News archive

November 2017

30 November 2017
Better enforcements are required around the Murray–Darling Basin
Following a review into compliance matters across the Murray–Darling Basin, Queensland and New South Wales have been called on to do more to ensure regulatory enforcement of ...

30 November 2017
WWTP review brings council $400,000 in savings
New South Wales’ Hawkesbury City Council has saved around $400,000 thanks to a review of treatment operations and processes at its South Windsor Wastewater Treatment Plant ...

29 November 2017
Auditor-General's Report puts spotlight on Adelaide desalination plant
Questions regarding the financial viability of Adelaide’s desalination plant have arisen once again following the release of the 2017 Auditor-General's Report. It revealed that the electricity ...

29 November 2017
WA suburb receives water infrastructure refurbishments
One of Western Australia’s oldest suburbs is set to receive a range of water infrastructure refurbishments in a bid to secure the area’s water, wastewater and drainage network well into the ...

28 November 2017
Recovery programs for Murray-Darling Basin results in water savings
As of October 2016, water recovery programs administered across the southern Murray-Darling Basin have generated 224GL in water savings for farmers and the environment, according to the ...

28 November 2017
Seqwater works to flood-proof Qld’s water supply
In a bid to flood-proof south-east Queensland’s water supply, Seqwater is embarking on a relocation project for the East Bank pump station as part of a long-term plan to mediate the negative ...

27 November 2017
Dowsing or smart technology – have your pick to locate underground water
While parts of the rest of the world practices methods of ‘divine intervention’ to find underground leaks or water pipes, Australia proves that it is ahead of the pack with its latest technology. Reports ...

27 November 2017
WA pumps $15m into local water treatment plant
Western Australia’s Glen Iris is set to receive a $15 million government-funded water treatment plant, with the project heralding a boost in industry and a sustainable and secure water supply for the ...

24 November 2017
Vic govt names first Aboriginal Water Commissioner
The Victorian government has appointed the first Aboriginal Water Commissioner to the Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) in an effort to recognise Aboriginal water values and improve ...

24 November 2017
WA’s Mundaring Weir dam gets $14m upgrade
Western Australia’s Mundaring Weir dam is set to receive a $14 million upgrade in a bid to safeguard water provision for the region. The Mundaring Weir provides drinking water to about 100,000 ...

23 November 2017
Yarra Valley Water wins big for being a restorative water utility
Turning food waste into biogas for electricity has earned a Victorian water utilities business the Leadership in the Circular Economy Award at the 2017 Banksia Sustainability Awards. Yarra Valley Water’s ...

23 November 2017
Ombudsman finds alleged maladministration of NSW’s water portfolio
The NSW Ombudsman is pushing forward in its claim of the serious maladministration of NSW’s water portfolio, which includes water theft, allegations of special treatment for irrigators, and meter tampering ...

22 November 2017
Is there a correlation between seismicity and water deposits under earth’s surface?
Thanks to the first observation of a clay mineral named kaolinite, scientists are figuring out if there is a relationship between seismic activity and water deposits under the earth’s surface. Kaolinite is a form of ...

22 November 2017
Renewable energy system powers wastewater treatment plant
In a first for Australian solar-powered energy, one Victorian water utility has installed a large-scale, 100-kilowatt solar system atop its water tank at a treatment facility in Hamilton. Wannon Water has claimed to ...

21 November 2017
Digital water management app helps utilities cut costs and improve error rates
Three of Australia’s leading water utilities have implemented an award-winning digitised water management survey method to identify sources of pathogens and systematically quantify the risk to human health ...

21 November 2017
Water contamination hot spots identified in the US with new study
Recent research has revealed that two million people in the US could be exposed to high levels of naturally occurring arsenic in water sourced from private domestic wells. The study, conducted by researchers ...

20 November 2017
Murray-Darling Basin health depends on more than just good water management
Complementary measure projects have the potential to achieve greater environmental benefits throughout the Murray-Darling Basin, according to a recent study conducted by the CSIRO on Murray-Darling ...

20 November 2017
Here’s why investing in green infrastructure has big payoffs for urban planners
Property development regulators are being urged to start prioritising green infrastructure following a study assessing Sydney’s population growth and housing density. The research found that better funding ...

17 November 2017
Remote WA community takes control of water quality with innovative filter system
In response to concerns that the water quality in Western Australia’s Pandanus Park is unsafe for infants and pregnant women due to high nitrate levels, the Yaru Foundation has supplied a water filtration ...

17 November 2017
Entire irrigation board resigns after concerns over company operations
Following a vote of no confidence in Murray Irrigation Limited (MIL) Directors, the company’s Board Chairman Bruce Simpson announced all of its Board directors have agreed to resign at the annual ...

16 November 2017
Why is cross-sector collaboration crucial to achieving water sanitation goals?
Cross-sector collaboration is the key to achieving life-changing outcomes for people affected by lack of access to water sanitation and hygiene, according to one Australian expert. Kimberly-Clark Global ...

16 November 2017
New water resource management partnerships share expertise in four key areas
South Australia’s global water resource management hub has secured funding from the Australia Awards Fellowship program to share Australian water management practices with the international community ...

15 November 2017
Could the Sun’s radiation clean microplastics from wastewater and waterways?
Microplastics are a growing concern, and now an EU-funded project is looking at harnessing the sun’s radiation to help solve the issue. The system will be trialled in homes and wastewater treatment plants ...

15 November 2017
Water industry feedback sought for proposed SA irrigation changes
Irrigators and residents in South Australian river communities are invited to provide feedback on proposed changes to the River Murray Salinity Zoning Policy. In early 2017, concerns were raised that current ...

14 November 2017
Developers encouraged to remember water efficiency obligations
Building and property developers practices are the latest to undergo review in an effort to reduce urban water use under the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme. Industry compliance ...

14 November 2017
Abu Dhabi sets ambitious goal to use only recycled water by 2020
With populations skyrocketing and groundwater sources running dry, Abu Dhabi’s government has pledged to use recycled water and reuse all wastewater sources by 2020. According to the Environment ...

13 November 2017
New testing method can stop toxic algae blooms in their tracks
Too much guesswork about the toxicity of algae blooms in Australian waterways has led to unneeded preemptive restrictions. But a new technology can now verify the presence of harmful cyanobacteria ...

13 November 2017
Tasmania’s water industry debates: Is innovation really that great?
Tasmania’s water sector is set to poke their fair share of fun at innovation, as the Australian Water Association Galah Debate celebrates its 10-year anniversary with the tongue-in-cheek debate on the ...

13 November 2017
ANZBP board meeting and site tour
The new Advisory Board of the Australian & New Zealand Biosolids Partnership convened for the first time last week. This volunteer-led initiative, project managed by the Australian Water Association ...

10 November 2017
Victorian Government partners with China for WSUD knowledge sharing
China is looking to Australian water management and urban design to help build ‘sponge cities’ – urban centres designed to reduce flooding, improve water quality and reuse stormwater and wastewater ...

10 November 2017
Innovative use of VR technology improves water infrastructure before building
Western Australia’s leading water utility has embraced virtual reality (VR) technology in a bid to improve water infrastructure designs, including health and safety considerations for wastewater treatment ...

9 November 2017
NSW program investments heavily in water infrastructure for rural communities
The NSW Government has established a $1 billion fund for the NSW Safe & Secure Water Program, an initiative established to develop and improve water infrastructure for regional communities. Providing ...

9 November 2017
Water pollution contributes to more deaths than war, malaria combined
Water pollution has contributed to an estimated nine million premature deaths in 2015, according to recent research conducted by the Lancet Global Commission on Pollution and Health, with diseases ...

8 November 2017
Flow project highlights potential for Murray-Darling fish
A rethinking of flow patterns in the Lower Darling is being held up as an example of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder working with river operators to deliver beneficial outcomes for both the ...

8 November 2017
Election brings Townsville water security into focus
With the Queensland election set for 25 November, the Water For Townsville Action Group (WFTAG) is calling for a renewed commitment from all sides of politics to fund and solve the city’s longstanding ...

7 November 2017
SA Water hits major milestone with water infrastructure upgrade project
SA Water has reached a water-main milestone, completing the replacement of the first 100km of water mains in metropolitan and regional South Australia as part of a 375km water main overhaul. The four-year ...

7 November 2017
One utility appeals to citizen scientists for help testing waterway health
Melbourne Water has hopped into community engagement, winning an international award for its Frog Census mobile application that enables citizen scientists to identify and track local frog populations ...

6 November 2017
Remote Indigenous women face many barriers to good sanitation. What can we do?
Indigenous women and girls in remote Australian communities face multiple barriers when it comes to sanitation, particularly around menstruation. Yet solutions are in reach, according to one industry expert ...

6 November 2017
Extreme weather forces millions from their homes every year, report reveals
Millions of people are forced from their homes as a direct result of extreme weather events, with displaced populations reaching an average of 21.8 million per year between 2008 and 2016, according to the ...

3 November 2017
If you’ve thought about installing smart meters, it’s about to get easier
Smart metering is set to become even easier with the release of NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) ultrasonic, intelligent water meters, which can be connected across a water provision network without ...

3 November 2017
Australia’s water security looking up despite early declines in reserves
Short-term water security is on the rise Australia wide, according to the latest annual water report from the Bureau of Meteorology. While the Water in Australia 2015-16 report outlines a decline in reserves ...

2 November 2017
TasWater boil alert triggered after “reasonably high” levels of E. coli discovered
TasWater has issued a boil water alert for Risdon Vale residents after high levels of E. coli were detected during routine sampling of the area’s water supply. The boil water alert was put in place on 31 October ...

2 November 2017
Can there be harmony between groundwater preservation and mining production?
Queensland’s mining water-use regulation has been through huge legislative changes and, with a spike in public concern over underground water rights, two mining law experts say the changes aim to achieve ... 

1 November 2017
Waterborne pathogens becoming more common due to climate change
New research reveals the increased frequency of intense storms and floods due to climate change is contributing to increased levels of waterborne pathogens and diseases in lakes, rivers and coastal water ...

1 November 2017
Here’s why more toilets are crucial to achieving water and sanitation goals
Toilets – we take them for granted in Australia. But for some, they are a luxury whose absence exacerbates water and sanitation issues. For the first time in its 17-year history, the World Toilet Summit ...