This week in water, new partnerships, infrastructure investments and community engagement initiatives are shaping the future of water management across Australia.
Utilities and organisations are strengthening environmental outcomes, supporting regional growth and preparing infrastructure to meet increasing demand.
Meanwhile, research continues to highlight the broader environmental and social impacts of water and climate systems, from ecosystem restoration to community wellbeing.
Abergeldie Complex Infrastructure has announced a new partnership with Greening Australia, a national not for profit focused on restoring landscapes and protecting biodiversity.
The collaboration will support habitat restoration for the Glossy Black Cockatoo, a threatened species found in southern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. As part of the partnership, Abergeldie teams will participate in volunteering days across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The initiative is designed to support conservation outcomes while providing employees opportunities to contribute to healthier and more sustainable communities.
Water Research Australia has opened applications for the 2026 Dennis Mulcahy Memorial Award, recognising exceptional students with a passion for science and a commitment to the future of the water industry.
The award forms part of Water Research Australia’s Research Leadership Program and honours the legacy of the late Professor Dennis Mulcahy, an inspiring researcher and mentor who supported more than 100 graduates during his career.
Professor Mulcahy was widely recognised for his dedication to student mentoring and for helping shape the next generation of water sector leaders. Applications for the award are now open. Further information is available via Water Research Australia.
Sydney Water has awarded the next stage of its North West Treatment Hub Growth Program, with the North West Hub Alliance selected to deliver Budget 2 of the Riverstone Water Resource Recovery Facility upgrade.
The Alliance, comprising Sydney Water, John Holland, KBR and Stantec, will deliver expansion works at Riverstone as part of the $2 billion program supporting wastewater services across Sydney’s fast growing North West.
Sydney Water Program Director Darren Wharton said: “The population in this corridor is expected to double and this program ensures we are ahead of that growth, delivering reliable services for thousands of families while improving the health of our local waterways."
Once complete, the upgrades will increase treatment capacity by an additional 21 megalitres per day.
South East Water has launched its largest ever community engagement campaign, including an online survey for residential and business customers. Feedback will inform the utility’s Price Submission 2028, which will outline services, infrastructure investment and pricing between 1 July 2028 and 30 June 2033.
South East Water General Manager Strategy and Stakeholder Karen Lau said: “We’re asking our customers what they value most about their water services and their views on future priorities."
“Their answers will help shape how we balance the needs of our growing region and respond to key challenges and opportunities from building and maintaining reliable water and sewerage infrastructure; to adapting to climate change, harnessing technological innovation and supporting those experiencing financial hardship,” she said.
Stage 2 water restrictions have been introduced for Orford and Triabunna as ongoing dry conditions continue to reduce water levels at Prosser Dam in Tasmania.
TasWater Head of Communications and Engagement Liz Hafner said: “Stage 2 water restrictions aim to reduce non essential water use by 50 per cent by encouraging more conscious use of water.”
“These restrictions are focused outside of the home and include changes such as allocated days for watering gardens and sports grounds, and with the watering of lawns no longer permitted,” she said.
“Once we’ve seen consistent rain and stronger river flows, we will move to lift restrictions.”
Construction has begun on a $124.2 million augmentation of the Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme that will almost triple the amount of irrigation water available to farmers in the region.
The project will deliver a 9,200 megalitre expansion to the existing scheme, providing highly reliable water to support agricultural productivity and regional economic growth.
Tasmanian Irrigation Chair Kate Vinot said: “This will increase the productivity of agricultural activity in the region and deliver broader benefits across the local and State economies. Because investing in irrigation infrastructure is about more than supporting farming."
Central Highlands Water has launched a new water bottle design in collaboration with the Ballarat Miners ahead of the Ballarat Begonia Festival.
Designed by Noongar Traditional Custodian Shakira Winmar, the artwork represents ‘Our Country’, honouring Wadawurrung Country and the connections between water, land and community.
The design features Lal Lal Falls, Parwan magpies, Munuwarra black swans, the Mullawallah Wetlands and the Yarrowee River, and will appear on Ballarat Miners uniforms during NAIDOC Week and the NBL1 First Nations Round in 2026 and 2027.
The bottle forms part of the Choose Tap campaign encouraging the community to reduce single use plastic by choosing reusable water bottles.
A year-long toxic algal bloom along the South Australian coastline has had significant psychological impacts on local communities, according to new research from Adelaide University.
The study surveyed more than 600 South Australians during the peak of the 2025 bloom and found widespread eco anxiety linked to environmental damage.
Lead researcher Dr Brianna Le Busque said: “More than 60% of the people we surveyed said they were repeatedly thinking about the bloom or felt that their personal actions wouldn’t make a difference.”
“Over half reported feeling anxious or afraid, and one in five said it was affecting their sleep or ability to concentrate. This tells us that the impacts of environmental crises extend well beyond the visible damage to ecosystems,” she said.
Researchers from ETH Zurich have discovered that blackwater lakes within the peatlands of the central Congo Basin are releasing carbon that is thousands of years old.
Scientists previously believed the carbon stored in these peat ecosystems remained safely locked away for millennia. The research suggests carbon may be moving from peat into surrounding lakes where it is eventually released into the atmosphere.
Although the Congo Basin peatlands cover only around 0.3 per cent of Earth’s land surface, they hold about one third of the carbon stored in tropical peatlands.
New research from Simon Fraser University is revealing the complex emotional impacts of climate change on children and adolescents.
The study identified a wide range of responses including grief for disappearing ecosystems, anger directed at perceived inaction, feelings of helplessness and guilt linked to everyday behaviours.
Researchers also found that many young people draw hope from community action and collective efforts to address climate challenges.
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