INTERNATIONAL
GREG INGLETON of SA Water
Late last year, in November 2017, Greg Ingleton, business development manager for Environmental Opportunities at SA Water, based in Adelaide, South Australia, took center stage at a TEDx Talk event in Adelaide to present his innovative vision for SA Water and Adelaide Airport. Struck by an idea when flying into Adelaide Airport, Mr. Ingleton used the knowledge he has gained as a farmer and the research he was undertaking on urban heat islands to propose using SA Water’s existing recycled water system around the airport to maintain soil moisture and cultivate a green space. Today, the project is in testing and is focused on applying anywhere from 0.47 to 0.59 inch of recycled water up to 3 evenings per week on a 10-acre patch of alfalfa south of the airport. While he had a strong inkling that the irrigation and the alfalfa patch would benefit the airport, he had no idea just how much the project would benefit SA Water, the airport, and the airlines, as well as the general public. Not only will it help the airport look nicer when the irrigation area is expanded, but the experiment also has shown that proper irrigation can reduce average ambient temperatures by around 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit. In an interview with Municipal Water Leader’s writer, Tyler Young, Mr. Ingleton discusses his idea for urban greening, its social benefits, and other innovative ideas for the future. Tyler Young: Please tell our readers about your background in the water industry and about your time in South Australia with SA Water.
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industry that was historically dominated by male engineers. That is changing somewhat these days. During my time, I’ve noticed that engineers think differently than environmental scientists like me. One is definitely not better than the other, but each is uniquely different. As an environmental scientist, I look for ways that we can do things without building infrastructure. I have had a lot of opportunities to look at different aspects of the water cycle and different aspects of water quality. My main focus now is looking at making the most of our recycled water and future opportunities with storm water and providing the best benefit to our customers. Tyler Young: What is the history of SA Water? Greg Ingleton: SA Water is a large organization, founded as a government corporation in 1856. We provide water and wastewater services to around 1.6 million customers, which is around 95 percent of the population of South Australia. SA Water has been leading the way in Australia on recycling water for the past three decades, and we’re now recycling around 30 percent of our wastewater every year. Although a majority of the population of South Australia resides in Adelaide, our rural areas contain many MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER
PHOTO COURTESY OF GREG INGLETON.
Greg Ingleton: I grew up in Sydney, Australia, wanting to be a farmer. After 15 years, I realized all I was doing was making the farmers rich, so I decided one day that I was going to go to university to study environmental science. An older gentleman at a local hardware store in Byron Bay, New South Wales, told me, “You know, son, water is where it is at. You have got to get involved in water.” So I did just that. As part of my environmental science degree, I studied recycled water. Once I finished my degree, I looked at a map of Australia to find a dry capital city in Australia; Adelaide was it. It is located close to the coast and had a good cost of living, so I moved there 15 years ago without a job and without knowing anybody. I was able to find a home and enter into a graduate program at SA Water. For the last 15 years, I have been working in an
SA Water Business Development Manager Greg Ingleton.
