Week in water: updates form across the water community

This week in water, the sector is brimming with activity, as scientific breakthroughs and practical initiatives combine to tackle emerging challenges and deliver local benefits.

In Gippsland, water once reserved for power generation is now supporting farmers, rivers and Traditional Owners. In Kyogle, plans are underway to future-proof wastewater treatment. From flexible billing support to sustainable clothing partnerships, utilities are centring community needs. Students in Queensland are reimagining water futures, while new global research warns of antibiotics and microplastics slipping through treatment systems.  

Across the board, it’s a week marked by innovation, equity and evolving strategies for a sustainable water future. 
 
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National 

Magnetic field discoveries shift the science of fluid flow 
Flinders University researchers have demonstrated that Earth’s magnetic field can influence fluid behaviour, creating a new frontier in green chemistry and material processing.  
 
Using a high-speed vortex fluidic device (VFD), the team showed that nanomaterials form left- or right-handed structures based on the device's orientation. 

Flinders University Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology Professor Colin Raston: “Put simply, we found that fluid flow coupled with magnetic fields can result in the preference of one chirality over the other”. 
 
“Our experiments in the Southern and Northern hemispheres demonstrate its potential power and we’re now looking at how this can be used in making chiral molecules, macromolecules and materials, simply by altering the processing parameters of the VFD,” he said.   

States and territories 

Timber from Shepparton wastewater site supports river recovery 
Goulburn Valley Water’s tree harvesting at its Shepparton Wastewater Management Facility is finding new life as habitat for aquatic species, thanks to a partnership with the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority. 

Managing Director Steve Capewell said: “The harvested trees were initially planted as a trial and at the end of their life will continue to be useful... they will support Goulburn Broken CMA regional waterway management”.  

“Our land will now be rehabilitated for farming purposes,” he said.  

Unitywater assists more than 16,000 customers with billing 
Unitywater’s personalised payment support helped over 16,000 Queensland customers in the past year, with 13,088 using short-term plans and 3,289 requesting payment extensions. 

Executive Manager Customer Experience Katherine Gee said: “Short-term payment plans can be set up confidentially by reaching out to our local customer service team. It’s best to let us know as soon as possible if you need support so we can help”. 

Choose Tap bottle sales fund clothing for people in need 
Central Highlands Water (CHW) has donated the full proceeds from its Choose Tap reusable stainless-steel bottle sales to Child and Family Services Ballarat (Cafs). The $10,490 donation was raised during the 2025 Ballarat Begonia Festival as part of CHW’s community partnership efforts. 

The funds will directly support Cafs’ Thread Together program, which provides brand-new clothing and accessories to people in need. The initiative helps individuals rebuild their lives by offering practical support through donated items from Australian retailers. 

Water reallocation for farms, environment and culture 
A major water entitlement in the Latrobe Valley has been reallocated to support a broader range of regional needs. Southern Rural Water has confirmed that 16 billion litres previously reserved for power generation will now benefit agriculture, environmental flows and Traditional Owners. 

The change will provide additional access to water for Gippsland farmers and the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, supporting both economic development and cultural practices across the region.  

The reallocation is part of a long-term strategic effort to balance water security with sustainable land and river management. 

Kyogle gears up for wastewater upgrade 
Kyogle’s sewage infrastructure, built in 1957, is being prepared for major upgrades with $505,000 in new funding supporting concept designs and site investigations. 

Kyogle Mayor Danielle Mulholland said: “We know the sewage plant will eventually need to be replaced, which is why we’re busy preparing and doing our homework now so we’re ready to hit go on construction when the time comes”.  

Field days to support metering reform 
NSW coastal water users are invited to attend upcoming field days to understand new metering rules, which require many to install tamper-proof, auditable meters by December 2026. 

DCCEEW Director of Metering and Licensing Dan Connor said: “The non-urban metering rules are designed to ensure the uptake of 95 percent of all licensed water entitlement in NSW is accurately measured".  

“We recognise keeping up with rule changes can be overwhelming, which is why we are getting boots on the ground... to make it easier to work out what those obligations mean,” he said.  

River Murray allocations open at full entitlement 
South Australian irrigators will receive their full 1,850 GL River Murray allocation for the fifth year in a row, thanks to average upstream storage levels and improving inflows. 

“Despite record low rainfall in some parts of South Australia, River Murray irrigators can go into another water year with the confidence of having full allocations,” said Sue Hutchings, Executive Director of Water and River Murray. 

Students take the lead on water innovation in Queensland 
The Sustainability and Innovation Challenge hackathon, hosted by UQ Ventures and backed by Seqwater, brought together students to tackle some of South East Queensland’s most pressing water issues.  

The event focused on forward-thinking solutions that combine technology, sustainability and community benefit. 

First place was awarded to Moist Meter, a smart agriculture platform designed to help farmers track and manage water use more efficiently. The system integrates with farm equipment to deliver real-time insights aimed at reducing water waste and supporting more sustainable farming practices. 

Runners-up included Native Roots, which developed a drought-tolerant turf requiring minimal irrigation, and Ningaloo, a healthy cooking oil made from algae that uses significantly less water to produce compared to traditional vegetable oils. 

International 

Global antibiotic use risks river health 
An estimated 8,500 tonnes of antibiotics – nearly a third of global consumption – may reach the world’s rivers each year, according to new modelling published in PNAS Nexus. 

While these drugs exist in small concentrations, the authors warn that “chronic environmental exposure... can still pose a risk,” reducing microbial diversity and increasing antibiotic resistance during low-flow conditions. 

Microplastics persist despite treatment advances 
Microplastics continue to evade removal in wastewater treatment plants and may carry additional pollutants such as PFAS and bisphenols, according to a review published in Science of the Total Environment. 

Dr Un-Jung Kim, senior author from the University of Texas at Arlington, said: “Many microplastics are being reintroduced into the environment, likely transporting other residual harmful pollutants in wastewater... leading to potential long-term serious human health impacts such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.” 
 
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