THE INNOVATORS
Aither: Bringing Australia’s Water Management Expertise to Users Worldwide
A water depth marker in the dry lake bed of Lake Albert in New South Wales in 2010.
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Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your backgrounds and how you came to be in your current positions.
32 | IRRIGATION LEADER | November/December 2020
Will Fargher: I grew up on a farm in New South Wales, Australia. I learned the value of water young, as you do when you’re surrounded by dust and hoping for rain. I studied economics and geography at university, pursuing both fields through the lens of agriculture and water. After university, I worked for the government of the State of Victoria in water policy and management at a time when the state was undertaking significant water reforms. In 2004, all the Australian governments agreed on a national blueprint for water reform, the National Water Initiative. A National Water Commission was established in Canberra to drive the implementation of commitments made under that agreement. I joined the commission soon after its establishment and stayed for the next 7 years, the last 3 as the general manager, in which position I was responsible for urban and rural water policy. I left the commission in 2012 to start Aither and have been one of the company’s directors ever since. I’m still based in Canberra but work across Australia as well as internationally. irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BIDGEE
he Millennium Drought of the early 2000s in Australia led to fundamental reforms in water management in the country, including the establishment of a National Water Commission and the expansion of water markets. Water markets allow users to buy and sell water rights at market-determined prices, which helps to balance consumptive and environmental demand and to reveal the value that different users place on water. In 2012, the consultancy Aither was founded to provide water resources– related economics, policy, and management advice informed by the Australian experience. Aither has plans to expand operations to the United States in the near future. In this interview, Will Fargher, a founding director of Aither, and Amy Syvrud, a senior consultant for the company, tell Irrigation Leader about Aither's history and services and how it shares the wisdom accumulated by Australia over the course of its water reform journey.
Amy Syvrud: I’m a U.S. citizen and grew up in San Diego, California. I did my undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia’s Batten School of Public Policy and Leadership. I then briefly worked for The Nature Conservancy’s Global Freshwater Strategies team in Virginia, led by Brian Richter. That experience launched my passion for and interest in water, particularly in water markets and the policies and regulatory environments that support effective water markets. Australia is recognized as a leader in managing water resources and is known for having the most active and sophisticated water markets in the world. I wanted to gain firsthand knowledge of Australia’s approach to water management and to identify lessons that could be applied in the United States. So, when I received a scholarship to complete a master’s degree in integrated water management at the International WaterCentre in Brisbane, I packed my bags and headed out west (far, far west). I met Will Fargher at the World Water Congress in 2016 and have had the good fortune to work for Aither ever since. Aither is unique in that it brings together economists, strategists, and policy practitioners with a deep understanding and appreciation of the value of water. Our team has been involved in the journey of Australia’s water reform experience, and I have learned a lot through working with it over the past 4 years. I am now fortunate to be returning home to the United States to help bring Aither’s services there and to help U.S. water users make better decisions about the way we manage our water resources.
