This week’s water sector activity focused on water security, recycled water, infrastructure investment, biodiversity, education and community engagement, with major projects and practical initiatives supporting more resilient services and environments.
From returning Manton Dam to service and expanding recycled water use to restoring threatened species habitat, improving water literacy and planning treatment plant upgrades, the latest developments reflect the breadth of work underway across the sector.
Recycled water supports new threatened species habitat
Yarra Valley Water is transforming more than 35 hectares around its Upper Yarra Sewage Treatment Plant at Launching Place into wetland and swamp forest habitat.
More than 172,000 trees will be planted to support critically endangered Helmeted Honeyeaters and lowland Leadbeater’s Possums, with recycled water from the treatment plant used to establish and maintain the wetlands.
Yarra Valley Water Managing Director Natalie Foeng said: “By repurposing land around our Upper Yarra Sewage Treatment Plant, we’re creating valuable habitat for threatened species and showing how our infrastructure can play a broader role in supporting the environment.”
Pipe Dramas targets wastewater blockages
Sydney Water has launched Pipe Dramas, a six-part micro-drama series encouraging customers to only flush the three Ps and keep fats, oils and grease out of drains.
The campaign uses humour, storytelling and exaggerated soap opera moments to promote better wastewater habits across television, radio, digital and social media, public transport and outdoor advertising.
Sydney Water spends almost $24 million clearing more than 12,000 wastewater blockages each year, while its research found one in four households had experienced a blocked-pipe plumbing issue in the past year.
New penstock improves channel dewatering
Goulburn-Murray Water has installed a new penstock at a regulator on the East Goulburn Main channel near Dookie to improve channel dewatering during future Winter Works programs.
The 300-millimetre penstock replaces four 50-millimetre syphon pipes, allowing staff to drain the channel more quickly for asset inspections, weed control and maintenance.
Goulburn-Murray Water Operations Manager East Luke Dunham said: “It will allow us to dewater channels much more quickly and safely.”
Recycled water strengthens farming around Bacchus Marsh
Farmers in the Parwan-Balliang agricultural region now have access to a year-round recycled water supply through a major phase of Greater Western Water’s Western Irrigation Network.
The $116 million project includes 28 kilometres of pipeline, three transfer pumping stations and a one-billion-litre winter storage dam. It will initially supply about 2.4 billion litres of recycled water each year across 1500 hectares of farmland.
Greater Western Water Managing Director Cameron FitzGerald said: “Recycled water is a safe, sustainable alternative water resource for use on crops, helping reduce pressure on drinking water supplies while improving water security and resilience to climate variability.”
Manton Dam construction completed under budget
Construction of the Manton Dam Return to Service project has been completed on time and $15 million under budget, marking a major milestone for Darwin’s future water supply.
The $174 million project includes upgrades to the dam’s intake tower, the new Strauss Water Treatment Plant, a pump station and 22 kilometres of pipeline. Once commissioned, it will make an additional 7300 megalitres of water available each year.
Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt said: “It’s a true testament to what can be achieved through strong collaboration, with construction now fully complete and connection and delivery of water to the Darwin network now closer than ever.”
TasWater ends developer service charge holiday
TasWater will phase out a legacy arrangement that exempts developers from water and sewerage service charges for two years after a new lot is created.
From 1 October 2026, fixed charges of about $900 per lot each year will apply to newly created lots, aligning them with charges paid by other owners of vacant serviced land.
TasWater General Manager Customer and Community Callan Paske said: “We continue to manage ageing infrastructure around the state and need to balance customer affordability with the significant investment needed to maintain essential services and support Tasmania’s growing communities.”
Customers invited to shape Coliban Water plans
Coliban Water is inviting customers and stakeholders across North Central Victoria to help develop its 2028 to 2033 Price Submission.
The submission will set out the services, investments, outcomes and prices proposed for the next regulatory period, with an initial survey seeking feedback on water and sewerage services, future investment and customer priorities.
Coliban Water Managing Director Damian Wells said: “We want to understand how customers think we should balance reliable services, fair and affordable bills, investment in water security, environmental responsibility and support for a thriving region.”
Students turn water data into action
Greater Western Water is helping students investigate water use at their schools through its free Water Wise @ School education program.
The curriculum-aligned program uses School Water Efficiency Program data loggers to help students monitor consumption, identify unusual patterns and investigate opportunities to conserve water and reduce costs.
Greater Western Water General Manager Strategy and Partnerships Kessia Thomson said: “Through hands-on activities and access to real-time water data, we’re helping students connect what they learn in the classroom with practical actions they can take every day.”
Seqwater investigates regional treatment plant upgrades
Seqwater is investigating proposed upgrades to the Lowood, Esk and Kilcoy Water Treatment Plants to support long-term water security in South East Queensland.
Options include improving treatment capacity at Lowood, increasing capacity and upgrading sludge management at Kilcoy, and replacing the existing Esk plant with a modern facility servicing Esk and Toogoolawah.
Seqwater Executive General Manager Infrastructure Planning and Capital Delivery Sarah Dixon said: “The various stages of each project are progressing, and we are continuing to assess technical, environmental, financial and community considerations as part of this process.”
Waterwise scheme supports greener WA communities
Water Corporation’s Waterwise Greening Scheme has returned for another year, offering eligible Western Australian councils up to $5000 for native plant giveaways and other urban greening initiatives.
The scheme helped fund a record 137,150 waterwise plants across 22 councils in 2025-26, along with 210 verge transformations. Nearly $1 million has been provided to participating councils since 2019.
WA Water Minister Daniel Pastorelli said: “Native and waterwise plants are better suited to WA’s climate, helping households save water, reduce bills, and create greener, more resilient gardens.”
Young innovators recognised with Stockholm water prizes
Canadian student Moroti Adegboyega has received the 2026 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for Ecoferroquatics, an autonomous platform that uses artificial intelligence, biodegradable ferrofluid and magnets to identify and remove plastic from water.
Laura Ivanka from Hungary received the Diploma of Excellence for a diver-assisted system that removes submerged macroplastic, while Egypt’s Basmala Diab received the People’s Choice Award for a project turning agricultural waste into a tool for cleaner water and energy.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize recognises young people aged 15 to 20 developing solutions to major water challenges.
Study finds El Niño events are growing stronger
El Niño events have become almost 40% stronger over the past four decades than during the pre-industrial era, according to a University of Michigan study examining modern and ancient corals from the Galápagos Islands.
Researchers found recent events were stronger than any recorded in the 1000 years before about 1850, with El Niño strength changing alongside rising global temperatures.
Lead author and University of Michigan Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Chair Julia Cole said: “Our findings tell us that the big El Niño events of the last 40 years are not normal in the context of the last thousand years.”
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