SA Technical Event April 2026 - Award winning projects

We are excited to be able to showcase 4 outstanding achievements and projects all of which were Award winners at the 2025 AWA Water Awards SA and to share these projects in much greater detail with the wider SA AWA community.

Speakers & Projects

 Project/Topic -Alternative Water Supply Efficiency Measures Program,
Organisational Excellence Award 

Hannah Ellyard - Manager Urban Water Strategy, Department for Environment and Water.

Hannah has been working in water and natural resources management for over 25 years across community groups, the private sector, natural resources management boards and the state government. She is currently the Manager of Urban Water Strategy with the Department for Environment and Water. Urban Water strategy includes support for the administration of the Water Industry Act which regulates the 71 licenced water industry entities in South Australia and oversight of a range of stormwater policy initiatives, including the Stormwater Management Authority.

Project/Topic- 

Mark de Jong - Senior Project Officer, Regional Bird Refugia Landscape SA Limestone Coast

Mark is based out of the Mount Gambier office at 11 Helen St, Mount Gambier, SA 5290.

Mark’s areas of Expertise is ecological project management and is helping deliver the Lake Hawdon North Restoration Project and contributing to other state-significant bird refugia projects. Mark has a wealth of experience in water management and ecological projects in the Limestone Coast.

Project Topic: Proactive Detection of Wastewater Overflows in Smart Wastewater Systems

Thi Hai Duong Ninh (Adelaide University).  Winner Hodgson Medal / Student Water Prize

Thi Hai Duong Ninh is a PhD candidate in the school of Civil Engineering and Construction Management at Adelaide University. Ninh is passionate about applying research to solve real-world water and wastewater infrastructure challenges. Her PhD research focuses on proactive detection of wastewater overflows in smart sewer systems. By integrating advanced analytics, IoT sensor technologies, and field experiments, her work enables early blockage detection to help prevent sewer overflows that pose risks to the environment and public health. Ninh is also interested in applying artificial intelligence (AI) to further enhance blockage detection and prediction techniques. In addition to her core research, she is actively engaged in broader environmental and sustainability issues related to water system management, contributing to efforts that strengthen the resilience of Australia’s water and wastewater systems.

 Project/Topic - Bolivar Waste Water Treatment Plant Inlet Works Upgrade,
Infrastructure Project Innovation Award (METRO) 

Martin Bolt, Project Manager at Fulton Hogan

Martin is a highly respected Senior Project Manager with a broad range of experience in the management, engineering, planning and scheduling of projects in the water, construction, mining, manufacturing and process industries. He has a sound knowledge of applicable processes and procedures as well as having worked in the design, procurement, installation and maintenance of capital projects. Martin is currently the Senior Project Manager for the Bolivar WWTP Inlet Works Project and has extensive experience in delivering key projects for SA Water such as wastewater treatment plants, Tank Upgrades, Pumping stations and chlorination upgrades. Martin has demonstrated the ability to deliver a successful project on time and within budget. Martin is able to offer innovative solutions whilst maintaining a safety focused environment.

Event Details

 .Fore more information please contact:
Mark Jones, Member Engagement Manager
Email mjones@awa.asn.au | Tel (02) 9467 8413 

 Registration Details