.

A blueprint for reform In 2004, recognising the need for a more integrated and coordinated national approach to water management, COAG signed off on the National Water Initiative (NWI).

This policy blueprint represents a shared commitment by the Australian government and state and territory governments to increase the efficiency of Australia's water use, and to deliver greater certainty for investment and productivity, and for the environment.

Under the NWI, governments made commitments to: • prepare water plans with provision for the environment • deal with over-allocated or stressed water systems • introduce registers of water rights and standards for water accounting • expand the trade in water • improve pricing for water storage and delivery • meet and manage urban water demands.

The overall objective of the NWI is to achieve a nationally compatible market, and a regulatory and planning-based system of managing surface and groundwater resources for rural and urban use that optimises economic, social and environmental outcomes. Following the finalisation of the NWI agreement, the National Water Commission was created

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with a mandate to independently and publicly assess and report on progress to the highest levels of government, and to assist the implementation of reform.

Improving water management Today, it is evident that the implementation of water reform in Australia is delivering real improvements in the management, use and understanding of water. Significant progress has been made across a broad range of areas.

Many of these achievements can be attributed to the shared commitment by the federal, state and territory governments under the NWI. Water trading, within and between Australian states, is proving to be one of the NWI’s success stories and is delivering real benefits to irrigators, communities and the environment. The Commission’s “Australian Water Markets Report 2009–10” found that in the three years after 2007-08, entitlement trade grew by 112 per cent and allocation trade grew by 57 per cent. Although it is difficult to identify the effects of trade in an environment of drought, commodity market and rural adjustment, trade has clearly assisted existing industries to manage change, and has been critical to new, large-scale agricultural development.

Without water trading, many existing enterprises would not have survived the recent drought. Significant progress also has been achieved in water accounting, meaning that Australians are now better informed about how much water is being delivered, traded, extracted for consumptive use, and managed for environmental and other public benefits.

This is essential if water policymakers, planners and managers are to make sensible decisions about how to use water. It also supports public and investor confidence. In addition to the development of a national framework and standards for water accounting, the Bureau of Meteorology is now empowered to collect and publish high-quality water information.

Bßrkert’s ion-exchange system is just one of its water management tools.

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Water information is gathered, analysed and reported in different ways in different jurisdictions.

Unfinished business Despite these achievements, there are areas where sufficient progress has not been made, or where progress has been slow.

Over-allocation of resources remains a serious impediment to sustainable water use. The environmental health of too many Australian river systems is coming under threat as access to water is being contested increasingly.

The development and commencement of transparent, adaptive and effective water plans must be accelerated to allow water users to realise the full benefits of NWI reforms.

This is essential to deliver sustainable levels of extraction and provide certainty both for irrigators and the Australian landscape.

Water plans are also critical to deal with the interception of water by users not captured within the entitlement regime, the interaction between surface and groundwater systems, and the provision of water to achieve specific environmental outcomes. As the Commission found in its recent review of pricing reform in the Australian water sector report, there is also scope for governments to improve how water is priced to promote efficiency and innovation in urban and rural areas. Efficient pricing or charging for water-related services underpins wise infrastructure spending, encourages innovation and promotes sustainable water use.

Building on the National Water Initiative Australia’s water challenges are ongoing, as is the effort to find solutions. The National Water Initiative is a 10-year program of reform, but it is not a static document.

In November 2008, the Council of Australian Governments agreed to a number of initiatives that build on the NWI by improving water markets and trade, investing in water information and developing an enhanced urban water reform framework. In another important reform initiative,

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the Murray-Darling Basin Authority was established in 2008 to plan the integrated management of water resources of the Murray-Darling basin. Other new water policy commitments have been supported by unprecedented levels of Australian government investment.

One area in which the challenges for water management have changed markedly since the NWI was signed in 2004 is urban water. In its recent report, Urban Water in Australia: Future Directions, the National Water Commission set out a series of recommendations, urging COAG to develop a new set of urban water objectives that will provide national leadership for urban water management. In particular, the Commission suggested that Australia’s governments step back from direct intervention in urban water and give the industry more incentives and freedom to innovate. This is needed to encourage utilities to invest in cost-effective and fit-forpurpose services and to provide more flexible, efficient and customer-driven products and services.

Future priorities In Australia, water reform is an ongoing, often laborious and challenging process requiring continuous oversight and periodic renewal. Success in meeting these challenges is essential for Australia’s future wellbeing.

Even if Australia doesn’t always measure up to its own exacting standards for water management, there is international admiration for what we have achieved so far.

Our unique water reform journey is proving to be of interest to the global community, as nearly every country comes to grips with the great challenge of sustainably managing this critical resource in a rapidly changing world.

James Cameron is acting CEO of the National Water Commission.

Improving water information Bob Swinton

In a water-limited environment like Australia, using water wisely and sustainably holds the key to our future. As water supply reduces under climate change and water demand increases with population growth, we must continually adjust the way we manage our water resources.

The Australian public rightly expects that water policies and management decisions will be founded on a sound evidence base. In Australia, water information has traditionally been gathered, analysed and reported in different ways in different jurisdictions. Until now, we have never had a means to assemble the information and systematically report on water across the nation. This has inhibited productive community debate about water reform and contributed to governments delaying action. The framing policies and business cases for Australia’s water reform all require a sound base of water information.

Fully understanding the availability, condition and use of our water resources and how these change over time, enables effective design and adaptive improvement of our reform agenda.

In recognition of this need, the Australian government has assigned the Bureau of Meteorology, Australia’s weather and climate agency, national responsibility for collecting and disseminating water information.

Under the Water for the Future initiative, the Bureau has been allocated $450 million over 10 years to revolutionise the way it measures, accounts for, reports, forecasts and analyses water information.

A legislative mandate for the Bureau’s new role in water information is provided by the Water Act 2007.

These responsibilities are supported by partnerships with water managers and the new systems and standards it is developing with research partners, including the CSIRO, Geoscience Australia and the eWater Co-operative Research Centre. Over coming years, all of this work will provide water managers, policy makers and the general public with a range of data, reporting and forecasting products.

What does water information tell us?

The water information products and services being developed by the Bureau will have national reach and be readily available to the public, free of charge. They will supply answers to the following questions for any part of Australia: • How much water is available today, and how does that compare with the past?

• Who is entitled to use water, how much can they use and under what constraints?

• How much water is being traded and at what price?

• How much water is being allocated to the environment?

• How is the rate and pattern of water use changing?

• How is the quantity and quality of water in our rivers and aquifers changing?

• How much water is being lost to evaporation and leakage?

• What are the hydrologic impacts of land management changes and climate change?

Australians now have free online access to information about publicly owned water storages across Australia at a single website: www.bom.gov.au/waterstorage. Visitors to the Bureau’s website are able to compare water storage levels for over 250 sites across the nation, with daily updates available for most of Australia’s urban and rural water supply systems.

Modernisation and extension of hydrologic monitoring systems Improving the quality and reliability of Australia’s water information will require the upgrade of many monitoring and data transfer systems across the nation. The Bureau administers the Australian government’s $80 million Modernisation and Extension of Hydrologic Monitoring Systems Program (M&E Program). The fund invests in new technologies to monitor, communicate, process and store

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water data to improve Australia’s water data availability, quality and coverage. It has also enhanced collaboration and co-operation between the Bureau and the lead water agencies and water managers essential to the success of the Bureau’s Improving Water Information Program. Since it began in 2007, the M&E Program has funded 397 projects over four rounds — one round per year — with a total investment of just over $67 million. These projects are undertaken by organisations ranging from natural resource management bodies to large state and territory corporations.

National Water Account The National Water Account (NWA) will provide water managers and policy makers with information about water rights, water availability and water use that has previously been difficult to access or unavailable to general users in a standardised form. The NWA will transparently report on volumes of water traded, extracted and managed for economic, public and environmental purposes across Australia. Published annually and covering the period from 1 July to 30 June, it will focus on hydrologically defined regions of national significance. The NWA for the 2009/10 financial year will be published in late 2011.

Australian water resources assessments Australian Water Resources Assessments will also be published periodically by the Bureau to describe changes in the availability, condition and use of our nation’s water resources. The assessments require detailed climatologic and hydrologic analyses to be undertaken of 14 regions spanning the continent. The first assessment report was published in mid-2011 under the title Australian Water Resources Assessment 2010 (AWRA2010) and is available at www.bom.gov.au/water/awra.

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Australian hydrological geospatial fabric The Australian hydrological geospatial fabric (Geofabric) is a specialised geographic information system (GIS) that registers the spatial relationships between important hydrologic features, such as rivers, dams, lakes, aquifers, diversions and monitoring points. By detailing the spatial dimensions of these hydrofeatures and how they are connected, we are able to see how water is stored, transported and used through the landscape. The Geofabric has been developed by the Bureau in partnership with Geoscience Australia, the Australian National University and the CSIRO. Over time, it will be updated to store the boundaries of topologically defined drainage divisions, catchments, aquifers and priority aquatic ecosystems. The first version of the Geofabric was released in October 2010.

Seasonal stream flow forecasts In late 2010, the Bureau released a seasonal stream flow forecasting service predicting inflows into major water supply systems three months in advance. The service provides forecasts for 21 sites in southeast Australia and is gradually being extended into other parts of the country. This new information aids river and reservoir operators and environmental water holders who need to plan operations for months ahead.

More information To learn more about water and the Bureau of Meteorology products and services, visit www.bom.gov.au/water.

EA “Bob” Swinton was a principal research scientist in the Water Group of CSIRO. After his retirement he became the technical editor for “Water”, the official journal of the Australian Water Association.

Kings Canyon, Northern Territory

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CSIRO’S Water for a Healthy Country Flagship Bob Swinton

Australia’s best scientific research capabilities are being brought together in CSIRO’s Water for a Healthy Country Flagship to address the sustainable management of our water resources and deliver relevant and effective water management options for Australia.

With a total investment of approximately $90 million per annum, the Flagship is the largest research partnership focusing on water in Australia. The Flagship aims to provide Australians with solutions for water resource management, creating economic gains while protecting or restoring our major water ecosystems.

The Flagship supports major water policy and strategies at national and regional scales, including the National Water Initiative, the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan, the Living Murray Initiative, the Water for the Future Program and the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Australia’s water resources face a major transformation in coming decades due to pressures on our water systems from increasing climate variability and change, historical over-allocation of water, water trading from agricultural to urban and ecological uses and inefficient irrigation practices.

Our research aims to provide solutions that increase regional water reliability and security, while meeting social, environmental and critical human needs. Our researchers are developing tools and strategies to assess the availability and use of water in our river systems and catchments, improving our understanding of groundwater and accounting for groundwater-surface water interactions and to support our partners to design a sustainable water future for all users.

Australia’s water ecosystems support a vast array of plant and animal life and contribute substantially to the nation’s wellbeing. These systems have tremendous environmental value and provide considerable economic, social and cultural benefits. Many of our water ecosystems are either degraded or under threat. This is mostly due to a combination of ecological stresses caused by lack of water and poor water quality (including contamination of waterways, estuaries, coasts, soils

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and groundwater). As custodians of some of the world’s iconic water ecosystems (including the Great Barrier Reef and 64 Ramsar-listed wetlands), Australians have a responsibility to protect and rehabilitate these sites. However, this is no easy task. Flagship research is delivering the knowledge and tools that enable improved environmental decision making and management of key issues affecting the health of Australian water ecosystems.

With an expected 50 per cent increase in urban population by 2050, providing safe, reliable and sustainable water services for Australia’s cities is a major challenge for the 21st century.

The transition of Australia’s cities to more sustainable models of urban water management requires innovative science and technology solutions. These environmental pressures will be exacerbated by climate change.

The transition of Australia’s cities to more sustainable models of urban water management requires innovative science and technology solutions. CSIRO is providing research to assist government, industry and communities in understanding water-related resource management issues across the urban water cycle, and is contributing to the creation of healthier, more liveable cities.

Modern national water information infrastructure is seen as essential for Australia’s water reforms. This requires improved coverage, accuracy and currency for Australia’s water resources information systems. CSIRO is working with partners such as the Bureau of Meteorology to build a new generation of water information infrastructure that will help provide timely and accurate national water accounts more cheaply, provide automated and efficient ways of routinely monitoring and analyse and report on Australia’s water resources.

Partnerships are critical to the development, delivery and adoption of research. Complementing the skills of CSIRO scientists, we draw on the expertise and advice of over 50 partners in alliances such as the South-Eastern Australian Climate Initiative (SEACI), a partnership between CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Murray-Darling Basin

A billabong in the Australian wetlands area.

Authority and the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment). Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency is investigating the causes and impacts of climate change and climate variability across south-eastern Australia (www.seaci.org). We are a significant contributor to the South East Queensland Urban Water Security Research Alliance, a research partnership between the Queensland government, CSIRO, University of Queensland and Griffith University (www.urbanwateralliance. org.au).

The Goyder Institute for Water Research is a partnership between the CSIRO, the South Australian government through the Department of Water, Flinders University, the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.

Additional research partners are the South Australian Research and Development Institute and the Australian Water Quality Centre (www.goyderinstitute.org).

The Water Information Research and Development Alliance (the Alliance) brings together the CSIRO’s research and development expertise in water and information sciences and the Bureau of Meteorology’s operational role in hydrological analysis and prediction to transform the way Australia manages its water resources (www.csiro.au/partnerships/ WIRADA.html).

CSIRO is a member of the eWater CRC, which is a co-operative joint venture between leading water-cycle management, research and consulting organisations to offer

a range of next generation products, support and training for Australian governments, agencies, authorities and the broader water industry (www.ewater.com.au).

The Centre of Excellence for Water Recycling aims to enhance the management and use of water recycling nationally and internationally through industry and research partnerships. Through its nationally competitive research projects, the centre will produce and commercialise new water recycling technologies, processes and approaches to enable the sustainable management of our water supply (www. australianwaterrecycling.com.au/coe).

The National Centre of Excellence in Desalination leads and co-ordinates Australia’s research in desalination technology.

Through the NCED, Australia is building national capacity and capabilities in desalination with a dual focus on breakthrough fundamental research and applied research with a goal of delivering meaningful improvements at commercial scale (www.desalination.edu.au).

More information www.csiro.au/org/healthycountry.html EA “Bob” Swinton was a principal research scientist in the Water Group of CSIRO. After his retirement he became the technical editor for “Water”, the official journal of the Australian Water Association.

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Lake Burbury ­— an artificial waterway created when Hydro Tasmania built Crotty Dam.

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Dams pause Chris Davis

Australia has a proud dam building heritage: a quick overview of global statistics shows just where we fit. For each head of population, Australia has more than 4300 cubic metres (or kilolitres) of dam storage capacity in its 561 large dams.

By contrast, South Africa has roughly 400 cubic metres, and Ethiopia some 43 cubic metres, per person. At the other end of the spectrum, the United States has around 7000 cubic metres of storage per person.

The need for dams is threefold: to even out the extremely variable rainfall patterns by storing water; to protect downstream communities from flooding; and, wherever practicable, to generate hydroelectricity. While a storage dam needs to hold as much water as possible, a flood mitigation dam needs as much airspace as possible to catch a potential flood. That tension became very apparent in 2011 when Queensland’s Wivenhoe Dam, designed to provide flood protection, overtopped and raised questions about the relative allocation of volume to the conflicting purposes.

An ideal dam site enables a relatively small wall across a geologically stable gorge to hold back a large volume of water. The shape of the impoundment should result in a water body that is deep but has a small surface area, thus minimising evaporation losses. Most important, of course, is the need for the dammed river catchment to have a flow profile, which will result in a strong net yield each year.

Traditionally, hydrologists based their plans for dams on the historic record of rainfall and runoff in each catchment.

However, Australian records are not very long, since collection of data began just over 100 years ago. A further challenge is posed by the fact that dam building peaked during an era when rainfall was probably higher than normal, so expectations were raised. Now, of course, strong evidence of human-induced climate change means that historic records have little to say about the future.

Apart from the technical conundrums to be resolved, dams have other significant features: they impinge on the natural environment and the social situation. In the early days of civil

engineering, environmental impacts weren’t understood or even considered, but they can be quite profound. Apart from the most obvious effect, that is, cutting off much of the water flow downstream, a dam interrupts normal patterns of fish migration up and down a watercourse, as well as physically collecting sediment. Moreover, when water is released from a dam, it is usually drawn from its lower levels, where the water is colder. That cold flow can have a negative impact on river ecology up to 200 kilometres downstream.

On the social front, dam impacts are mixed: they can underpin agricultural irrigation enterprises, boost tourism and recreation, and earn revenue from power generation, but they also inundate valuable riverside farmlands and displace communities. Because there are winners and losers, dam projects are now almost invariably contentious. Historically, dams were a part of social engineering to provide jobs for returned soldiers, so they were typically not analysed in detail for economic viability.

As dam building around Australia progressed the good sites were snapped up, so those currently on the drawing board are generally less than ideal. Applying rigorous economic analysis to a dam project can be fraught, and the decision to proceed becomes doubly difficult when attempts are made to balance economic, social and environmental factors.

In the current political climate, it seems unlikely that any major city will build more supply dams in the short term.

On a cost-benefit basis, flood mitigation may not be on the agenda either. Hydroelectricity, on the other hand, may play a growing role, since pumped storage systems (the iconic example, of course, being the Snowy Mountains Scheme) can play a stabilising role in the national grid, especially complementing the variable supplies from wind and solar sources. Pragmatically, irrigation dams seem seldom capable of paying their way, so other agendas will be in play for future schemes.

A neat resolution to at least some of the common dam issues lies in the use of off-stream dams (those on

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Spillways are being modified at many dams to minimise downstream flooding.

small catchments with ephemeral streams of their own), supplemented, when necessary, by water from a perennial river nearby. The Cowara Dam in Port Macquarie is a good example.

Although the rate of new dam initiation has slowed, safety is an ongoing and serious responsibility, so Australia has a cohort of engineering experts who continually monitor and assess the condition of current dams and their ability to cope with the probable maximum flood (PMF) in their catchments.

Many spillways have had to be modified to ensure safety.

Three perennial challenges are being addressed innovatively across Australia: • Evaporation losses for smaller dams are being reduced by the use of covers: either suspended shade-cloth-like structures, or floating shapes. Chemical monolayers to achieve similar savings have been less successful, but development work continues. Larger dams are less amenable to any of these solutions, but any breakthroughs will be observed with interest.

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• The design of fish ladders to enable seasonal migrations began on the back foot when native fishes’ jumping abilities were overestimated, but recent projects have been enlightened and more sophisticated, with some successful outcomes.

• Cold water releases are gradually being modified to minimise downstream thermal shock, thanks to adjustable draw-off levels.

Has Australia seen the end of new dams? No, but the rate of building will be modest and the hurdles for project approval will be raised rather than lowered. Of 561 large dams built in Australia between 1857 and 2011, a massive 50 per cent were completed in the three decades between 1960 and 1989. That rate will never be matched, but the dams that will be built will be more sustainable.

Chris Davis is a National Water Commissioner, Chair of the Urban Water Security Research Alliance and a member of several other water-related committees.

Why surface water/groundwater interaction matters Rick Evans

Historically, the major water resource used in much of Australia has been surface water, but much of inland Australia is totally dependent on groundwater. Over the last 30 years or so (especially since the 1982/83 drought), the importance of groundwater has increased gradually. Indeed, the serious drought over the last decade or more has driven total groundwater use to about 10,000GL per annum, with about 600,000 bores in use and 500 cities and towns dependent on groundwater. However, what is generally not understood is that in much of Australia, the groundwater and surface water is interconnected and is an interchangeable resource.

Groundwater becomes surface water and surface water becomes groundwater.

However, this common physical reality is not reflected in our water management systems, which generally manage groundwater and surface water as separate resources. As a result, the same water may be allocated to both surface water users and to groundwater users. This “double accounting” of the one parcel of water has not generally been recognised because of the common decades-long delay between increased groundwater use in a catchment and the resultant reduction in river base flow. (Base flow is the low flow in a river that occurs during the dry season and is comprised almost totally of groundwater.) As the time lag is often decades or more, the major increase in groundwater use that has occurred over the last few decades is only now beginning to result in reduced stream flows. But because we have often not understood this process, even though we have capped our surface water usage in some parts of Australia, it is still possible to drill a bore near a river and call it groundwater and hence have it approved.

Relative to the mean annual flow of most streams in Australia, double accounting is usually very small. However, double accounting may be important during the lowflow times of the year and during drought. Hence double accounting’s importance for low-flow planning. Groundwater use directly affects the security of supply for surface water users and may have a significant environmental impact.

There is little doubt that the drought over the last decade or more has profoundly reduced stream flows. However, the effect of groundwater pumping has also reduced stream flows, a fact that generally not been recognised.

There are several important factors that affect the time lag.

The most important are the physical properties of the rocks through which groundwater flows and the distance between the extraction bore and the stream. If the bore is close, say within 100 metres, then the time lag is short, in the order of days to weeks. If the bore is far away, say 50km, then the time lag is long, in the order of hundreds of years. For example, for typical groundwater developments in the Murray-Darling basin the time lags have been shown to be commonly from a few years up to 50 years.

The magnitude of the ultimate impact also varies greatly, depending on many catchment processes. In some cases the impact may be only a very small percentage of the volume of groundwater pumped. However, where the bores are relatively close to the stream, the impact may be 100 per cent of the volume of groundwater pumped. A rough rule of thumb is that typically about 50 per cent of the volume of groundwater pumped affects the stream.

When the significance of groundwater/surface water interaction is recognised, often in a community-driven water-planning framework, a common kneejerk reaction is to stop or reduce groundwater use to “protect” the surface water resources. There is little doubt that if the surface water resources in a catchment are capped (as they are in the Murray-Darling basin) then in most cases (but not all) the groundwater resources should also be capped. But a halt or reduction in groundwater use may not be the best total water management outcome. In many cases groundwater use is a very efficient use of water. Private owners generally meet the capital cost and the distribution and delivery costs are minimal. In addition, application rates for groundwater-based irrigation tend to be lower than those for surface water. In most of our major river systems, the biggest impact on the

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The incidence of groundwater-based irrigation is increasing significantly in inland areas.

environment is surface water extraction. If cuts are required (for example for security of supply or environmental reasons), then perhaps the best response is to consider the total water use efficiency and base cuts on this criterion. This might mean that groundwater-based irrigation, for example, might even increase at the expense of other sources of water.

To improve our water management, the community must first learn to understand surface water/groundwater interaction. Gaining ownership of the issue is vital. When

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the time frames are short (less than a few years), the process seems to be readily understood. However, when the time frame is long (many decades or centuries), the issue becomes more technically and socially complex. All of which points to the need for a truly holistic water management framework, which involves integrated surface water and groundwater planning and management.

Dr Rick Evans is principal hydrologist with consultants SKM.

Research and development Bob Swinton

Australia has always been water conscious, being the driest inhabited continent. Together with the challenge of running a huge irrigation industry with declining rainfall, much research and development has taken place. In the 1990s, the government program of co-operative research centres (CRCs) provided a dynamic stimulus, banding together research teams with actual users, such as the water authorities. It was always intended that a CRC would have a limited life, but be replaced by a new research organisation — provided the demand for such an entity was reflected in the commitment of the requisite funds by its ‘customers’ i.e. those keen to benefit from the research. The following lists the principal institutes currently operating: • CSIRO, Land and Water, Water for a Healthy Country Flagship: their programs are summarised separately on pages 16-17.

• Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA): The urban water industry’s peak body has established collaborative partnerships with international research entities such as the US Water Environment Research Foundation, the Water Research Foundation and the Global Water Research Coalition. The collaborative partnerships recognise that many water issues are international in scale.

• eWater Co-operative Research Centre: Established in July 2005 as a result of a merger between two former co-operative research centres, the CRC for Catchment Hydrology and the CRC for Freshwater Ecology. It is based at the University of Canberra.

Its mission is the development and application of uniquely Australian products for integrated catchment management, complete river system management, stormwater quality modelling, urban water management and ecological response management. It also provides commercial tools and professional software, support, training and maintenance services through its commercial software arm, eWater Innovation.

• Water Quality Research Australia (WQRA): Established to succeed the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment, which was terminated on 30 June 2008, WQRA is a not-for-profit public company, owned and funded by its membership, which includes Australian utilities, research organisations, universities, private sector companies and government departments. WQRA undertakes collaborative research, the results of which are to be applied nationally to drinking water quality, recycled water and relevant areas of wastewater management, including the development of methods to measure the effects of water quality on human health.

• Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence (AWRCE): Based in Brisbane and launched in March 2010 with a seed donation of $20 million over five years from the Australian government, AWRCE’s role is to help secure water supplies that are less dependent on rainfall. It will enhance the management and use of water recycling nationally and internationally through industry and research partnerships.

In 2011, AWRCE invested in a portfolio of industryrelevant research projects across the full water-recycling spectrum, developing practical solutions to secure Australia's future water supply while building awareness and understanding in the community about this precious resource.

The aims of this institution are summarised in its four themes: technology; risk management; social, institutional and economic challenges; and sustainability in water recycling.

• National Centre of Excellence in Desalination (NCED): The leader and co-ordinater of Australia’s research in desalination technology, NCED is building national capacity and capabilities in desalination with a dual focus on breakthrough fundamental research and applied research, with a goal of delivering meaningful, commercial improvements. Like the AWRCE, it was

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granted $20 million in seed money over five years, supplemented by $3 million from the Western Australian government.

The host organisation is Murdoch University, Perth, in association with 12 other universities as partners. Twelve projects were launched within various commercial companies and universities under the first round of funding. A second round of funding has been commenced.

Work is underway to equip a facility at the Rockingham campus with access both to seawater and groundwater to enable pilot plant testing of new projects. It will be formally opened in September 2011 to coincide with the International Congress on Desalination in Perth.

• National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training: A co-funded centre of excellence of the Australian Research Council and the National Water Commission, based at Flinders University, Adelaide. The centre was established in June 2009, with Commonwealth funding of $29.5 million over five years.

The centre has been awarded an additional $15 million over four years to develop groundwater research infrastructure as part of the Australian government's Super Science (Marine and Climate) initiative, funded by the Education Infrastructure Fund.

It administers research programs in South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory in collaboration with 12 universities guided by a panel of distinguished national and international scientists and research leaders.

Despite the fact that groundwater accounts for over 30 per cent of Australia’s water consumption, we simply

24 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

do not know enough about this vital water resource, and how to manage it.

Research teams are studying groundwater-dependent ecosystems and the potential impact of climate change, while legal and policy experts are examining the highly complex area of socio-economics, policy-making and management.

Other state and water industry based research organisations A number of research organisations have been established at the state level to broker the delivery of water research. Most notable is the Victorian government’s Smart Water Fund.

Since 2002 some $25 million, some from industry, has been invested in the fund’s research focusing on the management and delivery of water services.

The Urban Water Security Research Alliance, based in southeast Queensland, was established in 2007 with $25 million cash from the state government over five years.

It focuses on water recycling, rainwater and stormwater harvesting to reduce the demand on potable water supplies.

The Goyder Institute was established in 2011, with funding of $25 million over five years from the South Australian government. Its research areas include the impacts of climate change, and urban, environmental and industry water issues.

EA “Bob” Swinton was a principal research scientist in the Water Group of CSIRO. After his retirement he became the technical editor for “Water”, the official journal of the Australian Water Association.

Carefully monitoring a B端rkert water treatment plant.

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WAT E R B U S I N E S S A U S T R A L I A

Bürkert Fluid Control Systems Bürkert Fluid Control Systems is an international organisation with offices in 40 countries and operations in an additional 80. With more than 30 years in Australia and 65 years’ global experience, Bürkert is a reliable and long-term partner in fluid control.

Australian water treatment is a particular focus area for Bürkert. We have both the technologies and experience required to develop superior water treatment solutions.

In order to serve local and region-wide project developers in their areas of operation, our water treatment solutions team is networked around Australia and New Zealand.

Experienced in the development of industrial water treatment systems, control panel systems, desalination plants and water authority projects, Bürkert’s water treatment team speaks your language.

Bürkert has all the tools, with world-best German engineered and manufactured solenoid valves, process and control valves, proportional valves, process pneumatics, instruments, sensors, microfluidics and mass flow control products. All products are designed to work together for sleeker results, especially with networked systems.

At the Sydney Systemhaus, Bürkert’s local engineering team develops turnkey process automation systems based on our world-best technologies. As product and system network specialists, our project teams deliver the best of both worlds, with turnkey automation packages developed by product and network experts. The Bürkert engineering team works in partnership with industry to design, build and commission complete systems, and has worked with some of the best known names in Australia.

Backed by the international resources of the Bürkert Group, Bürkert delivers complete turnkey solutions. Our customers can feel confident they are dealing with a well-established and professional international organisation.

26 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

“

Bürkert. We make ideas flow.”

“

You have made a lasting contribution to improving the quality of life of aboriginal ‘Deed of Grant in Trust’ community residents.”

Peter Opio-Otim, Executive Director, Aboriginal Co-ordinating Council

Arup Arup is a global, independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants and technical specialists offering a broad range of professional services to its clients.

Our aim is to work with our clients and meet their business needs by adding value through technical excellence, efficient organisation and personal service.

The firm has over 10,000 staff working in more than 90 offices, in over 30 countries. Our projects have taken us to more than 160 countries.

We seek to be recognised by our clients as leaders in the strategic and sustainable management of water; as being creators of innovative, future proof and value adding solutions to complex problems; for delivering projects in an integrated and holistic way; and for helping clients overcome specific business challenges created by climate variability, drought and flood.

Our skills and experience include water engineering, water management and advisory services. Water engineering includes the investigation and design of tangible infrastructure including treatment plants, pipeline systems and storages. Water management encompasses broader catchment issues including the ecology, modelling and policy development.

Advisory services leverage our detailed water knowledge and range from owner’s engineer and banker’s technical advisory roles through to draft policy advice to governments.

In Australasia our offices are located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne, Perth, Singapore and Sydney. Our water teams function as a unified region wide Group and also integrate other disciplines to assemble ‘best for project’ teams.

“

Arup has been especially valuable in their role on the project, and has displayed a classic applied science approach in their work…Gypsum Resources Australia can continue with a positive outlook for the future of the company and its operations.”

Alistair Kelsh, General Manager, Gypsum Resources Australia

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Rubicon Water

“

Rubicon’s solutions have been developed to provide irrigation authorities with a means of modernising their infrastructure to reduce losses and improve service while avoiding the prohibitive costs of pipelining and pumping.”

28 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

Rubicon Water has a vision to improve the productivity of the world’s irrigated agriculture in an environmentally sustainable way. Rubicon achieves this by using advanced technology to vastly improve the operation and management of open channel irrigation supply systems.

Many people don’t realise that the irrigation industry is the dominant consumer of the world’s fresh water, accounting for around 70 per cent of consumption. Much of this water is supplied to farms using inefficient channel systems, resulting in substantial quantities of water being lost before crops can use it productively.

The result of many years’ research and development conducted in conjunction with the University of Melbourne, Rubicon’s solutions have been developed to provide irrigation authorities with a means of modernising their infrastructure to reduce losses and improve service while avoiding the prohibitive costs of pipelining and pumping.

Rubicon produces solar-powered water control gates, flow meters and management software that are designed to operate as an integrated system. The technology enables rural water authorities to deliver accurately measured, highflow, on-demand water to farmers utilising existing open channel systems.

Central to Rubicon’s solutions is Total Channel Control, which automates the operation of entire irrigation districts.

The solution has been proven in Australia and is being rapidly adopted around the world as the global standard.

Total Channel Control largely eliminates the losses experienced in manually operated systems. With the much improved service provided by the system, farmers are able to achieve further efficiencies on-farm by irrigating to minimise water use and maximise plant growth and quality.

In one of the largest implementations to date, Total Chanel Control is currently being used by Victoria’s NVIRP project to modernise over 6000km of irrigation channels in the Goulburn-Murray irrigation district. It is the most costefficient solution for delivering substantial water savings in the district.

WAT E R B U S I N E S S A U S T R A L I A

Detection Services Pty Ltd Detection Services are leaders in technical field support services to the Water Industry throughout Australia and the Pacific. With a client base of over 90 water authorities in Australasia, the business provides a broad range of services, including strategy planning and advice, data collection, leak detection and trunk main assessment work. To date, over 125,000km of potable water reticulation mains have been surveyed by the business, providing an enviable track record of results for clients.

Detection Services currently employs over 40 fulltime staff with experience from the UK, South Africa, Botswana, Australia and New Zealand. Staff members have run highlevel programs in water authorities throughout the world, and bring great depth of knowledge to the team.

The core service the business provides is in the area of non-revenue water reduction in potable water distribution systems. Many water systems experience losses upwards of 25-30 per cent of the total water supplied, posing a large problem globally. Detection Services specialises in quantifying the losses present, and developing methods to reduce the loss over time.

The methodologies and processes Detection Services has developed over time are of the highest professional standard, enabling the business to be fully ISO9001 (quality management system), ISO14001 (environmental management system) and ISO18001 (health and safety system) compliant.

Programs are fully customisable to suit the needs of the customer. Professional working relationships are established to fully understand the need to reduce non-revenue water, after which a measurable program is instigated to provide the best return for the customer.

Equipment used is the very latest available on the market.

Different pipe types require different technologies and the business is able to cater for all infrastructure types.

Detection Services takes pride in a professional approach to the water industry, based on extensive experience and knowledge.

Detection Services — Leaders in technical field support services to the water industry.

“

Detection Services are leaders in technical field support services to the water industry.�

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Agricultural water SECTION TWO

· The Murray-Darling basin · Water markets · Irrigation

30 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

The Bethanga Bridge over the Hume Weir.

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The Murray-Darling basin Bob Swinton

The problems and opportunities with the Murray-Darling basin have been well documented, almost since the inception of white settlement. One iconic photograph is of a politician standing with one foot in Victoria, the other in New South Wales, with the ‘mighty Murray’ a mere trickle between his legs. This was during the so-called Federation Drought in 1901, long before irrigation was practised.

There was a similar drought in the 1940s, followed by floods in the 1950s, so the erratic flows were smoothed by the construction of many weirs and huge dams, such as the Hume and the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The irrigation schemes which had started near Mildura after the First World War were steadily advanced until the Murray-Darling basin became the food and fibre bowl of the nation, supporting a large population, all based on irrigation. Water into Gold was the title of an iconic book of the 1950s.

But as the water was abstracted greedily, the river deteriorated. Photos of the Darling River coloured bright green by the biggest ever bloom of blue-green algae, photos of dying river red gums, photos of the devastation of salinity, photos of the closure of the Murray mouth, all have been published in the public press for years.

The Murray-Darling Basin Commission was set up in 1988 and charged with the task of managing the river. In addition to irrigation, the Commission was charged with controlling salinity, native fish and environmental values. It was a highly complex task, bedevilled by the conflicting demands of the four states using the water, all of which insisted on granting ever more licences. As over-allocation continued, the deterioration became increasingly obvious.

There were many who foreshadowed the complete collapse of the ecology of the river, but none so vocal as the late Professor Peter Cullen, a former director of the Co-operative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, whose eloquence probably persuaded the federal government to cap diversions at a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in 1995. After convincing the government to do so, he banded

32 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

together a group of concerned scientists and economists called the Wentworth Group, whose data and predictions stimulated COAG in 2004 to form the Intergovernmental Agreement on a National Water Initiative (an initiative perhaps further stimulated by a continuing drought throughout the whole of southern Australia).

The initial scheme was a social contract. For the first time, irrigators were granted “property rights” for their water allocation, enabling them to sell (and buy) them on the market. This was a massive transition of publicly owned water to private ownership.

The contract was meant to ensure sustainable levels of extraction were adopted. This was never achieved. In consequence, the federal government, in 2008, extended the scope of the Commission as the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) and CSIRO undertook the world’s largest water resource assessment for the groundwater and surface waters of the Murray-Darling basin, reporting on current and future climate scenarios and possible land management changes. At the same time the government made available nearly $9 billion to buy back water rights from willing sellers, together with subsidies to upgrade infrastructure to increase efficiency of use.

In the meantime, the worst drought ever recorded cut the inflow of the river to less than half of the historical average and the environmental effects worsened. The outflow to the sea completely closed, and the Lower Lakes and the Coorong dried out and acidified as the muds were exposed to air, but perhaps more significantly, the abstractions by irrigators were cut to the bone. Water trading boomed, so market forces shifted the available water to crops, such as vines, which could tolerate extra expense. Production of rice in the Riverina and of cotton on huge farms in Queensland came to a halt, devastating their communities.

During this crisis, the MDBA prepared a guide aimed at protecting the ecology of the river, using an international agreement on the environment as a platform (the 1901

Ferry crossing the River Murray at Walker Flat in South Australia.

Australian Constitution denied the federal government control over the economic exploitation of the rivers by the various states).

All the evidence the MDBA could gather led to a recommendation that, for environmental reasons, a minimum flow of 3800GL/a was necessary, and this could only be achieved if a third of irrigation licences were bought back by the federal government. When this was presented to the irrigators in late 2010 the response was, to say the least, angry. It meant not only loss of income but the possible wasting away of some of the communities.

The chair of the MDBA resigned. What of the future? As this essay is written, it is in limbo, but the signs are positive.

The new chair, a skilled politician, has been set the task of balancing the environmental, economic and social factors in order to prepare a basin plan, which he will present to Parliament.

He will consult widely to address the concerns of the various stakeholder groups. There will be no surprises, but he has already foreshadowed that some regions will have

less water available, so that buyback from willing sellers will be necessary. However, there will a number of transitional arrangements to support the implementation of the plan.

All this is to be implemented as the rivers are flowing fully for the first time in 10 years, as a result of La Nina storms over Queensland and New South Wales. However, CSIRO predicts that, due to the impact of global warming on the temperature of the Pacific Ocean, and the consequent shift in the El Nino/La Nina oscillation, future conditions are likely to be drier than the long-term historical average. The plan must take account of this to ensure the development of a proper and transparent mechanism capable of balancing economic activity with the needs of the environment in the context of an unpredictable climate.

EA “Bob” Swinton was a principal research scientist in the Water Group of CSIRO. After his retirement he became the technical editor for “Water”, the official journal of the Australian Water Association.

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Water markets and trading Jennifer McKay

Water markets and the trading of water allocations are components of statutory water planning processes in Australia which are designed to return over-allocated and overused groundwater and surface water systems to sustainable levels of extraction.

The markets are used to accommodate reductions in the amounts of water allocated to growers under regional water plans. Growers can either switch crops or buy water to support crops. A key objective of the Council of Australian Government’s National Water Initiative is to encourage the expansion of water markets and trade between regions to ensure that water “is put to best use”, which is often defined as shifting water from low- to high-value applications and thereby increasing productivity and social welfare (Productivity Commission, 2006).

Water markets were introduced before regional water plans were implemented. This created issues for both, which, at times, have resulted in them working in opposition. Water markets were seen as a way to redistribute water to highervalue users, and thereby facilitate the exit of growers and increase social sustainability. Water plans share this goal, but also have the primary environmental objective of sustainable levels of extraction.

One of the major challenges faced when attempting to evaluate the operation of water markets is the lack of scientific data available on the links between altered flow regimes and damage to the environment and ecosystems.

The data are poor at present, but the situation is improving and, as those drafting community regional water plans adopt the precautionary principle as required by all states and the National Water Act 2007, it is likely that better decisions will be made in the future.

To achieve sustainable regional levels of water extraction, regulators must proceed carefully. Quotas for water trading between regions must be conservative.

The primary issue with water markets is how much water can be sold out of a region before it is too difficult for the

34 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

smaller pool of growers to fund the delivery system. There is also a social issue; it could cause entire communities and regions to decline. A source of tension is that the Trade Practices Act does not allow regional impediments to the operation of markets. States and regions that have tried to stop water transfers have been frustrated by the Act, the most notable example being Colleambally in New South Wales, in which the number of water users has declined.

The future supply of water for irrigation and urban users warrants the establishment of a special legal organisation, the directors of which should be chosen on the basis of their ability to represent the interests of the environment, water users and future generations simultaneously. All water supply businesses should be government/private sector hybrids, and employ the best aspects of both sectors to make optimal decisions on water trading.

An ongoing problem has been that the legal definition of ecologically sustainable development (ESD) is uncertain and many operators of water supply businesses have found it difficult to implement it. Indeed, the delegation of responsibility for the implementation of ESD to community committees may be unconstitutional.

In addition to educating the next generation about these issues, we need to set new standards for evaluating and prioritising actions. At present, there are over 130 regional water plans, each of which attempts to ensure that water is used in a manner that best meets the interests of the broadest possible group of stakeholders within its respective region, while simultaneously maintaining a sustainable level of extraction. Despite these plans being mandated by state water laws, it is likely that only the strongest and best-organised groups in each region will have their voices heard. We need a stronger system to evaluate the claims.

Improved integration of water markets into sustainable management has arisen from the Federal Water Act 2007.

Through adroit drafting, the water plans of the states, including those relating to water markets, must now

Hume Dam on the Murray River not far from Albury in New South Wales.

complement each other. The Act is currently facing a number of legal challenges, but if it stands, its only fault will be that it applies only to the Murray-Darling region and not to the entire country.

The prospects for Australia adopting sustainable levels of water extractions are positive, mainly because the issue is at the forefront of the minds of local, regional and national stakeholders. What is needed to improve the implementation

of water management plans and make the future even brighter is more data on the ecological and social impacts of water trading.

Jennifer McKay is professor of business law and director of the Centre for Comparative Water Policies and Laws, University of South Australia.

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36 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

Best practice irrigation Basant Maheshwari

Recent drought and water restrictions in many parts of Australia and the public debate on the need to share the Murray-Darling basin’s water resources for environmental purposes have shown us that water is a scarce and precious resource, and that best practice irrigation is immensely important to the national economy and community.

Two routine decisions an irrigator has to make are how much water to apply and when. This is usually referred to as irrigation scheduling. These amounts change daily (due to changes in weather conditions) and throughout the season (plants need different amounts of water during their various stages of growth).

Smart irrigation controllers schedule irrigation by recording soil moisture using a moisture-measuring device, or basing plant water-use estimates on the local weather parameters.

These values can be used to automate the watering of multiple sites in both urban and rural areas. Rain switches can be added to the controllers to stop irrigation during rain and delay irrigation for a day or two thereafter.

Soil moisture sensors work on measuring a soil property (generally the electrical capacitance) that changes in response to variations in soil moisture and are connected to a data logger. If required, the moisture reading can be transmitted through mobile internet technology to an office for the real-time monitoring of soil moisture and the remote control of irrigation operations. Farmers and councils are using the sensors increasingly to schedule irrigation of crops more effectively and maintain good turf conditions in sporting fields.

The recycling of treated effluent from urban areas for the irrigation of sporting fields is becoming a common practice in many urban areas in Australia.

The recycling provides significant benefits for the community and the environment by increasing local water supplies and decreasing the discharge of pollutants into surface and coastal waters. The best practice aspect of recycled water irrigation requires a comprehensive plan

that includes strategies to ensure each of the following: • effective communication with irrigators, community and others • effective stakeholder engagement • effective management of risks associated with pollutants in recycled water.

An appropriate monitoring and reporting process that complies with local regulatory and legislative requirements is also necessary to achieve best-practice recycled water irrigation.

Farmers are now able to improve their irrigation scheduling by sending an SMS with some key information about their irrigation operation to a central server via a mobile phone.

Latest satellite images are then used to determine the current crop stage and cover for each paddock. Weather and stream data relevant to the farm are extracted from the Bureau of Meteorology web site or another relevant source and used to estimate crop water use.

This information is sent back to the irrigator through an SMS to help him or her make better irrigation scheduling decisions. All the detailed information can be viewed on the web, including how much water has been applied.

Comparisons then can be made with irrigation practices adopted by other farmers in the district at any time during the season.

Knowing the amount of water being used, and where it is being used, is important to efficient irrigation practice.

It requires the water flow rate into the area to be measured accurately at short intervals (say every five minutes). This provides much needed information about water use at different times during the cropping season. It also helps to identify over- or under-irrigation and to assess the performance of the overall irrigation system — including the identification of leaks, blockages, back-flushing events, filter operation issues and tracking.

Irrigators are now using smart irrigation metering technology to keep an eye on flow rate characteristics and

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Laser level used in best-practice surface irrigation.

improve irrigation system design and practice. This technology basically involves using appropriate equipment (including a data logging mechanism) to measure flow rate and supplying that information to irrigators in a form they can use to improve their irrigation practice.

More than two-thirds of irrigation in Australia is done using the surface method, which is particularly popular for growing pasture. Software tools are now being used to increase the effectiveness of surface irrigation, notably by helping farmers to decide the optimum flow rate and duration of their irrigation application. There is evidence that such tools can cut water use by 20 per cent.

Laser land levelling is another important element of best practice surface irrigation that can deliver great savings in water use and increase water productivity (kg of yield/ ML of water used). The levelling involves smoothing the land surface (Âą 20 mm) from its average elevation using laser-equipped earthmoving equipment. Large horsepower tractors and soil movers with global positioning systems and laser-guided instrumentation are used for precision levelling.

38 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

In summary, the key elements of best practice irrigation include applying the right amount of water at the right time using a method that minimises water wastage. Irrigation technology over the last 20 years has advanced significantly, enabling water use by plants to be monitored more effectively, irrigation systems to be repaired automatically, and more efficient irrigation water delivery systems, application methods and equipment to be developed.

Farmers and councils (and to some extent home owners) are increasingly adopting irrigation technologies, especially electronic devices (e.g. soil moisture sensors), to monitor and control the operation of their irrigation systems. They also are using computers, the internet, mobile phones and satellite imagery to aid irrigation scheduling decisions, laser land levelling and GIS analysis for precision irrigation applications.

Basant Maheshwari is an associate professor in the School of Natural Sciences of the University of Western Sydney.

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WAT E R B U S I N E S S A U S T R A L I A

Degrémont The water treatment plant specialists Degrémont is an international water treatment specialist and a key player in sustainable water development.

We work with local authorities and industry participants to design, build, operate and maintain facilities for drinking water production, desalination, wastewater treatment, biosolid processing and industrial/mining applications.

As a subsidiary of the Suez Ennvironnement Group, Degrémont is an international organisation with more than 4500 employees in more than 70 countries around the world.

Degrémont offers an extensive range of turnkey solutions tailored to our customers’ needs. We also provide a full range of services; from ad hoc technical assistance to long-term operation of completed facilities.

Degrémont is comprised of four core businesses: • Design and build: Both project manager and water treatment expert, Degrémont controls all the stages involved in designing and building plants, including design studies, plans, works and commissioning.

• Operation and services: With versatility in mind, Degrémont has developed an extensive range of services geared toward running plants smoothly, such as operation, maintenance, process optimisation, technical support and service continuity.

• Equipment: Through its equipment business line Degremont Technologies, Degrémont is able to address the needs for water treatment equipment in general and the specific requirements of our clients. Relevant industries include industrial, mining, coal-seam gas and process industries.

• BOT (build, operate and transfer — including PPPs): As part of its BOT offering, Degrémont provides a fully integrated and optimised service for financing, building and operating facilities. At the end of the contract, the plant is handed over to the customer.

Underpinning Degrémont’s growth are corporate values such as our commitment to rigorous business ethics and our unreserved respect for our customers, shareholders, staff, suppliers, local communities and the environment.

40 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

“

Committed together to water, a source of life."

KSB Australia KSB Australia, formerly Ajax Pumps, is one of the leading suppliers of pumps, valves and systems for the water, wastewater, mining, building services, energy and industry sectors in Australia. It is part of worldwide KSB Group which is one of the world’s leading suppliers of pumps, valves and systems. More than 14,000 employees in over 100 countries are engaged in supplying our customers with pumps, valves, associated systems and services.

KSB has been manufacturing pumps and valves for over 130 years. The expertise acquired over this time has been applied to our designs and can be seen in the quality of our water and wastewater products. Be they for municipal, industrial or domestic water and wastewater applications, the absolute reliability of our components underwrites the efficiency of the processes in which they are involved.

Our pumps, valves and systems are in used everywhere water is to be transported, purified or processed. With a full range of energy efficient pumping equipment suitable for water, wastewater, sewage, boosting, water treatment and dewatering, including a newly expanded mixer program, KSB is geared to service any customer in Australia with high quality pumps, valves and/or systems.

As worldwide demand for wastewater treatment products and the number of restrictions imposed by environmental considerations are both increasing, KSB Australia staff are committed to providing the highest standards of product and service, and to protection of the natural environment in which we all live.

All KSB pumps are backed by a comprehensive 24-hour emergency breakdown service in Australia. With eight sales offices and six service centers around the nation, KSB is always close at hand to meet all your pumping needs.

“

KSB Australia staff are committed to providing the highest standards of product and service, and to protection of the natural environment in which we all live.�

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“

Celebrating 20 years in business demonstrates McBerns’ long-term commitment and willingness to adapt and change with our clients and industry” David Jobberns, CEO, McBerns

McBerns

“

Our commitment for the next 20 years is to remain competitive, innovative and cost effective.”

42 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

This year McBerns celebrates its 20th anniversary in business, servicing the water and wastewater industry. We began in 1991 operating in South East Queensland with the launch of the McBerns AutoWellWasher™, which relieved men of the dangerous task of going down into pump stations to remove fat and grease that had built up on the well walls.

The launch of the AutoWellWasher set McBerns on the workplace health and safety road in the wastewater industry.

Recognising the need to keep pace with technical and environmental trends and WH&S improvements, we developed products and services to help make odour management and maintenance tasks safer and quicker to complete.

For example, McBerns odour filters do more than mask unpleasant smells, they also adsorb and treat H2S and other gases, releasing clean air back into the environment.

Recently we released our new sealed safety lid (patent and design applications for which are in process). The lid will set new industry benchmarks, improving WH&S through the use of hinged safety grates with four-way void protection barriers.

Other innovative features include gas and water-tight sealing, gas sampling port, non-slip surface and a light lift weight.

At McBerns we pay particular attention to detail and producing goods of consistently high quality. We are always looking for ways to improve on the design features and all aspects of manufacture. As a result, McBerns is recognised nationally and internationally for providing quality products and dependable technical services to the water and wastewater industry.

All McBerns products are designed and manufactured in Australia. “We are proud to be part of this important industry sector. Celebrating 20 years in business demonstrates McBerns’ long-term commitment and willingness to adapt and change with our clients and industry,” says McBerns CEO, David Jobberns.

WAT E R B U S I N E S S A U S T R A L I A

‘us’ – Utility Services ‘us’ – Utility Services, is a highly successful alliance between South East Water, Thiess Services and Siemens Limited.

The alliance combines a network of capabilities, knowhow and innovative skills to deliver exceptional design, construction, operations and asset maintenance services to the water industry. This unique mix also makes it possible to add value and share competencies, technologies and innovative solutions with other utilities, councils and industrial customers.

Operating as a true program alliance, ‘us’ – Utility Services has been delivering cost-effective, efficient and lean operations, maintenance and constructions services to South East Water for more than five years.

Under the alliance agreement, ‘us’ – Utility Services: • Manages and carries out civil, mechanical, electrical and other work required to efficiently operate and maintain South East Water’s assets and infrastructure • Designs, constructs, installs and commissions capital projects exceeding $100 million per year • Performs maintenance and construction work for other authorities and third parties on a commercial basis.

The Alliance continually strives to develop new and innovative ways of delivering value for South East Water.

As a result, it also offers a suite of products and services to water authorities, councils and commercial/industrial clients across Australia. These products and services include: • BlokAid — sewer overflow monitoring device • HydroTrak — hydrant permit holder monitoring solution • Footprint — intelligent monitoring of water, gas, electricity and trade waste • Customer operations/call centre services • Fully integrated capital delivery project management — from design to construction • SCADA consulting and implementation services • Mechanical and electrical services • Pipeline repair and construction • Treatment plant and pump station design and construction • And more

“

‘us’ – Utiliy Services has been delivering cost-effective, efficient and lean operations, maintenance and constructions services to South East Water for more than five years.”

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Urban water SECTION THREE

· Urban water overview · Indirect potable reuse · Urban recycling · Desalination · Urban water efficiency · Urban water institutional aspects · The urban water business · Regulation in the urban water industry · Water sensitive urban design

44 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

Inside the DegrĂŠmont water treatment plant in Perth , Western Australia.

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Urban water overview Bob Swinton

The supply of water to towns and cities in Australia is unique.

Currently, the distribution infrastructure is nearly all owned by local or state governments and expected to return a dividend to its owners. Yet government invests much professional effort and millions of dollars in persuading its customers to use less of its product. Why? Because the supply of this unique raw material is limited, either by the vagaries of Nature, or by the potential global warming implications of increased energy usage.

Good quality piped (reticulated) water has been supplied safely to nearly every city and rural town in Australia since the 19th century. During the 20th century, both the reliability and quality were improved continuously, at prices that were generally accepted by the populace. But what of the future?

The urban water authorities, whether huge, as in Sydney, or relatively small, as in a typical country town, face a number of significant challenges. The predominant and most certain challenge is population increase. The natural annual rate of increase (due to lower death rates and baby bonuses) is about 1 per cent, and the increase attributable to migration is also about 1 per cent.

At the current rate of population growth, Sydney Water will need to provide water (and sewerage) for about a million extra people by 2021. Perth is growing at over 3 per cent per annum. It is estimated that the population of the Victorian regional city of Ballarat will have doubled by 2050. To cope with these increases, water authorities must develop effective short- and long-term plans.

The second challenge relates to the amount of water supplied by rain. Given the predicted effects of climate change, there is great uncertainty about the future of water resources in individual Australian cities.

Most of the south of the country must factor in a likely decrease in rainfall over their present catchments. Even in areas where an average increase in rainfall has been predicted, some of the water may be delivered courtesy of erratic downpours, and some will overspill the current storages.

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The third challenge is domestic and industrial consumption.

Water usage by Australians in recent years has been dramatically reduced under the pressure of a prolonged drought, which has led the populace to accept restrictions as a matter of course. But there is no guarantee that this will continue indefinitely. When drought conditions ease, as they did in eastern Australia in 2010, there will probably be a demand by some segments to return to unlimited levels of service. Industry and commerce have also responded well to restrictions and appeals for reduced usage. However, since their water bills are usually only a minor component of their production expenses, there is no guarantee that this will continue in the face of the fourth challenge: rising water prices. In all major cities and regional areas, government authorities regulate the retail price of water. No elected government likes to be blamed for price increases, yet to plan for a secure future, water authorities must make capital investments well ahead of the anticipated increase in demand.

It is proving difficult to convince the various regulators (not to mention the ratepayers) that this reality must be factored into current prices.

So how are the water authorities responding? They are all focused on securing supply for rising populations. All major cities have adopted a version of “security through diversity”, a slogan coined by Western Australia’s Water Corporation.

For example, Sydney Water has a slogan, “Water 4 Life”, indicating a four-fold approach: dams, recycling, desalination and water efficiency. So how likely is it that these resources will able to cope with the challenge of the future? Let us review the options and tools available.

Dams The potential for new dams to be built to supply our major cities is very limited. Practically every suitable location was exploited by the engineers of the 20th century, when major projects to “drought-proof the nation” were a feature of

A section of the 500km pipeline that supplies potable water to the goldfields in Western Australia.

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North Head waste water treatment plant, Sydney.

Australian post-war development. Unlike storages in Europe and most of the United States, Australian storages were designed to hold sufficient water to cover three or four years’ usage, since the erratic nature of that nation’s “droughts and flooding rains” has long been recognised. Yet, as has been demonstrated in the past 10 years, the amount stored in Australian dams is barely enough to serve its increasing population.

Even during years of drought and restrictions, nearly every proposal for a large dam on our limited rivers was bitterly opposed, not only by the local populations, but by well-organised and knowledgeable protest groups. And they have some right on their side: it is very difficult to develop a favourable cost-benefit analysis for a shallow dam that will inundate good river-flat farmland and destroy precious environmental assets.

Maybe one or two proposals will succeed in regional areas, but this is unlikely to happen in the major cities.

The dams for Brisbane and the Gold Coast have almost been emptied over the past seven years, thus prompting high-technology solutions.

In 2008, a new dam on the Mary River, north of Brisbane, was proposed by the then premier who said, “We will build the dam, feasible or not.” But the federal government eventually vetoed the proposal in response to environmental protest groups and an economic assessment. Ironically, in early 2011 Brisbane’s existing dams were overflowing, such are the vagaries of Nature, and their ability to operate as flood mitigation assets was severely tested.

One water management option is to enhance the capacity of existing storages by raising their walls, but this can only be done if the walls can be made strong enough to withstand the increased pressure produced by the deeper water. It is an option that has been exercised at the Hinze Dam in southeast Queensland, and is in the process of being taken at the Cotter Dam in the ACT. However, these will only return extra water if the current dams overflow regularly. This is rarely the case,

48 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

except in exceptional weather events. Sydney Water has undertaken a novel scheme. Its licence to operate the main dam, Warragamba, entails the release of a defined volume of water to maintain the flow of the Nepean River downstream.

It has recently reinstated some of this flow by returning highly-purified reclaimed water (almost of drinking water quality) to the middle reaches of the river, and is thus entitled to use an equivalent amount of the stored water.

Under pressure of the recent drought, amid a storm of protest from farmers, Melbourne Water has installed a pipeline, which takes water from a weir on the Goulburn River, north of the Divide, which had previously been earmarked for irrigation and eventual flow into the MurrayDarling. By way of compensation, the city replaced inefficient open irrigation channels with expensive but efficient pipelines and irrigation systems, which save a significant volume of water. The Water Corporation in Western Australia applied the same method to the Peel-Harvey river system to enhance Perth’s water supply. Whether the Melbourne case has delivered a positive cost-benefit is yet to be determined.

Southeast Queensland, centred on Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, has completely re-organised its institutional system, which now includes a network of pipelines operated by Linkwater that enables a sub-region suffering a shortage to draw on other sources, including Queensland’s first desalination plant. A similar water grid is operated in Victoria. However, these measures only alleviate local shortages.

Efficiency or demand management As mentioned above, the past eight to 10 years of drought have forced the water authorities, the general populace and industry to reduce their normal levels of water usage. Mostly this has been accomplished via restrictions, which have been accepted as a regrettable necessity. These have been backed-up

Metropolitan Sydney looking west from Tamarama Beach.

by intensive community involvement and the daily reporting of remaining storage volumes in the press. At the same time, much effort has been devoted to replacing inefficient appliances with ones that use less water.

The prime example is the dual-flush toilet, an Australian development that has been adopted virtually wherever there has been a water shortage. Low-flow showerheads have been installed for little or no cost; front-loading washing machines have been subsidised and top-loading machines ostracised. In an effort to guide purchasers, water-efficiency labels (WELs) for household appliances have become commonplace, though they are not yet mandatory.

Gardening systems, sold under the brand name WaterSmart, have also been rated for water efficiency.

Rainwater tanks have been subsidised, although, unless connected to indoor usages such as toilet flushing and washing machines, they save relatively little drinking water.

The outcomes have been dramatic. The best example is southeast Queensland, where average domestic usage in 2005 was about 320 litres per capita per day (LCD). By July 2008, the rate had fallen to as low as 112LCD, but even after the break in the drought in 2010/11, it was still 135LCD, which was less than the target of 140LCD. Whether this will continue is yet to be determined.

Melbourne, faced with the need in 2010 to impose Stage 4 restrictions (that is, ban all outdoor usage), successfully appealed to its citizens to voluntarily reduce their usage to 155LCD. Community campaigns and restrictions imposed in Sydney saved about 100GL/a, nearly 20 per cent of normal demand.

These campaigns have been assisted by a number of surveys and sophisticated analyses of the volumes typically used for the various functions indoors (clothes washing, showers, toilet flushing and kitchen uses) and outdoors (garden watering, car washing, etc.) for various seasons or weather patterns. These have guided efficiency campaigns and helped influence future demand. Co-operative programs

A United Utilities water treatment plant.

have helped to reduce usage by industrial and commercial companies. Water authority engineers and consultants have worked with companies to optimise their water flow sheets, sometimes with dramatic savings. In Sydney, an average reduction of 30 per cent has been achieved, even though the financial benefits for most companies, though positive, were relatively small.

The question remains, will this new “efficiency” be retained when rainfall returns, even temporarily, to so-called normal levels. It has been said that for a water utility, social engineering is as important as civil engineering. Reducing the demand for water is certainly much less expensive than providing extra water via recycling or desalination, as well as being more sustainable from the point of view of energy.

Recycling and reuse Even before the drought, most water authorities were investigating the potential for recycling/reuse of purified wastewater for non-drinking purposes to relieve the pressure on drinking water demand. These efforts were redoubled as the drought progressed.

There are many schemes in operation and more will be developed. However, recycling is not a cure for all ills. Apart from questions of safety, there are practical questions of logistics. For example, the vast majority of Sydney’s wastewater is carried by the network of sewers ‘downhill’ to the coast, where the gross solids are extracted and the water is discharged through pipes some three kilometres out to sea. The major plants, North Head, Malabar and Bondi, are built on cliffs and are surrounded by golf courses, parks and expensive suburbs.

To build a treatment plant to purify the water to a reusable grade would require the acquisition of large areas of that land, which would be politically impossible. The water would then have to be pumped ‘uphill’ through massive pipelines, which would have to be laid throughout the dense suburbs and the

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Bray Park water treatment plant.

50 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

city itself. However, if the wastewater can be intercepted closer to a potential customer, recycling/reuse becomes a more feasible option, albeit more expensive than letting the wastewater run to sea. But what quality would it have to be, and who would pay for it?

Desalination Seawater desalination has been used for over 50 years to provide fresh water to the arid zones of the Middle East, and over the past dozen years to Mediterranean countries, notably Spain, where, as well as urban supply, this expensive form of water is even purchased by farmers to irrigate greenhouse crops.

The government of Western Australia decided in 2005 to build a 140ML/d desalination plant to supply 17 per cent of normal water consumption. Under pressure of continued drought, it has since duplicated the plant. Southeast Queensland followed in 2008 with a 125ML/d plant, then Sydney with a 250ML/d plant, which could be doubled to 500ML/d, which would meet about a third of Sydney’s current demand. Currently Melbourne is building a plant that can supply 400ML/d. Adelaide’s plant can supply 150ML/d.

Though these plants are expensive and consume about 3–4kWh energy per kL (tonne) of water, they constitute a source that is independent of rainfall. This makes them an effective form of supply insurance for the cities.

The amount of water they produce can be adjusted as required, which makes them flexible components in a multi-source portfolio. Desalination of brackish bore water is common in mining communities, and can be adopted by inland towns when required.

Stormwater Rain that falls on rural land or forests can either run off into creeks and rivers or soak into the ground and eventually finish

in underground strata, through which it can flow extremely slowly to the coast. It may interact with surface rivers en route to the ocean. The vast majority of the rain that falls onto a typical Australian city does not soak into the ground because most of the catchment is roofs, concrete or bitumen. Instead, it is captured in gutters and stormwater drains and flows to adjacent creeks, rivers or seas almost as rapidly as it falls, even in flash floods. It is polluted by automobile oil, animal faeces and some industrial wastes. Australians, stressed by drought and restrictions, continually ask why stormwater cannot be captured, treated and added to the water supply.

Because stormwater is polluted and it comes in erratic flows, large reservoirs would be required to store it. In a developed urban context, this is rarely feasible. Nonetheless, a solution has been developed. In certain circumstances it can be inexpensively purified by allowing it to flow through wetlands or reed beds, then pumped into an underground aquifer for storage and recovery as required. This has been done successfully north of Adelaide.

Managed aquifer recharge can be applied in other circumstances and will prove a useful resource. In the city of Orange, NSW, under pressure of need, the public has accepted that the polluted stormwater harvested directly from the city can be pumped from the downstream creek and fed back into the city’s normal water storages, from which it can be treated in a high technology plant to meet drinking water quality.

In Warrnambool, Victoria, the roof gutters in a new suburban development are all connected to a common pipeline which leads the water eventually to the city’s normal water supply to be purified to drinking water standard.

It is estimated that, in this case, the amount supplied via this method is almost equal to the amount demanded.

As such, its use may be economically feasible for other greenfield developments. Eventually the harvesting of at least some urban stormwater will constitute a useful, if relatively insignificant, proportion of future water resources.

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Water from rain-fed tanks is usually considerably more expensive than town supplies.

Groundwater

Overall

Groundwater is already exploited for urban use, particularly in Perth, both by the Water Corporation from the deeper aquifers, and by suburban gardeners taking advantage of the shallow aquifers in the sand-belt to create their own bores.

Many regional cities, such as Geelong and Newcastle, include groundwater in their portfolios. However, contrary to popular myth, groundwater is not an infinite resource, so stringent controls must be applied to its usage.

There have been moves to exploit groundwater’s potential in Sydney and Melbourne, but to date it is a source that has been little utilised. As discussed above, managed aquifer recharge has a future wherever groundwater, river water, purified stormwater or even highly purified reclaimed water is injected into either unconfined or confined aquifers and recovered either by reversing the flow from the injection bores or utilising a set of bores downstream in the aquifer. Another method involves subjecting stormwater to soil aquifer treatment, filtering it slowly through the soil to remove traces of pollutants. Adelaide already has many such stormwater projects in operation, and Perth is investigating the possibility using aquifer treatment to purify wastewater.

How will these integrate in the future? Naturally, the answer will be different for each city and town, but an educated estimate of the likely change between 2007 and 2027 in Adelaide has been made by CSIRO. The main water source is rainfall on the Mt Lofty Ranges, which may drop from 100GL to about 60GL per annum (courtesy of climate change).

Similarly, the amount of water the city pumps from the Murray may drop from 100GL to 50GL per annum (due to environmental demands).

Stormwater may deliver 30–80GL via aquifer storage, desalination a further 50GL, and indirect potable reuse, rainwater tanks (plumbed in), grey water use in gardens and groundwater can each contribute around 20GL a year.

The total harvested should rise from about 200GL to over 300GL, but demand management will have to be increased to counterbalance the anticipated rise in the population.

Water Services of Australia, the peak urban water authority, says that, as $15 billion has been spent on new sources of water in the last decade, the industry may be able to meet this increased demand, provided restrictions are introduced when necessary to cope with extended periods of drought.

Rainwater tanks

EA “Bob” Swinton was a principal research scientist in the Water Group of CSIRO. After his retirement he became the

During drought years, most water authorities have subsidised householders to install tanks. Some have made this mandatory for new residences. The vast majority of these tanks are only used for gardening when restrictions forbid the use of drinking water and the savings are minor.

However, in some new developments the tank is connected to the home for internal uses, such as toilet flushing and clothes washing machines and significant savings can be obtained. However, in general, water from rain-fed tanks is significantly more expensive than town supplies, and even more costly than desalinated water.

52 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

technical editor for “Water”, the official journal of the Australian Water Association.

Indirect potable reuse Bob Swinton

The preceding article explained that there is a limited market for reclaimed water, even of four-star quality. However, there is one urban market that is ever expanding, and which, for some cities, threatens to overtake their available economic supplies. It is the core supply of drinking-quality recycled water to households, commercial properties and food processing industries. However, all these demand what may be termed five-star quality.

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines define this very high degree of purity, which is readily met by conventional water treatment plants, even those drawing water from rivers that are polluted by animal excreta and wastewater effluents upstream. The quality is guaranteed by ensuring there are multiple barriers to the passage of undesirables such as parasites, bacteria and viruses, and each stage right through to the final disinfection is constantly monitored. The concept of hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP), initially developed by the food industry, is applied: if any purification stage becomes temporarily substandard, the others will ensure water of the required quality is delivered.

Since the two-star water from conventional wastewater treatment plants is often of similar purity to the water found in some rivers, and since its flow is assured and greater than that needed for the economic reuse of four-star water, the challenge is to bring it up to five-star quality and recycle it for reuse as drinking water.

This has been conducted, for reasons of necessity, for over 40 years in Windhoek, Namibia, with no evidence whatsoever of any ill effects, using technology we would now regard as out of date but which is rigorously applied.

Nowadays, we are able to apply reverse osmosis, which in seawater desalination not only takes out the salt but all the microscopic biota that live in the sea. The water is forced through a polymer membrane, the pores of which are so small it filters out even salt molecules. No bacteria, parasites or large organic molecules can pass through. When reverse osmosis is applied to four-star water and followed by advanced oxidation

processes to remove the traces of pharmaceuticals that are contained in urban wastewater, then thoroughly disinfected using intense ultraviolet radiation, the product surpasses Australian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines.

There are two large systems in the world that have been doing this for some years. Orange County, California, (where the first Disneyland was built), injects such water underground then retrieves it from boreholes to supplement the supply drawn from the Santa Ana River. Singapore has gone even further. Highly purified water is pumped straight into their service reservoirs. The first of their plants to do this had in fact very little water left to add to the drinking water supply; it was so pure that it was in high demand by the electronics industry, but there are now two more large plants supplying Singapore’s needs.

This system is termed indirect potable reuse, since storage in a reservoir, or in an underground aquifer, is regarded by the public as somehow natural. It also has the useful property of balancing constant supply with variable demand.

This process was to be applied in southeast Queensland.

In a crisis situation in 2008, when Wivenhoe Dam, the main reservoir for Brisbane, had only a few months' supply remaining, the government decided to proceed urgently with what is called the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project.

The two-star water from three large sewage treatment plants was further treated in two high-technology purification plants, which produced five-star water. This was pumped uphill and fed to two power plants in lieu of water previously drawn from the reservoir. The whole scheme was built against a tight deadline and won worldwide plaudits from the civil and chemical engineering fraternity. However, two things happened. First, it was called recycled water, which people are told not to drink. Secondly, it carried the stigma of having started life as sewage, so there was media uproar.

Then the drought broke, and the reservoir started to refill.

The government wilted, and the scheme now only produces the excellent quality water used by the power plants, at least

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A large clarifier tank for recycled water treatment.

until the Wivenhoe storage level falls below 40 per cent.

The acceptability of using reclaimed water to augment the drinking supply is limited by the Australian community’s scant knowledge and understanding of water and wastewater treatment. The “yuck” factor is exploited by opponents of any proposal, but it was overcome in Singapore by a concerted campaign of community involvement.

The ground for effective community communication is already being laid in Australia, with demonstration/education facilities like Singapore’s being built in at least three locations.

Although not universally appropriate, for economic and logistical reasons, it is still less expensive than desalination, and is being actively considered for Perth, where the highly treated water would be injected into an aquifer from which boreholes would extract the water after some years of underground transfer.

Direct potable reuse There is a worldwide movement to put reclaimed five-star water straight into the system. This is termed direct potable reuse. It seems a waste to mix such excellent quality water with lower quality water in reservoirs or rivers, and then subject it to the conventional water treatment plant. It is not likely to help to secure Australia’s water future for many years

54 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

yet, but as the population increases, it will undoubtedly be applied because, despite its complications, it is cheaper and less energy-dependent than desalting seawater and can be used for inland cities.

Recycled water, reclaimed water, four- or five-star water — whatever its name, it is already a significant part of our urban water future, and its importance will only increase. But it is not cheap, nor is it applicable to all situations.

Six-star water Drinking water always has a trace of mineral content, otherwise it is tasteless, and reverse osmosis water has to be dosed to match the current supply. For high pressure boilers and certain high technology industries, such as silicon wafer production, five-star water has to be further processed in the factory by ion exchange and other chemical processes until it virtually matches the quality of distilled water. It can then be termed six-star quality.

EA “Bob” Swinton was a principal research scientist in the Water Group of CSIRO. After his retirement he became the technical editor for “Water”, the official journal of the Australian Water Association.

ADrinking young consumer water always happily hasdrinking the produce of a water treatment plant. a trace of mineral content, otherwise it is tasteless

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Urban recycling/reuse Bob Swinton

Urban wastewater is both a nuisance and a resource. It can either be disposed of as safely and as cheaply as possible, used for agriculture, or purified to the extent that it can be reused (or recycled) somewhere in the urban water cycle.

In Australia, the most popular method of disposal has been the system adopted by the 19th century engineers for Sydney. Large plants were built on the coast at Malabar, North Head and Bondi, where most of the solids were settled out of suspension and the dirty water was discharged through subsea pipes that reached some kilometers out into the ocean.

The opposite was true for the city of Melbourne, where agricultural use was planned at the start. In the 1890s the raw sewage was pumped some 40km to the vacant and somewhat arid plains near Werribee to irrigate luxuriant pasture.

It stank, but virtually nobody lived near enough to complain.

Such water now flows through huge ponds in series, where it is purified by Nature. Some is further treated to a high and safe level of purity and sold to adjacent commercial vegetable growers for agricultural use. It is also sold to rapidly developing suburban developments in the now populated Werribee area, for outside use in gardens, etc. This latter practice is recycling, or reuse, in the urban context.

Inland cities do not have the luxury of having a nearby sea.

Their wastewater has to be discharged to a river or creek.

Their treatment plants use a biological process called activated sludge, which is an engineered enhancement of the natural purification processes (invented just 100 years ago, in Manchester, UK). This not only keeps the rivers fairly clean, it enables people downstream to pump out the water, filter it in water treatment plants, disinfect it with chlorine, then drink it safely. In effect, the water is reused/recycled, although diluted in the flow of the river.

This is normal practice in Europe and USA, and in Australia takes place in a number of inland cities and towns, not to mention Brisbane and Adelaide, and to a lesser extent Melbourne. Engineers call it unplanned potable reuse, which has been accepted by the public for over 100 years.

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However, in Australia’s water-stressed environment, the continuous availability of such water from activated sludge plants presents opportunities to reclaim and reuse some of it.

To simplify the ensuing discussion and thereby eliminate the typical jargon of the water industry, which in fact differs from state to state, a star-rating system has been used to describe water quality. On a six-star rating, raw sewage is zero star, settled sewage is one star and conventional activated sludge plant is two star, since about 90 per cent of its organic matter has been removed.

This makes it suitable for irrigation of broad acre crops or pasture, but not for any use where close human contact is likely because it cannot be thoroughly disinfected. (Most lowland rivers would themselves only be of two-star quality, yet people still swim in them.)

Three-star effluent has been processed by more modern plants, which take out 99 per cent of the organic matter as well as the nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). The water can be discharged into a river with no adverse impact and is eminently suitable for many uses in agriculture and industry.

When the treatment, subsequent disinfection and monitoring have confirmed that it is of a quality suitable for wider use, the water can be awarded a fourth star.

This assessment is made with reference to the relevant state and national guidelines.

The use of four-star reclaimed water for irrigation is practised widely, the prime example being Adelaide where, following filtration and chlorine disinfection, the water is used to irrigate hundreds of hectares of vegetables and vines, instead of being discharged to the sea.

Four-star water also is used in some industries, primarily for cooling. Large users of such water include power stations, mines, pulp mills and refineries.

Recycling back to the home for gardening, etc., commenced in Australia at Sydney’s Rouse Hill, followed by Mawson Lakes, Adelaide. Such water is supplied in separate purple pipes prominently labeled ‘Recycled Water. Do Not Drink’.

An agricultural irrigation and watering sprinkler system in southeast Queensland.

Throughout Australia over the past 20 years, such recycling of water for urban uses has steadily expanded, particularly during the recent drought. Sydney Water plans to reuse up to 70GL/a .

The above is a simplistic review of reuse. Apart from the expense and carbon footprint created by highly purifying water using engineering technology, there are logistics and economics to be considered. The flow of two-star water from sewage plants is virtually constant, and can be guaranteed, but it is usually at the lowest point in the local terrain. So if a water reclamation factory is built near a sewage plant, the reclaimed water usually has to be pumped to where it is needed. This is virtually impossible for Sydney’s major coastal plants, but not for their smaller inland plants. Indeed, purified water from the Liverpool area is piped to an industrial

precinct in Rosehill. There also are commercial aspects: what degree of purity should be reached, at what cost, and how many customers would be prepared to buy such a quality?

It is estimated that over 20 per cent of reclaimed wastewater is reused for urban purposes and has replaced a corresponding volume of drinking water. As more and more such projects come on stream, the percentage will increase.

But it is unlikely ever to exceed, say, 30 per cent — not due to a lack of technology, rather a lack of suitable customers.

EA “Bob” Swinton was a principal research scientist in the Water Group of CSIRO. After his retirement he became the technical editor for “Water”, the official journal of the Australian Water Association.

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Palma de Majorque desalination plant in Spain. Photo: Degremont

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Desalination Bob Swinton

Desalination of seawater by distillation has been practised for centuries on a small and primitive scale, but in the 1950s chemical engineers in the UK and the USA designed and sold to the Middle East huge “multi-stage flash” and “multi-effect” distillation plants which used cheap oil to heat and distil the water reasonably efficiently.

In the 1960s two other systems started to evolve, electrodialysis and reverse osmosis. The performance of the latter has improved to the stage where it is now adopted even in the Middle East in place of distillation. Scores of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants were operating worldwide in 2005 when the government of Western Australia was persuaded that the drought that had crept up on the state was not a temporary phenomenon. Advised by the Water Corporation, the WA government took the bold decision to build a world-class SWRO plant for Perth. It has since been duplicated as Perth remains in drought.

Since then, southeast Queensland, Sydney, Melbourne and most recently Adelaide have taken the SWRO plunge, constructing plants that will supply a fair percentage of their water. The plants obviously operate independently of rainfall in their catchments, however, they are dependent on a large supply of electricity. To minimise the resultant increase in the city’s carbon footprint, Perth dedicated a large wind farm to providing most of the requisite power, a strategy that has been followed by Sydney. However, the amount of energy used for desalination is modest, of the order of running an old beer fridge in the garage of every home.

Of course an actual plant is far more complex, but basically seawater is pumped in, filtered to keep the membrane surface clean, and pumped at very high pressure through hundreds of membrane modules. Only pure water can be squeezed through the molecular pores in the specially developed polymer membranes, and this is usually limited to about 50 per cent of the incoming flow. After treatment with a bit of lime to prevent it corroding the subsequent pipelines, the water is pumped up from sea level to a pressure that will enable it to

service the city, at which stage it is directed to the reticulation system or stored in a reservoir. The concentrate left behind in the modules is then pumped a kilometre or more out to sea, where it is released through specially designed multi-port diffusers that ensure it mixes quickly with the surrounding seawater.

The energy required for this process has been constantly reduced over the years, but unless there is a scientific breakthrough, it is unlikely this trend will continue. It takes roughly 2.5 to 4kWh to produce 1kL (tonne) of fresh water and one to 3kWh to pump it into the city’s mains, depending on where the plant is sited.

Whatever the source of the energy, together with the capital and operating costs of the complex plant required, desalinating water is relatively expensive. But the process is cheaper than shutting down the city during severe drought.

The cores of Australia’s desalination plants have been supplied by global companies with wide experience in the field. Most are French, but recently Spanish companies have secured supply contracts. The actual membrane modules are sourced from Japan, USA and Europe.

The design and civil engineering of the plants themselves have been performed by alliances, comprising local consultants and engineering companies together with the desalination provider. Operation of the plants has been contracted out to one or other of the global companies, to take advantage of their experience and their ability to shift skilled personnel as the occasion demands. Desalination plants can be ‘turned down’ to save energy if demand slackens, but skeleton staff must be retained.

The government of Western Australia decided in 2005 to build a 140ML/d desalination plant to supply 17 per cent of normal water consumption. But as the drought continued, a second plant was constructed. Southeast Queensland followed in 2008 with 125ML/d, then Sydney with 250 ML/d, which could be duplicated to 500ML/d, about a third of the current demand. Melbourne is building a plant which

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Perth desalination plant

can supply 400ML/d. Adelaide’s plant can supply 150M/d.

Queensland’s plant in the Gold Coast was mothballed when the storages started to refill. However, during the January 2011 floods it was brought back into service within days because the conventional water filtration plant for Brisbane was completely overloaded by the mud carried down in the Brisbane River.

Despite its expense and energy demands, desalination will continue to provide a significant proportion of drinking water to all our coastal cities, and responsible authorities will be planning for future plants as demand steadily rises.

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Desalination is also being applied inland, not only for remote mines, but for small towns which draw brackish water from underground. It is easier to desalinate than seawater, and huge volumes of brackish water will be brought to the surface by the coal-seam gas industry. There are plans to use this water for agriculture and possibly for urban supplies.

EA “Bob” Swinton was a principal research scientist in the Water Group of CSIRO. After his retirement he became the technical editor for “Water”, the official journal of the Australian Water Association.

Urban water efficiency Monique Retamal and Stuart White

Water efficiency and demand management refer to initiatives that permanently lock in water savings by improving the way water is used in homes, shops, offices and factories.

These are distinct from water restrictions, which are shortterm measures to change behaviour temporarily to reduce consumption in severe drought conditions. This distinction between water efficiency and water restrictions is important, as their impacts on society are very different and they are often confused. Water restrictions are essentially an emergency measure and involve restrictions to water use, in particular limiting outdoor water use.

While these are short-term measures, they can have a noticeable impact and reduce amenity, with browning parks and gardens and reduced recreational areas. In contrast, water efficiency initiatives seek to create long-term structural changes to ensure that water is used as efficiently as possible in future, while maintaining amenity. Such initiatives may include reducing the pressure and leakage in the water supply system, retrofitting water fixtures, labelling of appliances, regulations on minimum standards for appliances, regulation regarding household water targets (such as BASIX in NSW), business programs with water audits and changes to practice etcetera, maintenance programs, education and behaviour change programs.

Usually, such measures make economic sense, with payback for changes being made via reduced water bills for businesses.

These initiatives have been driven by water utilities and government agencies in Australia, with incentives and rebates being offered to customers to retrofit their homes or buy efficient washing machines, and water utilities driving improvements to their networks. These initiatives have gone part of the way to maximising the efficiency of our water systems and water use. However, there is a long way to go with regard to maximising efficiency across the board — for business, industry, governments and households.

Most cities and towns in Australia have a much lower urban water demand per person than was the case in the 1980s,

mainly due to improved efficiency of use, smaller lots and improved water pricing. However, there are still significant opportunities for further savings, also known as conservation potential, thanks to the existing stock of inefficient appliances, toilets, urinals, cooling towers, industrial processes and water supply systems that can be improved. Tapping this conservation potential has the same effect as developing a new supply source of water.

This is the basis of integrated supply-demand planning (a.k.a. integrated resource planning), an approach to infrastructure planning developed for the electricity sector during the 1980s in the US that is now applied to water system planning. The principle underpinning this approach is that a unit saved is the equivalent of a unit supplied.

For example, replacing 1000 top-loading washing machines with 1000 new front-loading machines will have the same impact on the supply demand balance as the creation of a new 40-megalitre per annum water supply. The associated energy, greenhouse gas and detergent reductions are a bonus. This is an important consideration, a seemingly obvious one that is often ignored.

It is important because when efficiency and other demandside measures are assessed in the same way as supply-side options, it is clear that water efficiency measures are the most cost-effective way of meeting increased water demand, as indicated in the figure below. They can deliver a significant proportion of the water needed to meet a supply demand gap, be directed to environmental flows, or be used to meet growth in demand from population increase. Research has revealed that, in every city and town studied, water efficiency measures are relatively inexpensive, typically less than $0.50 to $0.70/m3. This is significantly less than majority of supply options, which cost more than $1.00/m3 when capital costs are included. If the resultant energy and greenhouse gas reductions are taken into account, the differences become even greater, especially when hot water savings are included.

Water efficiency and demand management are an essential

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component of a balanced approach to urban water planning.

Coupled with innovative approaches to the localised treatment and recycling of wastewater and stormwater, they provide scope for a sustainable urban water future for Australia, in which per capita demand continues to be reduced, along with the environmental, energy and resource impacts of the urban water sector.

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Dr Monique Retamal is a senior research consultant. Professor Stuart White is a director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney.

Urban water institutional arrangements Brian Head

In recent years it has been widely agreed that the urban water sector should be required to provide secure and reliable water services, protect public health and safety, achieve economic efficiency across water-related operations, and ensure environmentally sustainable impacts. These broad goals relate most obviously to the total urban water system, but the principles should also guide the specific operational responsibilities of every small and large water utility across Australia. Such broad goals are generally established and promoted through a legislative framework that outlines key elements of sustainable resource use and triple-bottomline outcomes.

The urban water cycle requires capabilities in policy, planning, asset management, funding, service delivery and reporting/evaluation. These are applied to diverse interlinked elements, including the management of catchment land use, storage dams and reservoirs, aquifers and groundwater extraction, pipeline grids, water treatment/ purification plants, sewerage and wastewater treatment, flood mitigation, stormwater harvesting, water efficiency and demand management, reticulation of supplies to firms and households, and retail and billing functions. Key questions arise about how such capabilities are actually distributed across water institutions; about whether the integration and co-ordination requirements are clearly recognised and resourced; and about whether the responsibilities should be centralised in a quasi-monopoly organisation or distributed across a range of specialised bodies and agencies.

It is commonly found in technical organisations that managers develop a distinctive professional culture based on their functional skills and responsibilities (e.g. for dams, treatment plants, pipelines, stormwater). On this basis we would expect that responsibilities for linking all the elements of water sustainability are likely to be unclear, and perhaps overly dependent on political leadership. The breadth of sustainability goals, and the range of technical, educational, economic and social adjustment strategies needed to promote

these goals, point strongly to the need for collaborative and related processes. The traditional administrative culture of the water sector, based on technical expertise and precise operating procedures, is not always conducive to the new directions aimed at sustainable triple-bottomline solutions. Given the recent focus on accountability for water sustainability, senior water managers now increasingly recognise that they need to work with other organisations and stakeholder groups, drawing upon wider knowledge bases than their own organisations may provide. They also recognise that risk management approaches are needed to manage financial and reputational outcomes, as well as risks to human and environmental health.

Urban water is essentially a state-regulated function, yet, historically, local authorities have been endorsed as significant providers of water supply services, sewerage services and stormwater management in several states and territories.

In a few cases these local bodies have achieved significant levels of integrated planning across the water cycle. Large metropolitan areas usually have special arrangements for water supply through state-controlled water utilities, which provide scope for coherent water resource planning.

The institutional arrangements have been in flux in some states, and reviews have become regular occurrences, especially in the three most populous states, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. In the other jurisdictions there has been a tendency for centralised or integrated controls by state or territory water authorities over key elements of the water cycle and a lesser role for local councils.

The influence of the federal government in water policy has also grown since the 1990s, primarily due to its interest in promoting economic efficiency in government business enterprises (evident in the competition policy framework of 1994, two intergovernmental agreements on water in 1994 and 2004, and the foundation of the National Water Commission in 2004). The federal government also has an interest in developing nationally consistent best-practice

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An urban waterscape enhanced by artistic design.

Water treatment plant in northwest Sydney.

standards and regulatory regimes (which clearly arise in the interaction between human wellbeing, waterways health, and the needs of industry). At a political level, the federal government has also funded water-related research and promoted innovative water technologies.

The water reform process in Australia began with structural efficiency issues, and corporatisation of government businesses; a further phase promoted economic efficiency through pricing and trading, mainly in rural water; and recently the urban water sector entered a phase requiring the pursuit of water sustainability and water-use efficiency.

This overall pattern of reform has been compressed into a short timeframe and placed adjustment pressures on all key participants — political leaders, water utility leaders, departmental policy managers, diverse industry sectors, urban planners and residential consumers. There are contradictory directions at work. On the one hand, there has been further centralisation of authority and new legislated standards (to promote reform). On the other hand, there has been a greater need for diverse stakeholder input to address multiple goals and to facilitate behavioural changes in water use. There is much talk of full-cost pricing and best use of scarce resources, but the politics of full-cost pricing remain unacceptable to most governments.

The pattern of institutional reform for the water sector has followed many aspects of the reform process undertaken in the electricity sector: commercialisation of utilities at arm’s length from government, explicit costing of subsidies, improved accountability for results, structural separation of production/distribution/retailing, and independent regulatory oversight of pricing in a quasi-monopoly market (e.g. the role of IPART, the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, in New South Wales). However, unlike electricity, the urban water sector has had little privatisation of assets.

Moreover, unlike the electricity grid, there is no interstate spot market to address urban water supply shortages because water grids are essentially local or regional in character.

Water is also distinctive in that it is embedded in ecological processes at most points in the water cycle. The electricity model attempts to promote competition in a quasi-monopoly market, partly by allowing a variety of energy sources to supply the grid, and more directly by allowing limited retail competition in metropolitan markets. However, in the water sector, retail competition is impractical. The more interesting debate is likely to be about the introduction of decentralised schemes based on water reuse and water efficiency technologies (delivering greater self-sufficiency).

The analogy with decentralised renewable energy technologies is compelling.

All water institutions have had to face higher levels of planning uncertainty, unpredictable weather patterns, and cost pressures from new capital investments. Challenges arise from growing populations, diminishing groundwater, drought and variability in rainfall, climate change projections, and serious debates over the competitive conflicts and trade-offs between competing water uses — ecological, residential consumption, agricultural irrigation, and industrial uses.

Governments, utilities and other stakeholders have begun reassessing their goals, structures, processes and programs.

Making generalisations about the urban water sector is difficult, given the diverse institutional arrangements for urban water policy, planning and delivery across Australia, and the diverse size and performance of water utilities.

Nevertheless, it can be suggested that: • Water professionals are well networked through professional associations and informal networks; however this valuable networking is insufficient for ensuring that co-operative and innovative approaches are designed and implemented.

• The technical and professional skills required to lead and manage the urban water sector are increasingly diverse, and extend beyond engineering and management skills to a wide range of social, economic, ecological and health sciences.

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Competition for water between ecological, residential, ecological and recreational users will continue to increase.

• Even in jurisdictions where there is a high level of organisational integration across the diverse functional elements of the urban water system, effective communication and close alignment among these functional elements remain major challenges; these challenges are even greater where there is substantial functional separation.

Water policy and management professionals have demonstrated an ongoing capacity in recent decades for evolution and adaptive change, but the institutional need for broad dialogue to optimise learning and to promote innovation is not well recognised in some jurisdictions.

Future organisational cultures need to be aligned in two directions. Firstly, there is a continuing need to ensure highreliability technical management and risk mitigation of water supply and water quality. Secondly, it is necessary to facilitate smart adaptability, including: • knowledge, expertise and knowledge-sharing across disciplines • enhancement of learning capacities within organisations, between organisations and across systems • collaboration on key issues across stakeholders and organisations • enhancement of long-term planning capacities, including the capacity to respond to shocks.

The international shift from an expert-bureaucracy model of water management towards a broader professionalmanagerial model is increasingly observable in Australia.

Organisations need to interact and collaborate to achieve

several goals simultaneously. Engineering, economic, legal, ecological, public health and urban development issues cannot be sensibly tackled in isolation. Methods need to be found for allowing and facilitating the knowledge exchange and co-operation that is necessary for tackling problems that seem to be intractable and ongoing. In addition to collaborative methods, more attention needs to be paid to enabling conditions — standards, incentives, etc. that will facilitate the introduction of sensible innovations in water technologies. Regulation can create the space for innovation and risk assessment, but regulation can neither generate the innovation process nor prescribe the scale and pace of change.

Some important aspects of integration have already occurred at a policy level through national strategies, standards and guidelines. For example, risk assessment and contingency planning is built into the standard operating procedures of water organisations. Water quality regulations are specified and monitored. System features such as process design and optimisation, asset management and compliance monitoring are standard practice within a broader context of business and environmental risk management. Given the unacceptable consequences of error and disruption to water services, system managers are moving from a risk-response framework to a risk-preparedness and prevention framework.

The implications of these new approaches for government policy and for water users are yet to be explored.

Professor Brian Head is with the Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Queensland.

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The urban water business Ross Young

The Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) is the peak body of the Australian urban water industry and has offices in Melbourne and Sydney. WSAA’s members provide water and sewerage services to approximately 16 million Australians and to many of our largest industrial and commercial enterprises.

WSAA was formed in 1995 to provide a forum for debate on issues important to the urban water industry and to be a focal point for communicating the industry’s views. WSAA encourages the exchange of information and co-operation between its members in an attempt to ensure that the industry maintains a culture of continuous improvement and is always receptive to new ideas.

The functions of WSAA are: • to be the voice of the urban industry at the national and international level and to represent the industry in the development of national water policy • to facilitate the exchange of information and communication within the industry • to undertake research of national importance to the Australian urban water industry and co-ordinate key national research for the industry • to develop benchmarking and improvement activities to facilitate the development and improved productivity of the industry • to develop national codes of practice for water and sewerage systems • to assess new products relating to water, sewerage and trade waste systems on behalf of the water industry • to jointly oversee the Smart Approved Watermark Scheme for products and services involved in conserving water use • to co-ordinate annual metric benchmarking of the industry and publish the National Performance Report in co-operation with the federal and state governments.

The WSAA Members endorsed the following vision and mission at a recent workshop:

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• Vision — Valued water solutions for a better future • Mission — WSAA will advocate, collaborate and innovate to deliver value for its members.

Climate change and population growth are still the main drivers of activity in the Australian urban water industry.

The need to diversify water sources has created unprecedented capital investment in new water sources.

The first desalination plant in Australia was built in Perth, the second at Tugun in southeast Queensland, and the third in Sydney. Construction of desalination plants is underway in Melbourne and Adelaide, and a second is being built in Perth.

It is important to note that desalination is not the only source of water being developed. There is considerable investment in other sources of water, including recycled water, groundwater, stormwater and aquifer storage recharge.

A consequence of multi-source water supply systems is an increase in the complexity of managing these systems to enable them to be optimised from water resource, energy and public health perspectives.

The urban water industry plays a proud role in maximising the generation of renewable energy and reducing the greenhouse gas footprint of the industry and wants this to continue.

The National Greenhouse and Energy Report System (NGERS) is another area where WSAA has made representations to ensure that there are still incentives for water utilities to offset greenhouse gas emissions associated with desalination and recycled water schemes by developing renewable energy sources.

WSAA has established collaborative partnerships with international research entities such as the Water Environment Research Foundation in the United States, the Water Research Foundation and the Global Water Research Coalition.

The collaborative partnerships reflect the fact that many water issues are international in scale.

With so much activity in the urban water industry, the need for WSAA to organise forums and workshops that

Per capita water consumption has decreased significantly across urban Australia.

facilitate the exchange of information has never been greater.

On average, WSAA conducts a meeting/workshop in Australia every week.

Robust planning processes are required to ensure that the urban water industry can meet the dual challenges of climate change and rapid population growth. Australia has the most variable rainfall patterns of any continent and the variability is predicted to increase in response to climate change. It is expected that Australia will experience more extreme events such as droughts and flooding.

The Australian urban water industry is world renowned for its climate change, leakage minimisation and water conservation programs. The water conservation programs implemented over the last 15 years have resulted in significant per capita consumption reductions by households and industry. Indeed, the extent to which per capita consumption has reduced across urban Australia is one of the great social changes in our community. For instance, Sydney now

consumes the same amount of water as it did in 1974, despite having 1.2 million more residents.

Water is essential for life. High quality drinking water and wastewater systems enable cities to grow very large without any public health impacts. Because few other countries have been impacted by climate change to the same extent as Australia, water is a high-profile topic in the Australian community. The water utilities and WSAA will continue to consult with the community on water resource planning, both on the demand and the supply side, to ensure the supply of safe and reliable water into the future, regardless of the vagaries of climate. The fact that $15 billion has been spent on new sources of water over the last decade indicates that the industry is up to the task.

Ross Young was executive director of Water Services Association of Australia until his recent retirement. He is now a business leader specialising in water in Australia with consultants GHD.

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Regulation in the urban water industry Paul Liggins

The term “economic regulation” in the water sector covers a range of activities in three separate areas: • Determination/recommendation of prices • Monitoring/establishment of service standards or targets • Oversight of competition and third-party access (where applicable).

A fundamental factor affecting the regulation of this sector is the fact that there has been very little direct competition for the supply of water and wastewater services to customers.

Consumers have had little choice regarding the identity of their supplier, the source of their water or the level of security of supply.

While some moves are underway to establish alternative suppliers, essentially customers remain dependent on monopoly services, making the quality of regulation all the more important from the point of view of community satisfaction and the economy as a whole.

Capital investment in the water industry is estimated to have been about $14 billion across 2008–09 and 2009–10.

While these years are likely to have been the peak years for investment, billions more will be spent over the next decade.

How efficiently this large outlay is managed and how fairly consumers feel they are being charged for what they receive as a result of these developments are central to judgments about the quality of regulation.

One of the myths in the national debate about utility services is that the regulators are somehow above the melee.

In fact, they are in the middle of the fray and under pressure from large end-user customers, community advocacy groups, suppliers, governments and their political opponents.

However, full and independent regulation of the water industry (as applied in the energy industry) only occurs in Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. These arrangements have been in place since 2004, the early 1990s and 1997, respectively. The Queensland Competition Authority has adopted new price monitoring roles, but it has not undertaken an urban water price review.

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In Tasmania, the government still has a key influence on pricing, and the political pressure being applied to all administrations was well illustrated in November 2009 when the Tasmanian government rescinded its water and wastewater pricing decisions after a public outcry.

In South Australia, the state government determines all prices and directs the Essential Services Commission to review the process after a decision is taken. While the South Australian government has committed to shifting to independent economic regulation, the enacting of the relevant legislation has been delayed.

In Western Australia, there has been a move recently to assign the review of prices and services for the southwest of the state to the Economic Regulation Authority (ERA).

However, the ERA’s findings remain subject to decisions by the WA cabinet.

In the Northern Territory, the Utilities Commission’s role with respect to water and sewerage is mainly confined to licensing — prices are decided by the relevant minister.

Pricing levels aside, water service delivery is also based on an industry paradigm that accommodates neither the possibility of competition nor the free entry of innovative supply options. There is a centrally determined price imposed on consumers based on a centrally determined plan to meet demand over a certain period. There is no scope for consumers to decide whether they would be prepared to pay a premium for a more reliable service, or whether they would be comfortable paying less for a less reliable service.

This leads, of course, to substantial, long-term restrictions on water use when drought overtakes the supply arrangements, and results in the imposition of considerable costs for government agencies administering restrictions, households, businesses and the community at large. Evidence suggests that these costs have been in excess of a billion dollars nationally each year.

It also can lead to supply augmentations being driven by governments for political reasons, rather than careful analysis

Desalination plant under construction near Melbourne, Victoria.

by water utilities of costs and benefits; and more particularly, customer needs. However, a number of reports have recently challenged the status quo. In April 2011 the National Water Commission (NWC) urged that economic regulators be given stronger powers to periodically determine appropriate price controls, and that the principles of economic regulation be applied to all urban systems in Australia.

Barely a week before the NWC report was released, the Productivity Commission highlighted problems with pricing and regulatory arrangements in Australia’s water sector.

Its draft report into the urban water sector suggested that over-investment in supply augmentation in Melbourne and Sydney alone had cost the community between $3.1 and $4.2 billion over 20 years.

The Productivity Commission recommended a number of reforms, including designing regulation around a clear and overarching objective for the water sector, i.e. the provision of water, wastewater and stormwater services that maximise net benefits to the community. More controversially, it

also recommended that state and territory governments should move away from regulatory price setting to a price monitoring regime and that the National Water Initiative pricing principles should be amended to remove any reference to independent regulatory price setting.

These somewhat contradictory views from the National Water Commission and the Productivity Commission will be subjected to much debate. However, whatever the regulatory future holds for the urban water industry, it seems reasonably sure that the tentative steps taken towards more efficient economic regulation in recent years in Australia need to be lengthened to giant strides if the service is to meet what the Council of Australian Governments has described as “a major challenge — to ensure sustainable water supply in the face of a drying climate and rising demand”.

Paul Liggins is a director of the economics practice of Deloitte Corporate Finance.

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The Brisbane river, Queensland.

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Water sensitive urban design Tony Wong

Future cities face many challenges, including enhancing liveability and managing the impact of climate change and growing populations. Urban communities are extremely complex socio-physical systems.

Water is an essential element of place making. The way we manage urban water influences almost every aspect of our urban environment and quality of life.

Securing water supplies and protecting water environments remain important challenges for growing urban communities seeking to minimise their impact on already stressed water resources. The greater a city’s ability to meet these challenges, the stronger its economy.

Beyond the apparent water economy of water demands and consumption, there is a ‘hidden’ water economy that is inextricably linked to the economy of the city. The links are readily apparent in the economies of water supply and consumption, but they can also be found in areas as diverse as public health and wellbeing, productive urban landscapes, climate responsive urban design, carbon footprints and energy efficiencies — key ingredients to the liveability of cities.

The term water sensitive urban design (WSUD) is commonly used to reflect a new paradigm in the planning and design of urban environments, one that is sensitive to the issues of water sustainability and environment protection. WSUD, ecologically sustainable development (ESD) and integrated water cycle management (IWCM) are intrinsically linked.

The nexus between WSUD and the vitality and prosperity of urban environments is only beginning to be recognised.

Some of the more obvious nexus include the following.

Access to secured and fit-for-purpose water supply With increasing climatic uncertainties, future liveable cities will have to secure their water supply through investment in a diversity of water sources underpinned by a range of

centralised and decentralised infrastructure providing flexible access to a portfolio of water sources at optimal value and with the least impact on rural and environmental water needs.

Clean and healthy water environment Urban waterways in a future water sensitive city must be managed with the knowledge that healthy ecosystems and waterways provide important ecosystem services that make a city more liveable. Furthermore, these ecosystem services must extend to mitigating the impact of city developments on the environmental values of aquatic systems within and downstream from the city.

Effective drainage and flood mitigation In addition to increased flood vulnerability of coastal cities associated with rising sea levels, future climatic scenarios predict higher climate variability, including more intense storms. Future cities will need to be designed to ensure that they can retreat, adapt and defend themselves against increasing flood vulnerability. A network of open spaces and green corridors would be an integral element of such a city’s drainage infrastructure and floodways. Floodways and designated flood inundation spaces may also serve as terrestrial and aquatic wildlife corridors to promote flora and fauna diversity, and/or productive landscapes.

Efficient and low energy systems There is a strong nexus between water and energy. Energy production is one of the thirstiest industries, and energy is consumed in providing urban water and wastewater services.

Future cities with access to a diversity of fit-for-purpose water sources will also be able to access these sources in a way that

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The Murray River is one of the most important sources of fresh water in Australia.

uses the lowest amount of energy and produces the lowest levels of greenhouse gases. Efficient, low-energy drainage and flood mitigation systems will emit relatively low levels of carbon, be relatively inexpensive and offer a high level of public amenity, while simultaneously enhancing biodiversity and improving urban liveability.

Urban design strategies Future developments will feature solutions for mixed-use developments and increased densities while enhancing the quality of public and private spaces. Strategies would describe parklands, green waterways, structures and buildings as green infrastructure. They also would emphasise the important role that vegetation plays in urban environments. Access to alternative fit-for-purpose water sources provides an additional and abundant source of water to facilitate the greening of cities.

Mitigating urban heat Predictions of hotter heat waves and empirical evidence of the urban heat island effect will drive the development of more climate-responsive urban designs.

Heat-health outcomes (e.g. mortality and morbidity) are determined by the combined effect of exposure, adaptability and vulnerability.

Design strategies aimed at keeping water in the landscape, and the use of well-irrigated green landscapes that are spatially distributed, have the potential to limit human exposure to extreme heat.

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Quality of public spaces Thanks to a progressive shift in the perceived importance of public spaces in response to increased development densities, future public realms will serve to anchor developments. The traditional values of open spaces and landscape features will be bolstered by sustainable water management, an improved understanding of microclimate influences, the facilitation of carbon sinks, and the use of such areas for food production. These spaces will be designed to enhance social engagement and cultural expression, with water art features and the establishment of biodiversity in terrestrial and aquatic corridors.

Productive landscapes Two of the emerging global challenges are the preservation of productive landscapes and the improvement of food productivity. In addition to prevention of significant loss of arable land to urbanisation, design concepts are emerging that exploit the nexus between water recycling/stormwater harvesting and food production. The concept of urban green landscapes that are also productive (orchards, community gardens, etc.) and supplied by local recycling of wastewater and/or stormwater is now emerging as an integral urban design model for future cities.

Professor Tony Wong is director and chief executive of the Centre for Water Sensitive Cities.

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In working with water infrastructure, The Reed Group is committed to ensuring Australia’s water sustainability through the highest standards of expertise that continually deliver projects on time, on budget and without compromise. "

Dusk on the Murray River

Securing Australia’s water sustainability The Reed Group is one of Australia’s largest construction companies. It focuses on delivering projects on time and on budget across a diverse range of specialist construction areas, including water management.

By servicing the water sector across Australia with a strong skill base in engineering, construction and project management, success has been achieved through strong technical and project delivery credentials that see complex projects successfully completed through a sound understanding of civil and infrastructure implications.

Thanks to a strong commitment to environmental sustainability and simultaneous support for population growth centres, successful outcomes have been achieved in four major infrastructure projects.

Bray Park Water Treatment Plant — ­ Winner of the Engineering Excellence Award 2010 and the Innovation in Sustainable Engineering excellence Award 2010, Bray Park Water Treatment Plant is Australia’s largest ultra-filtration Water Treatment Plant. Located in a growth centre, this project delivered environmental benefits through its ergonomic design, construction and architectural features.

Evans Head Sewer Treatment Plant —To augment the existing Evans Head Sewer Treatment Plant, The Reed Group faced numerous environmental challenges of having to build structures in areas of high groundwater and working alongside the Broadwater National Park and an existing natural wetland system. The successful completion of this project resulted in the demolition and replacement of the existing plant with two new IDEA tanks, sludge storage tanks, inlet works, pumping stations, chemical dosing facilities and new amenities and electrical buildings.

North West Growth Centre — To accommodate Sydney’s rapidly expanding population, the NSW government has identified the North West Growth Centre as the location for the construction of 66,000 new homes. To deliver water and wastewater infrastructure, The Reed Group is responsible for the design and construction of a potable water surface reservoir, trunk potable water inlet and outlet mains, potable water and recycled water distribution mains, reservoir site mains and gravity sewer carriers. Nearing completion, this major infrastructure project is responsibly helping manage Sydney’s population expansion.

Bootawa Dam Water Treatment Plant — To deliver the new Bootawa Water Treatment Plant that forms an integral part of New South Wale’s Manning-Great lakes water supply, The Reed Group was commissioned to construct all civil works on the site, including earthworks, reservoirs, tanks, buildings for the treatment unit, the amenities/control area, chemical dosing equipment and the main pumping stations, including roads, drainage and site service. Successfully completed, the new water treatment plant has an initial capacity of 60ML/D with provision to upgrade to 75ML/D in the future.

In working with water infrastructure, The Reed Group is committed to ensuring Australia’s water sustainability through the highest standards of expertise that continually deliver projects on time, on budget and without compromise.

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WAT E R B U S I N E S S A U S T R A L I A

C-Tech Services C-Tech Services commenced in June 1993. C-Tech provides specialist services within the water, wastewater/recycled water industry, particularly where disinfection is required.

C-Tech Services is ASES accredited and complies with ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and AS 4801:2001 international standards. C-Tech Personnel are trained in HACCP procedures and practices.

We apply a comprehensive approach to disinfection needs, including the development and fabrication of fully integrated and automated disinfection and pH dosing systems. Our customers include Melbourne Water, South East Water (SEWL), City West Water, Yarra Valley Water, Snowy River Council, Queensland Urban Utilities and several other water authorities.

More than 100 dosing systems have been provided by C-Tech Services since 1998. Over the years, we have been involved in special projects with the University of Queensland, CSIRO, Wannon Water and an energy sustainability project with SEWL. These systems incorporate all fundamental necessities such as a fully bunded chemical tank, auto changeover duty and standby precision dosing pumps, chemical level sensor and display, water sampling for verification and control, critical alarm points and a powerful, versatile, web-based telemetry system.

C-Tech Services compliments the sale of these systems by a unique caretaker management contract agreement.

The contract provides for routine chemical deliveries, chlorine analyser calibrations, annual equipment maintenance and breakdown repairs. In addition to these on-site interactions, as practising and qualified operators, we review theperformance of each plant daily. This is achieved by means of accessing and adjusting control functions where necessary via telemetry from the C-Tech installed automated dosing systems at each site.

All of this is regularly audited by the Victorian Department of Health to ensure the best possible disinfection outcomes are achieved and maintained continuously.

Other patented products include the ®MONIpLUG, a remote water monitoring system with a versatile fireplug locating capability, and the ®MIXItech system, a portable automated water storage dosing facility.

Our premises comprise two adjoining factories, each of approximately 350m2, in Pakenham Victoria.

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“

We apply a comprehensive approach to disinfection needs, including the development and fabrication of fully integrated and automated disinfection and pH dosing systems.”

Thiess Services Life begins with water, and as one of Australia’s leading providers of integrated services in water, energy, environmental and infrastructure management, Thiess Services is committed to finding better solutions to protect and manage this vital resource for future generations.

For the past 20 years, we have formed enduring relationships with water infrastructure owners nationwide to deliver construction, monitoring, operation and maintenance services that protect, manage and improve water delivery and its sustainable use. These include the Water Corporation on the Perth North Metro Alliance in Western Australia, South East Water Limited on the ‘us’ – Utility Services Alliance, Melbourne Water on the ACE Alliance, Queensland Urban Utilities and Watercare in New Zealand.

The services we offer are underpinned by our people, who work closely with our clients to understand their needs. Our technical and operational teams draw on world-leading technologies and applications to develop innovations that continuously improve the performance of critical water infrastructure — from waterways, distribution and reticulation network systems, to recycling water and wastewater, and desalination treatment plants.

As a service provider, we understand our responsibility to our clients’ end-user customers. We strive to develop service solutions that optimise water quality and availability, and minimise wastage and pollution. We monitor waterway systems with real-time, world-leading technology to ensure that informed decisions are made on water quality, flow rates and overall management.

Remaining flexible and adaptable to the changing operational and maintenance needs of an asset over its life is critical to maintaining high performance standards. Thiess Services can offer a specialist service or a fully integrated design, construction, maintenance and operations solution that provides greater certainty in asset performance, value and cost efficiencies in a safety-first environment.

In developing new and innovative solutions that achieve more by using less, Thiess Services will continue to find ways to improve the operational performance of water infrastructure, ultimately enhancing the environment and communities in which we live and work.

“

We offer a fully integrated design, construction, maintenance and operations solution that provides greater certainty in asset performance, value and cost efficiencies in a safety-first environment.”

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“

TRILITY plays a vital role in our modern world by providing water utility solutions that contribute to a better quality of life.”

TRILITY (formerly United Utilities Australia)

“

Our solutions are built on our heritage and our expertise; it’s a dedication to do it right, and a passion to develop solutions effectively, efficiently and responsibly.”

76 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

At the core of our business is a commitment to integrity.

We are responsible and respectful of our natural environment.

We seek constructive engagement with clients, governments and the community.

TRILITY constantly achieves the highest standards built from experience gained from over 20 years of serving the water sector in Australia. By working in partnership with our clients and employees to deliver a complete range of water utility solutions, TRILITY now services over 3 million people every day. We are proud to offer the following range of skills: • Experience in all forms of contractual delivery structures including Design and Construct (DandC); Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO); Design, Build, Operate and Maintain (DBOM); Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Maintain (DBFOM); Operate and Maintain (OandM); Alliance contracting, and Public-PrivatePartnerships (PPP) • Innovative project funding • Tailored solutions from financial, engineering, technical, operational and environmental perspectives • All aspects of project delivery including design, construction, and commissioning • Development, implementation and operation of advanced control methodologies • Asset management, operation, maintenance and customer service • Extensive track record in complex municipal, industrial and resource water, wastewater, water reuse and desalination solutions TRILITY operates and maintains more than 60 treatment plants with a combined capacity of over 1250 megalitres per day (ML/d), offering the full suite of utility services associated with water, wastewater and reuse water.

TRILITY’s team have extensive experience in the design, construction, operations, finance, commercial, legal, and health and safety matters associated with water infrastructure. TRILITY also has a diverse team of engineers and experts in their relevant field. The team provides full design, construction support, project management and commissioning services for treatment plants, with storage facilities and distribution networks.

WAT E R B U S I N E S S A U S T R A L I A

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Goal: To enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.

Action: Provide a comprehensive portfolio of products.

“

Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.�

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, enabling our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.

With annual revenues of more than $11 billion, we have approximately 37,000 employees and serve over 350,000 customers in environmental, industrial, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and universities, research institutions and government agencies.

As a global organisation, Thermo Fisher Scientific employs experts who deliver innovative, up-to-date technologies from the world’s leading suppliers.

Thermo Fisher Scientific is a leader in the Australian water industry through the introduction of innovative technologies for water analysis and monitoring. We provide the equipment to monitor and maintain the quality of water across the entire hydrosphere. We supply equipment that is used to monitor the natural water in the ocean, groundwater, reservoirs and rivers, and treated water for drinking or disposal as waste.

We offer a closed-loop monitoring package where we combine our extensive range of monitoring equipment with data logging and telemetry.

Our most recognisable applications for our equipment include monitoring the clarity, chlorine and fluoride levels in the water we drink. Less obvious applications include monitoring the ocean temperature and currents or the quality and quantity of water in the vast artesian reservoirs across inland Australia.

Thermo Fisher Scientific continues to provide cornerstone support to the Australian water industry through ongoing sponsorship of its many associations and conferences.

The Kwatye prize, now in its seventh year, is a unique sponsorship program offered by Thermo Fisher Scientific in partnership with the Water Industry Operators Association (WIOA). This award is designed to encourage creativity, recognise innovation and celebrate passion in the water industry.

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The future of water SECTION FOUR

· What is to come?

78 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

View over Pittwater, north of Sydney. Photo: Caroline Foldes

| 79

What is to come?

Chris Davis and Bob Swinton

The articles in this book cover the major challenges and responses facing the water industry in Australia, but they have been ruthlessly condensed. Each page could easily be expanded into a complete book, such are the complexities in detail, in business, engineering and scientific aspects.

Yet even if Nature supplies the raw material, its efficient harvesting and management depends on skilled people. The water industry is somewhat different from most others, in that the utilities are not in competition with each other, since they serve geographical areas, and are, in effect, monopolies.

This had led to a collegial atmosphere. There is a ready exchange of information and discussion. This is fostered by the not-for-profit voluntary associations to which the majority of water employees — from plant operators to chief executives — subscribe, as well as the numerous consultancy and supply companies.

The largest is the Australian Water Association (AWA), with some 5500 members and 600 corporate members, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2012. AWA runs a full program of technical seminars, workshops and conferences throughout the year, culminating in the annual Ozwater conference and trade exhibition. Some thousands of professionals attend the technical program, including invited overseas speakers and specialised workshops, and the exhibition hosts over 200 booths and large displays.

The Association publishes an official journal, eight issues a year, each of over 100 pages containing news, opinions and technical papers, most being peer-reviewed. It is financed by advertisements from the keenly contesting supply companies.

AWA retains close relationships with the equivalent global organisations, the International Water Association, the International Desalination Association and similar associations in USA, UK and Europe.

Its staff and volunteers run 15 specialist networks, which cover every aspect of the industry. Most address technical and policy issues, but four address the skills shortages, present and future, in the sector. The Education Network

80 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

involves the schools and communities, exposing students and the population to the vital significance of water and its management. The Water Industry Skills Taskforce operates at CEO and government strategy level. Water Industry Capacity Development concentrates on training and professional development, and recruitment through the H2Oz campaign.

The Young Water Professionals group involves new entrants to the sector, with technical meetings and social events integrating them into a national network. All these will assure that Australia’s water future will be in secure hands.

The operators of water purification plants and wastewater treatment plants must also be highly skilled to ensure safety, and they have formed their own association to share knowledge and experience.

The Stormwater Industry Association covers the management of stormwater, mainly for environmental and safety reasons, but increasingly as a potential resource.

Irrigation Australia Limited covers all sectors of the industry, from water users, consultants, designers and installers through to education.

As discussed, the future of the Murray-Darling basin is being intensively discussed at a political level and it is hoped that a transparent compromise between the demands of the irrigation industry and the need to maintain the river in a reasonable state of health can be achieved. Irrigation in northern river basins is not so controversial, though questions are being raised about the effect of nutrient and silt discharges on the health of the Great Barrier Reef.

A feature of the urban Australian water industry has been the development of alliance contracts for project delivery.

This commenced in 1998 when Sydney Water collaborated completely openly with consultants, designers and contractors on a shared responsibility, no fault, and shared profit (or loss) basis to deliver a large, open-ended project. It has proved to be the most productive solution to “messy” projects where creative synergies can solve complex problems faster and cheaper than traditional tendering systems. It has developed

Dissolved air flotation (DAF) is an effective way to clarify water with high levels of algae and other low-density solids that cannot be removed efficiently by sedimentation.

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An Arup emergency desalination plant.

rapidly and been extended to other sectors. In 2009, some $10 billion of infrastructure was being delivered through alliances, the majority being in the water sector These arrangements, involving mutual trust, but defining areas of responsibility, are indeed complex, and the Alliancing Association of Australasia was set up in 2006 to share experiences and insights.

As an example of the power of such collaboration, a senior American executive of a global company which became involved in the design and construction of a high-tech treatment plant in Queensland confessed that while the whole project was designed, procured and commissioned in a single year, under budget, he estimated it would have taken three years in the USA. Regarding the future of the governance of the industry, during the compilation of this book, two reports on the urban water sector were released by the government.

Reports by the Productivity Commission (draft) and the National Water Commission provided critical appraisals of the state of the urban water industry and comments on the future. Although the reports came from different groups and had different perspectives, there was a surprising commonality among conclusions and themes. Both saw opportunities for further reform and commented on the lack of clarity in urban water management goals.

Reactions to the recent, decade-long drought were criticised, especially the imposition of severe restrictions and the race to install major desalination plants in major cities. However, it was clear that neither report was well attuned to the merits of water conservation and demand management.

Strong arguments were mounted for better pricing regimes, a greater customer focus and independent regulators.

Reactions from the urban water sector were sceptical, and the general view seems to be that since the sector’s performance benchmarks so well on a global basis, there cannot be too much wrong. An implicit message emerging both from the reports and many other quarters, however, is

82 | Securing Australia’s Water Future

that political intervention in water management decisions is counterproductive and should be prevented, as far as possible.

Although the immediate decade-long drought has passed recently, and a wave of floods has become a focus of discussion, the future could bring almost any combination of natural and human-centred challenges, so there is no room for complacency.

Overall, a more transparent industry, with clear goals and accountabilities, is desirable. Vigorous debate can only help, provided it is based on good evidence. This book should provide some of the necessary material on which to base ongoing discussions.

Chris Davis is a National Water Commissioner, Chair of the Urban Water Security Research Alliance and a member of several other water-related committees.

EA “Bob” Swinton was a principal research scientist in the Water Group of CSIRO. After his retirement he became the technical editor for “Water”, the official journal of the Australian Water Association.

Water directory SECTION SIX

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2IE International In 1986, 2IE created the swing boom sprinkler system to allow more hectares to be exploited beyond the length of the pivot or linear move. In 1993, it launched its Aqua Gestion System (AGS) to facilitate linear moves. In 2000, the AGS became a standard component in all “hippodrome” systems and pivots fitted with swing booms. Since 2010, 2IE has offered the AGS pre-equipped and ready for internet-assisted control.

BP 23347 72003

Fax: +33.(0)2 43 76 50 60

Le Mans Cedex 1 FRANCE

Email: info@2ie.com

Phone: +33(0)2 43 76 50 50

Web: www.2ie.com

Acacia Products Pty Ltd Acacia Filtration Bio-Mesh Tubing is the ideal biological filtration media for wastewater treatment, aquaculture recirculation and aeration systems. Modules are manufactured in Australia, to custom sizes, using 42, 55, and 70MM diameter tubing. Acacia Bio-Mesh Custom Modules are easy to handle and require no assembly on site. Rough and smooth profiles are available, achieving a surface area up to 250 m²/m³.

6 Vicars Place, Wetherill Park, NSW

Email: sales@acaciaproducts.com.au

PO Box 6066, Wetherill Park, BC NSW 1851

Web: www.acaciaproducts.com.au

Ph: 02 9756 6077

Acrodyne Pty Ltd Acrodyne is a leading supplier in our field of Valve Automation we boast one of the largest ranges of actuation and control products in the market, names such as Limitorque, Mastergear & Noah etc. Many of these products are stocked locally and can be provided as individual components through our vast reseller network or as custom designed assemblies providing creative solutions to end users many and varied application needs.

Factory 14, 11 Havelock Road,

Ph: 03 8727 7800 Fax: 03 9729 8699

Bayswater Vic 3153

Email: info@acrodyne.com..au

PO Box 640, Bayswater, Vic 3153

Web: www.acrodyne.com.au

Air & Hydraulic Systems Pty Limited AHS is a privately owned Australian company, specialising in the supply of Valves, Instruments, Tube, & Fittings for Water Treatment, Chemical Dosing, Desalination, Sewage Treatment and the Food Industry; all industries where Quality, Reliability and Long Life are essential. One of our most significant functions is our role in supplying quality valves and instruments to water filtration plants who in turn, provide communities with reliable supplies of safe, clean and healthy drinking water.

PO Box 419 Brookvale, NSW 2100

Email: sales@ahs.com.au

Ph: 02 9939 6199 Fax: 02 9938 5972

Web: www.ahs.com.au

ALS Group Qld The ALS Group of companies specialises in supplying of modular storage tanks, installation and maintenance services. Our cornerstone is built on knowledge, integrity and a commitment to providing the highest levels of professionalism, service response and quality workmanship across our group.

3/6 Premier Circuit, Warana, Qld 4575

Email: info@alsgroupqld.com.au

Ph: 07 5413 4343 Fax: 07 5413 4333

Web: www.alsgroupqld.com.au

Mob: Jason Mercer 0439 036165

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DIRECTORY

Aqualab Scientific Pty Ltd Aqualab Scientific, industry leader in water quality and level monitoring instruments.

HYDROLAB Water Quality Multiprobes for temp, pH, conductivity, luminescence dissolved oxygen, self-cleaning turbidity, chlorophyll a, blue-green algae, redox, depth etc. OTT Level & Discharge Sensors. TURNER DESIGNS Fluorometers for chlorophyll a, blue-green algae and dye trace studies. DIVER Temperature/Level/ Conductivity Data Loggers for groundwater monitoring. HACH Handheld Meters.

36/10 Gladstone Rd Castle Hill NSW 2154

Email: sales@aqualab.com.au

Ph: 02 9894 4511 Fax: 02 9894 4522

Web: www.aqualab.com.au

Arup Arup is a global, independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants and technical specialists. We create innovative solutions to complex problems; deliver projects in an integrated and holistic way; and help clients to overcome business challenges created by climate variability. Our skills and experience include water engineering, water management and advisory services.

Contact: Borvin Kracman,

Email: borvin.kracman@arup.com.au

Mobile: +61 408 824 362

Web: www.arup.com

Atlas Copco Compressors Australia Atlas Copco is a world leading provider of industrial and Wastewater productivity solutions. The products range from compressed air, generators, construction and mining equipment and rental.

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, the Group’s global reach spans more than 160 markets.

Our units are manufactured, assembly and Tested at our works in Belgium and are fully CE Compliant and Class Zero accredited to ISO 8573-1-Class Zero.

Head Office: 3 Bessemer Street

Mob: Dennis Benson 0417 152 212

Blacktown, NSW 2148

Email: dennis.benson@au.atlascopco.com

Ph: 1800 023 469 Fax: 02 9622 3409

Web: www.atlascopco.com.au

Australian Water Environments Australian Water Environments (AWE) is a South Australian-based consulting firm providing sustainable and innovative engineering, water resources, planning and natural resource management solutions for the community and our clients. Our capabilities include: • Civil Engineering • Consultation and Community Engagement • Data Management • Ecology • Environmental Engineering • Environmental Management and Planning • Groundwater Modelling • Hydrogeology • Hydrology • Integrated Water Resources Management • Salt Interception Schemes • Spatial Services • Strategic and Statutory Planning.

1/198 Greenhill Road, Eastwood, SA 5063

Email: receptionist@austwaterenv.com.au

Ph: 08 8378 8000

Web: www.austwaterenv.com.au

AVFI Valve Solutions AVFI Valve Solutions is a leading provider of Gate, Knife, Check, Plug, Ball, Air Release & Actuated Valves for Waterworks projects throughout Australia. In a fast paced highly specialised industry AVFI has earned a reputation as a supplier of choice by providing cost effective valve solutions and by meeting demanding delivery schedules. Our specialised services include high inventory levels and building valve assemblies to order.

54 Enterprise Drive, Bundoora Vic 3083

Email: avfi@avfi.com.au

Ph: 03 8467 0000 Fax: 03 8467 0099

Web: www.avfi.com.au

Mob: Barry Nation 0412 441 842

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AVK Australia Pty Ltd Australian made to regional standards for local conditions. AVK is an international brand icon in water and is committed to the design and supply of quality products such as: Valves; Gate, Check, Butterfly, Air Release, Service Connection, Knife Gate, Free Cone & Submerged Discharge. Hydrants; Fireplug and Spring types. Couplings; Universal & Supa-Plus (for PE) in straight, stepped, flange adaptor and end caps. Dismantling Joints and Repair Clamps.

559A Grand Junction Road, Wingfield SA 5013 Web: www.avkvalves.com.au Ph: (08) 8368 0900 Fax: (08) 8368 0970

Bürkert Fluid Control Systems Bürkert Fluid Control Systems is has offices in 40 countries and operations in an additional 80.

With more than 30 years in Australia and 65 years’ global experience, Bürkert is a reliable and long-term partner in fluid control. We have both the technologies and experience required to develop superior water treatment solutions.

Regional HQ: 15 Columbia Way

Ph: 1300 888 868 Fax: 1300 888 076

Norwest Business Park,

Email: sales.au@burkert.com

Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153

Web: www.burkert.com.au

C-Tech Services Pty Ltd C-Tech provides specialist services within the water, wastewater/recycled water industry.

We apply a comprehensive approach to disinfection needs, including the development and fabrication of fully integrated and automated disinfection and pH dosing systems. More than 100 dosing systems have been provided by C-Tech Services since 1998.

Unit 1 / 9 Hogan Court

Email: info@c-techservices.com.au

Pakenham, Vic 3810

Web: www.c-techservices.com.au

Ph: 03 5940 3355 Fax: 03 5940 3366

Campbell Scientific Australia Campbell Scientific Australia supply a complete range of data acquisition systems, data loggers, sensors, peripherals and telemetry options for all environmental, hydrological and industrial applications. With 35 years of proven field experience, unmatched reliability and exceptional measurement quality; hydrological, meteorological and geotechnical networks worldwide have come to trust Campbell Scientific. Our research grade products are globally renowned for their robustness and adaptability in the field.

PO Box 444, Thuringowa Central, Qld 4817

Email: info@campbellsci.com.au

Ph: 07 4772 0444 Fax: 07 4772 0555

Web: www.campbellsci.com.au

C.E. Bartlett C.E. Bartlett Pty Ltd is a family owned and operated company specialising in the manufacture of water saving and harvesting products using Industrial Textiles. A leader within our industry, we fabricate and distribute both nationally and globally a wide range of products for the water industry.

Our vast product range includes Tank Liners, Dam Liners, Flexible Water Tanks, Evaporation Covers, Irrigation Fluming, Water Transfer Hoses, Bladder Tanks, Pillow Tanks and much more.

172 Ring Road, Wendouree, Vic 3355

Email: info@bartlett.net.au

Ph: 03 5339 3103 Fax: 03 5338 1241

Web: www.bartlett.net.au

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DIRECTORY

City Water Technology Pty Ltd Providing water treatment, wastewater, industrial and environmental engineering services Australia wide for over 20 years. Specialists in bench, pilot and plant trials, investigations, concept and detail plant designs, specifications, treatment plant optimisation and audits, commissioning, training and operations manuals. CWT is experienced in conventional treatment processes, dam destratification, high rate contact/direct filtration, DAF, membranes, PAC, Ozone/BAC, particle counting, sludge handling, corrosion control, advanced manganese removal, Giardia and Cryptosporidium, algae control strategies, effluent reuse, industrial waste, water reclamation and desalination.

Suite 26, 924 Pacific Highway,

Email: contact@citywater.com.au

Gordon NSW 2072

Web: www.citywater.com.au

Ph: 02 9498 1444 Fax: 02 9498 1666

Clearmake Clearmake offer the broadest range of water treatment technologies available to deliver the best solution for your water management project. Select from a high quality range of standard products, or custom engineered solutions. All systems are manufactured in Australia and fully warranted.

Equipment is available for tradewaste and water treatment (for compliant discharge or reuse); water recycling; water harvesting; stormwater management; spill detection and sludge dewatering.

21 Project Ave, Noosaville Qld 4566

Email: info@clearmake.com.au

Ph: 07 5455 6822 Fax: 07 5455 6833

Web: www.clearmake.com.au

CNManagement (Aus) CNManagement provides an all-round solution for projects by managing and resourcing the commissioning process from design through construction, asset commissioning, O&M manual development and performance testing up to final handover to the client’s satisfaction.

Our diversely experienced staff delivers to unique challenges backed by the use of our management system which provides a secure on-line portal for viewing, reporting and tracking of asset data and commissioning progress.

PO Box 7801 Brisbane QLD 4000

Email: info@cngmanagement.com

Ph: 07 3229 0255 Fax: 07 3229 0256

Web: www.cngmanagement.com

Degrémont Degrémont is an international water treatment specialist and a key player in sustainable water development. We work with local authorities and industry participants to design, build, operate and maintain facilities for drinking water production, desalination, wastewater treatment and biosolid processing. We offer an extensive range of turnkey solutions tailored to our customers’ needs.

Level 7, 5 Rider Boulevard,

Email: contact.us@degremont.com

Rhodes, NSW 2138

Web: www.degremont.com.au

Ph: 02 8759 7900 Fax: 02 9332 6882

Detection Services Pty Ltd Detection Services are leaders in technical field support services to the Water Industry throughout Australia and the Pacific. With a client base of over 90 water authorities in Australasia, the business provides a broad range of services, including strategy planning and advice, data collection, leak detection and trunk main assessment work.

15/276 New Line Road, Dural, NSW 2158

Email: steve@detectionservices.com.au

Ph: 02 9651 5263 Fax: 02 9651 9442

Web: www.detectionservices.com.au

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Dow Chemical (Australia) Ltd Dow Water & Process Solutions has a 50 year legacy of providing innovative water and process solutions to both communities and industries. A business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, offering a broad portfolio of ion exchange resins, reverse osmosis membranes, ultrafiltration membranes and electrodeionization products, with strong positions in a number of applications including industrial and municipal water, industrial processes, pharmaceuticals, power, residential water and waste and water reuse.

PO Box 237, Frenchs Forest, NSW 1640

Email: ccconnolly@dow.com

Ph: 02 9776 3100 Fax: 02 9776 3196

Web: www.dowwaterandprocess.com

Drainchem Pty Ltd Drainchem Pty Ltd is a leading supplier of drain and pipe maintenance & testing equipment for the drain construction, testing, cleaning and repair industry as well as servicing the collection asset management companies within Australia and New Zealand. We also have the ability to provide you with custom built vacuum, jetting and combo units built to your requirements. Drainchem is the Australasian representative for a number of key international products, servicing the plumbing and drainage, construction and mining industries.

PO Box 5001, Sandhurst East, Vic 3550

Email: office@drainchem.com.au

Ph: 03 5448 4355

Web: www.drainchem.com.au

Ecotech Ecotech with over 35 years experience in environmental monitoring specialises in ambient air, emissions and water quality monitoring. Offering online water quality analysers and water samplers and with the ability to offer a wide range of calibration services for water flow meters, meteorological sensors and gas analysers, Ecotech’s presence around Australia provides our customers with monitoring solutions no matter what the application may be.

1492 Ferntree Gully Rd, Knoxfield VIC 3180

Fax: 1300 668 763

(Branches in QLD, WA, NSW, VIC)

Email: info@ecotech.com.au

Ph: 1300 364 946

Web: www.ecotech.com.au

Emerson Process Management A global leader in the provision of innovative solutions for our customers, Emerson Process Management delivers the widest range of advanced instrumentation, control and automation technology solutions to the water and wastewater industries in Australia. Our brands include Rosemount, Fisher, Micro Motion, Mobrey, Bristol Babcock, EIM, Smart Wireless and many more. For more information on how we can help transform your business, please contact us.

471 Mountain Hwy Bayswater, Victoria, 3153

Ph: 1300 55 3051 Fax: 1300 30 3152

Offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Gladstone,

Email: AuSales@ap.emersonprocess.com

Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth & Sydney

Web: www.emersonprocess.com

Entura Entura is one of Australia’s most experienced energy and water consultancies. Our expert services cover the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of all kinds of major energy and water projects throughout the Asia-Pacific region. As a business of Hydro Tasmania, one of Australia’s largest water resource water managers, our expertise is backed up by almost 100 years of experience in developing and operating water infrastructure.

89 Cambridge Park Drive,

Email: info@entura.com.au

Cambridge, Tas 7170

Web: www.entura.com.au

Ph: 03 6245 4550

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DIRECTORY

Green Process Green Process is a leading provider of mechanical equipment and engineering solutions for municipal and industrial water and wastewater applications. Our comprehensive product range includes screens for liquid-solid separation, screenings and grit treatment equipment, packaged plants, aeration, mixing and decanting equipment, storage systems, grinders, shredders and comminutors.

Brand names include: Kuhn GmbH, Hydro-Dyne Engineering Inc, Aquasystems International NV, Screwtech, Franklin Miller, Haigh Engineering, R.E.M VIC Office: 03 9399 9913

Email: info@greenprocess.com.au

NSW Office: 02 4360 2387

Web: www.greenprocess.com.au

International Chemicals Engineering International Chemicals Engineering (I.C.E.) is a major supplier of Chemical Metering Pumps and purpose built Chemical Injection and Odour Control packages. I.C.E. supports and supplies: Pulsafeeder Metering Pumps; PULSAtron Dosing Pumps; Etatron Peristaltic Pumps; pHeonix Electrodes; Hofmann Controllers; Kenco Gauges; and ECOSORB Odour Neutralising.

18-20 Kilkenny Court, Dandenong Vic 3175

Email: ice@interchem.com.au

Ph: 03 9792 4844 Fax: 03 9792 4804

Web: www.iceng.net.au

Irrigear Stores Irrigear Stores is the largest network of independent irrigation businesses in Australia. Members remain independent and in control of their businesses, yet benefit from being part of a national network. Customers have peace of mind that their local Irrigear store is part of something bigger, passing on the best products, prices and expertise. Covering all areas of irrigation, from domestic to commercial, horticultural to industrial, Irrigear Members together service every aspect of the irrigation industry.

PO Box 3060, Mornington, VIC 3931

Email: irrigear@irrigear.com.au

Ph: 03 5976 1588 Fax: 03 5976 1544

Web: www.irrigear.com.au

ITT Residential & Commercial Water ITT is one of the world’s premier manufacturers of pumps, systems and services for the movement and control of water within the residential, commercial and agricultural/irrigation markets. Our leading position comes from customer trust, brand loyalty and great quality products. Major brands in Australia and New Zealand include Lowara’s stainless steel pumps and hydrovar variable frequency drives and controls and Goulds pumps for agricultural, commercial and light industrial applications.

Unit 3/1 Federation Way,

Email: joan.christie@itt.com

Chifley Business Park, Mentone, Vic 3194

Web: www.ittfluidbusiness.com

Phone: 03 9551 7333 Fax: 03 9551 0321

International WaterCentre The International WaterCentre (IWC) is dedicated to providing the most advanced education and training, applied research and consulting to develop capacity and promote whole-of-water cycle approaches to integrated water management around the world.

Level 16, 333 Ann St., Brisbane, Qld 4000

Fax: +61 7 3103 4574

PO Box 10907, Adelaide St., Brisbane, Qld 4000

Email: admin@watercentre.org

Ph: +61 7 3123 7766

Web: www.watercentre.org

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KBR With over 2000 staff in Australia, KBR is a leading provider of consulting, design and engineering services to the water industry, committed to sustainable, cost-effective and innovative solutions. We offer services across the water cycle and project life cycle, from planning and investigation, detailed engineering, to delivery and asset optimisation. We deliver projects ranging from small studies to major infrastructure. Services include: Total water cycle management; Water resources management, flood modelling, stormwater harvesting; Irrigation; Water treatment and distribution; Wastewater collection, reclamation, treatment and reuse; Desalination and membrane technologies.

199 Grey Street, South Bank QLD 4101

Email: ted.cusack@kbr.com

Ph: 07 3721 6121

Web: www.kbr.com

Kessler Couplings and Engineering Supplies Pty Ltd (KCES) KCES is the exclusive Australian/NZ importer for STRAUB products. Straub pipe couplings and clamps: are easily installed, simplify maintenance, save time, money and downtime, and require no specialist or hazardous equipment. KCES’ extensive stock (including for steam temperatures up to 240°C) means immediate delivery of most products. With unrivalled experience, we strive for excellence in customer service.

PO Box 448, Montrose, Vic 3765, Australia

Email: info@kces.com.au

Ph: 03 9728 3973 Fax: 03 9728 2973

Web: www.kces.com.au

Kenelec Scientific Pty Ltd Kenelec Scientific is a leading national supplier of environmental monitoring and recording instrumentation. A broad range of products are available including multi-parameter water quality probes, water quality analyzers, particle counters, streaming current monitors and controllers, turbidity monitors and sensors, weather stations, flow meters, stormwater and wastewater samplers.

Please contact Kenelec to discuss your monitoring requirements.

23 Redland Drive, Mitcham, Vic, 3132

Email: info@kenelec.com.au

Ph: 1300 73 2233 Fax: 03 9873 0200

Web: www.kenelec.com.au

KSB Australia Pty Ltd KSB Australia, formerly Ajax Pumps, is one of the leading suppliers of pumps, valves and systems for the water, wastewater, mining, building services, energy and industry sectors in Australia. It is part of worldwide KSB Group, one of the world’s leading suppliers of pumps, valves and systems.

27 Indwe Street, Tottenham, Vic 3012

Email: vicsales@ksb.com.au

Ph: 03 9314 0611 Fax: 03 9314 7435

Web: www.ksb.com.au

Liquitek Pty Ltd Liquitek is the licensed manufacturer & distributor for Aqua-Aerobic Systems.

Products include: AquaDisk Cloth Media Filtration, AquaMB, AquaMBR, Membrane Bioreactors, AquaSBR Sequencing Batch Reactors, AquaJet Surface Aerators & Mixers. Liquitek designs, fabricates & supplies packaged chemical dosing & storage systems. Liquitek supplies Calgon Carbon’s range of Medium and Low pressure UV Disinfection systems for Potable and Wastewater applications.

Other products include: DBS slow speed aerators, KLa Decanters and Jet Aeration.

Unit 3, 4 Bonz Place, Seven Hills, NSW 2147

Email: liquitek@liquitek.com.au

Ph: 02 9912 8444 Fax: 02 9624 1722

Website: www.liquitek.com.au

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DIRECTORY

McBerns McBerns design and manufacture innovative products for use in the water and wastewater industry. Product range includes: McBerns Odour Filters, McBerns Sealed Safety Lids®, McBerns AutoWellWasher™, PumpBoots and HydrANT guard Ant Seal for water hydrants. Our products enhance WH&S making worksites cleaner and safer and improve maintenance schedules saving time and money. Visit our website for more information.

PO Box 304, Yandina, Qld 4561

Email: mail@mcberns.com

Ph: 07 5446 7167 Fax: 07 5446 7162

Website: www.mcberns.com

Merck Millipore

(a division of Merck)

Merck Millipore supply and support a large range of quality analytical test kits, instruments and water purification systems including Spectroquant® photometric instruments and laboratory water filtration systems suitable for applications across the Water Industry. Additional to our own brands of instruments Merck Millipore supply and support the WTW brand of portable field instruments and laboratory bench-top meters. We also offer quality consumable product lines including SCHOTT glassware, BRAND liquid handling products and Kartell plastic wear.

207 Colchester Road, Kilsyth Vic 3137

Email: shane.jordan-hill@merckgroup.com

Ph: 03 9728 7600 Fax: 03 9728 7611

Web: www.merck-chemicals.com.au

Merriman Established in 1989 Merriman have been supplying UPVC and CPVC pipe, valves and fittings throughout Australia for over 22 years. Whether it’s just a few fittings or a complete project requiring pipe, fittings, valves, actuation, automation and instrumentation, Merriman are well equipped to meet your needs. At Merriman our tag line is ‘Affordable and Available’. This coupled with our high level of service and support from global brands such as Spears, Harvel and DFP make us a supplier of choice.

Unit 6, 10 Donaldson Street,

Email: sales@merrimancontrols.com

Wyong NSW 2259

Web: www.merrimancontrols.com

Ph: 02 43514022 Fax: 02 43514024

NetComm NetComm has been servicing Australian businesses and government for over 27 years with leading broadband technologies. We specialise in commercial grade 3G (HSDPA/HSUPA) wireless broadband products and services designed for remote Machine 2 Machine (M2M) communication and business continuity (disaster recovery). Our range of rugged 3G products provide reliable data communication for challenging applications using 3G networks. Australian owned and operated, our engineers, technical and sales support are here in Australia.

PO Box 1200, Lane Cove, NSW 1595

Email: sales@netcomm.com.au

Ph: 02 9424 2000 Fax: 02 9424 2010

Web: www.netcomm.com.au

Odour Control Systems (Aust) Pty Ltd Odour Control Systems design, manufacture, install and operate odour control systems for various applications including wastewater, garbage, food processing, leachate and composting. OCS specialises in chemical and biological dosing systems, open and packaged biofilters, odour neutralising spray systems, sewer vent filters and well washers. Our monitoring and investigation services include data logging and liquid phase sampling and analysis.

8-12 Power Street, Islington, NSW 2296

Email: info@odours.com.au

Ph: 02 4907 8200 Fax: 02 4969 4218

Web: www.odours.com.au

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Parsons Brinckerhoff A safe, dependable potable water supply and effective sewage disposal are two vital – though often invisible – aspects of community infrastructure. Parsons Brinckerhoff is highly attuned to the technical, ecological and regulatory issues that face the water industry in major urban and rural communities across the world. This means our project solutions encompass the whole water cycle.

We provide planning, design, engineering, project management, management and operation services for water projects globally.

Phone: 08 8405 4328

Email: tmosquera@pb.com.au

Fax: 08 8405 4301

Web: www.pbworld.com

Philmac Pty Ltd Philmac is a global leader in the design and manufacture of high performance fittings and valves for polyethylene pipelines. Philmac developed the world’s first all-plastic compression fitting for polyethylene (PE) pipe in 1968 and remains a world leader in compression fitting technology today.

Philmac is the master distributor for the Friatec electrofusion system in Australia, which means it can provide PE joining solutions from 16mm right through to 1200mm.

Ph: 1800 755 899

Web: www.philmac.com.au

Email: info@philmac.com.au

Pipe Lining & Coating Pty Ltd Pipe Lining & Coating is Australia’s leading, Australian owned Standardsmark Certified specialist manufacturer and supplier of custom made pipes and fittings: • Steel pipe fabrication (AS1579/ AS1210/AS4041) • Cement lined pipes (AS1281) • Cement lined fittings and specials (AS1281) • Surface treatment (AS4321/AS2312) • Mobile cement mortar lining plant Please visit our website or call us and one of our professional staff members would welcome the opportunity to discuss your needs .

53 Gardiner Street, Rutherford, NSW 2320

Email: info@pipelining.com.au

Ph: 02 4932 3889 Fax: 02 4932 3898

Web: www.pipelining.com.au

Piping & Automation Systems Piping & Automation Systems is a leading supplier of piping systems in plastic, with a national market presence and over 30 years of Industry experience. Our goal is to deliver the highest level of service to you. Our commitment to this goal is achieved by a focus on availability of product, fast distribution, flexibility, innovation and the assurance of high quality products. We pride ourselves on being able to offer the support and solutions you require.

6/3-5 Weddel Court, Laverton North VIC 3026 Email: email: sales@paas.com.au Ph: 03 8360 8944 Fax: 03 8360 8573

Web: www.paas.com.au

Rain Harvesting Rain Harvesting is a market leading Australian company specialising in sustainable water products. Rain Harvesting design, manufacture and wholesale a range of high quality rainwater products and gutter guard for both Australian and international markets. As a leader in innovation and new product development, Rain Harvesting’s product range includes the latest technology in Rain Heads, First Flush Water Diverters, Downpipe Diverters, Water Level Monitors and Rainwater Tank maintenance products.

Level 1, 44 Jordan Terrace,

Fax: 07 3041 3588

Bowen Hills Qld 4006

Email: Info@rainharvesting.com.au

PO Box 3200, Newstead Qld 4006 Ph: 07 3248 9600 or 1800 06 77 44

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The Reed Group The Reed Group services the water sector with a diverse skills base of strong engineering, construction and project management expertise. From the design and construction of water and wastewater plants to tunneling, reservoirs and membrane technology, The Reed Group can deliver complex projects with a sound understanding of civil implications and solid technical credentials.

Head office: Level 3, 41 McLaren Street,

Mob: Tom Burns 0407 416 908

North Sydney, NSW 2060 (offices in Brisbane,

Email: tburns@reedgroup.com.au

Melbourne and Gold Coast)

Web: www.reedgroup.com.au

Ph: 02 9965 0399 Fax: 02 9955 8812

Reinke Manufacturing Company, Inc. A world leader in the development of mechanical move irrigation systems, Reinke is one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of mechanical move irrigation systems in the world. Offering solutions for a vast array of irrigation challenges, plus employing state of the art engineering practices and futuristic research and development continue to make Reinke irrigation systems the first choice among producers worldwide.

5325 Reinke Road, Deshler, NE 68340 USA

Fax: (402) 365 4370

Ph: (402) 365 7251

Web: www.reinke.com

B.R.Reeve Engineering B.R.Reeve Engineering has over 40 years of experience in the design and manufacture of Effluent and Recycled Water Pumps for use in Industrial Sumps, Agriculture, Mines and ReCycling plants. The Vertical Cantilever Design has no bearings or seals below the water level guaranteeing long life and minimal maintenance.The company also manufactures a Heavy Duty Travelling Irrigator for spreading waste water and effluent onto pasture.

Roof Top Level

Tel: (03) 9699 7355

Cnr Buckhurst & Kerr Streets

Fax: (03) 9696 2956

South Melbourne VIC 3205

Web: www.reevegroup.com.au

Rhino Water Tanks Rhino Water Tanks is Australian owned and privately operated and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of Polyethylene-lined steel water tanks for rural, domestic and commercial applications. Rhino’s corrugated polyethylene lined tanks range from 26,000 litres to over 2,000,000 litres and are available in Zincalume® or the full range of Colorbond®. Rhino are specialists in tanks for fire water, desalination plants, town water supplies and water treatment plants.

Ph: 1800 632 410

Web: www.rhinotanks.com.au

Email: sales@rhinotanks.com.au

River Sands Pty Ltd Since 1975 River Sands has manufactured a variety of quality graded sands and gravel (filter media) for the water filtration and construction industries both here in Australia as well as overseas. Today, it is the Australian market leader in the manufacture and distribution of filter media including filter sands, filter gravels, filter coal, filter garnet, activated carbon and manganese greensand. All of these products meet and exceed the AWWA B100.

683 Beenleigh-Redland Bay Rd,

Toll Free: 1800 077 744

Carbrook, Qld 4130

Web: www.riversands.com.au

Ph: 07 3287 6444 Fax: 07 3287 6445

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Rubicon Water Rubicon Water’s world-leading technology enables irrigation authorities to cost-effectively modernise their open channel supply systems, resulting in reduced losses and improved service for irrigators.

Rubicon’s solutions include solar-powered water control gates, flow meters and management software, all operating as a single integrated system, to provide unprecedented levels of efficiency and control.

1 Cato Street, Hawthorn East, Vic 3123

Email: enquiry@rubiconwater.com

Ph: 03 9832 3000 Fax: 03 9832 3030

Web: www.rubiconwater.com

Spray Nozzle Engineering Spray Nozzle Engineering supply industrial spray nozzles anywhere in industry where liquid and/or air is to be used for cleaning, coating, cooling, scrubbing or environmental control. We specialise in Clean In Place systems and water-saving washdown spray nozzles, such as the Mini-M70LF, which has received Smart Approved WaterMark approval.

1-8/27 Shearson Crescent, Mentone, Vic 3194 Email: sales@spraynozzle.com.au Ph: 03 9583 2368 Fax: 03 9585 0218

Web: www.spraynozzle.com.au

Sterling Pumps Pty Ltd Sterling Pumps are an Australian owned and operated business. We are specialist manufacturers of Turbine Pumps and Submersible Pumps for the Mining,Fire, Process, Oil and Gas and Irrigation industries. Our flexible manufacturing systems allow a wide range of materials to be used, from cast irons , all bronze and specialist stainless steel options. Specialist welding to ASME 9,testing and documentation requirements are also available. Designed to NFPA and API610 standards. Repair and refurbishment are performed in-house. We design pump and fluid systems specifically to meet customer needs and efficiency requirements.

1/63 Bayfield Rd, Bayswater North, Vic 3153

Email: anton@sterlingpumps.com.au

Ph: 03 97295044

Email: brian@sterlingpumps.com.au

Fax: 03 97293522

Web: www.sterlingpumps.com.au

Tecpro Australia Tecpro Australia offers a wide selection of filter nozzles, available with the following configurations: • Vertical slot filter nozzles • Horizontal slot filter nozzles • Intermediate plate nozzles • Long or Extra Long Stem nozzles with quick fit or standard fitting accessories. They have many uses which include Water Treatment Plants (WTP) for producing drinking water; Sewerage Treatment Plants (STP), Desalination Plants, and other urban and industrial waste water treatment plants. There are also filters and collectors for swimming pools and spray nozzles for any application, as well as washdown guns, hose reels, tank cleaning heads, and technical consulting.

Unit 4, 44 Carrington Road,

Email: sales@tecpro.com.au

Castle Hill, NSW 2154

Web: www.tecpro.com.au

Ph: 02 9634 3370 Fax: 02 9634 6418

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We deliver innovative, up-todate technologies from the world’s leading suppliers to ensure that our clients have access to a comprehensive portfolio of products for them to achieve their goals.

5 Caribbean Drive, Scoresby, Vic 3179

Email: InfoWaterAU@thermofisher.com

Ph: 1300 735 295 Fax: 1800 675 123

Web: www.thermofisher.com.au

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Thiess Services Pty Ltd For the past 20 years, we have formed enduring relationships with water infrastructure owners nationwide to deliver construction, monitoring, operation and maintenance services that protect, manage and improve water delivery and its sustainable use. Our services are underpinned by our people, each of whom works closely with our clients to understand their requirements.

The Precinct 2, Level 1, 10 Browning Street,

Email: info@thiess-services.com.au

West End, Qld 4101

Web: www.thiess-services.com.au

Ph: 07 3169 8300 Fax: 07 3846 0678

Think Pipes Think PVC Think Pipes. Think PVC is an initiative of Australian Vinyls to increase education about recent developments with PVC pipes and to promote the usage of PVC pipes across a range of markets. Ideal markets for PVC pipes are water infrastructure including fresh water supply, sewerage, stormwater, drainage, agricultural and rural irrigation and mining. PVC pipes’ excellent durability and performance has been well proven, with over 50 years of successful use in Australia.

65 Leakes Road, Laverton North Vic 3026

Email: info@thinkpipesthinkpvc.com.au

Ph: 1300 THINK PVC (1300 844 657)

Web: www.thinkpipesthinkpvc.com.au

Fax: 03 9368 4888

Toray Membrane Australia Toray is a leading manufacturer of membranes used in desalination, water purification and wastewater reclamation systems. Toray has global expertise across the entire spectrum of highperformance water treatment membranes, including Reverse Osmosis (RO), Ultra and Microfiltration (UF & MF), and Membrane Bioreactor modules (MBR). All of Toray’s membrane products (TM series spiral-wound RO, Torayfil® UF & MF hollow-fiber membrane modules, and Membray® flat-sheet MBR Modules) are available in Australia through Toray Membrane Australia.

213 Underwood street, Sydney, NSW 2021,

Email: verbeek.victor@toraymem.com

Ph: +61 (0)44 777 1024

Web: www.toraywater.com

TRILITY (Formerly United Utilities Australia) TRILITY has one of Australia’s largest water, wastewater and reuse portfolios in the municipal and industrial markets. We are an established market leader with over 20 years’ experience across a broad range of contractual delivery structures covering Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP), Design Build Operate and Maintain (DBOM), Design Build Operate (DBO), Operations and Maintenance (OandM). We have the local expertise and capability, across the entire value chain which enables us to develop effective, efficient and responsible solutions designed for the local environment.

Level 10, 115 Grenfell Street, Adelaide, SA 5000

Email: adloffice@trility.com.au

Ph: 08 8408 6500 Fax: 08 8408 6599

Web: www.trility.com.au

UGL Infrastructure UGL Infrastructure’s water division is a leader in all facets of water and wastewater design, construction, operations and maintenance services. We offer our clients innovative process solutions, rigorous detailed design, comprehensive construction services and long-term operations and maintenance support. A unique capability of UGL’s water business is our in-house engineering and design expertise. This delivers cost effective and fit for purpose water infrastructure for our clients.

Locked Bag 903,

Ph: 02 8925 8925 Fax: 02 8925 8926

Level 5, 40 Miller Street,

Email: infrastructureinfo@ugllimited.com

North Sydney, NSW 2060

Web: www.ugllimited.com

| 95

‘us’ – Utility Services ‘us’ – Utility Services is a highly successful alliance between South East Water, Thiess Services and Siemens Limited. We combine a network of capabilities, knowhow and innovative skills to deliver exceptional design, construction, operations and asset maintenance services to the water industry.

This enables us to share competencies, technologies and innovative solutions with our customers.

40 Commercial Drive, Lynbrook, Vic 3975

Email: info@usus.com.au

Ph: 03 8788 4200 Fax: 03 8788 4122

Web: www.usus.com.au

Vinidex Celebrating over 50 years of operation, Vinidex has become a key national manufacturer and supplier of thermoplastic pipe systems for the water supply market. Vinidex continues its hard work in 2011 with over 750 staff working across all departments from manufacturing, product development, research and testing to sales, customer service and distribution. Vinidex places high importance in working closely with customers to meet their requirements in product range, product availability, quality, reliability of supply, innovation and supply chain.

19–21 Loyalty Rd, North Rocks, NSW 2151

Email: mok@vinidex.com.au

Ph: 02 8839 9006

Web: www.vinidex.com.au

Water Business Australia The Securing Australia’s Water Future book and Australian Water Summit 2011 offer a cost-effective package that delivers a clear, concise and nationally-consistent message about water security and water management reforms this decade. Initial industry feedback underscores the need for information resources that combine prestigious industry forums with a book and other informationsharing tools for water management professionals.

Level 12, 99 Walker Street,

Email: brian.rault@halledit.com.au

North Sydney, NSW 2060.

Email: richardh@focus.com.au

Ph: 02 8923 8031

Web: www.waterbusinessaustralia.com.au

Water Conservation Group Pty Ltd Water Conservation Group provides integrated water efficiency solutions. We make you feel good about using water – because we help you use it in the most efficient way and develop sustainable alternative sources such as stormwater/rainwater harvesting, recycling or sewer mining. We provide leading edge consulting, construction, operations and smart metering services Australia wide.

Refer to this listing and get a free assessment how we guarantee that our approach, design models and innovative engineering solutions provide a more cost efficient solution.

15/33 Ryde Road Pymble, NSW 2073

Email: water@watergroup.com.au

Ph: 02 9499 8795 Fax: 02 9499 4950

Web: www.watergroup.com.au

Weidmuller Pty Ltd Weidmuller is the world-leading provider of intelligent solutions for electrical connectivity, transmission, conditioning and processing of power, signal and data in industrial environments. Dynamic and pioneering, Weidmuller has a long history in developing innovative products in electrical connectivity and electronics that exceed market expectations.

The Australian operation is a centre of excellence for the design and manufacturing of the Group’s electronics products, which deliver undisputed quality and reliability.

43 Huntingwood Drive,

Email: sales@weidmuller.com.au

Huntingwood, NSW 2148

Web: www.weidmuller.com.au

Ph: 02 9671 9999 Fax: 02 9671 9900 Email: info@weidmuller.com.au

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SHAFTLESS SCREW CONVEYORS Wilcox Shaftless Screws are manufactured in Australia. Our range of Shaftless Screws are being used in industries that require an efficient and low maintenance material handling solution for wet, stick, fibrous or bulky material, Industries include sewerage/waste water, abattoirs, recycling, mining, vegetable processing, paper/pulp mills. Our prices and delivery times are second to none, so please contact us for that next project or when it’s time to replace existing liners or shaftless screws.

92 Mica St. Carole Park, Qld 4300

Email: info@wilcoxeng.com.au

P.O. Box 523, Redbank Plains Qld 4301

Web: www.wilcoxeng.com.au

Ph: 07 3271 5200

Mobile: Wayne Wilcox 0407162297

Waterwell Solutions WWS manufactures and supplies chemicals for groundwater water treatment, particularly specialising in removal of iron bacteria biofilms and mineral scale accretions. BluBac Boreclean is approved for use in potable water systems, so a good choice for water supply industries where water quality is important. The safety features of BluBac make it a product of choice for workplaces within the mining and irrigation industries with stringent OH&S or environmental compliance requirements.

Ph: Perth 08 6103 8530 or

Email: sales@waterwellsolutions.com.au

Sydney 02 8061 6339 Fax: 08 6314 6611

Web: www.waterwellsolutions.com.au

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© 2011 CommStrat

Maheshwari, Jennifer McKay, Monique Retamal, Stuart White, Tony Wong, Ross Young

Title: Securing Australia’s Water Future

ISBN: 978-1-921156-62-5

Cover Photography: Caroline Foldes www.sacred.net.au

| 97

SECURING AUSTRALIA’S WATER FUTURE Securing water supplies has never been easy in Australia.

Managing the nation’s rivers and water resources has been a learning experience, resulting in many skills, both technical and political, which are now available on the world market.

Securing Australia’s Water Future showcases the key advances being made in the management of this profoundly important resource.

WATER BUSINESS AUSTRALIA