Innovation and sustainable management of water were showcased at the recent 2016 Australian Water Association (AWA) WA Water Awards in Perth. Each winner demonstrated how innovative thinking formed a vital part of our State's water future, exhibiting a wide range of innovation in the water sector, from helping reduce water use, to adapting urban design to reduce nutrient flows and developments in wastewater treatment processes. (DPC Media Statements)
The Department of Water September rainfall and streamflow summary is now
online.
Each month between June and November the Department of Water reports the latest rainfall and streamflow data collected by its hydrographers in the South West, Kwinana-Peel, Swan-Avon and South Coast regions. (DoW)
The City of Bayswater is proud to announce that it was a joint winner, in partnership with the Department of Parks and Wildlife, for the WA's Premier's Excellence Award in the category 'managing the environment' for the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary Project. For those of you who did not hear the project also recently won the Western Australia Engineering Excellence Award in the 'environment' category. Click
here to view the YouTube clip for the ESBS project series. (CoB)
The Western Australian Government has approved the release of the amended Government Sewerage Policy and accompanying Explanatory Notes, for public comment. As an important stakeholder, you and your organisation are invited to consider these documents. The draft policy requires all new subdivisions and development to be connected to reticulated sewerage where available or considered necessary on health, environment or planning grounds with exceptions only in certain circumstances. Submissions close 5pm, Friday 10 February 2017. (PlanningWA)
A City of Bayswater bird sanctuary and a Department of Health program helping children recover from chronic pain are among this year's winners of the annual Premier's Awards for Excellence in Public Sector Management. (DPC Media Statements)
The Department of Water has developed a standard, comprehensive set of climate scenarios for the whole of WA. The aim of the project is to enable a consistent, methodical assessment of climate change for Departmental of Water modelling and impact assessment. These scenarios will be used in various aspects of departmental business. (DoW)
Data from the first of three Doppler radars installed in Western Australia is set to support businesses in the Wheatbelt region, with a six-fold return on investment estimated for farmers. The $23 million project managed by the Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food, the Newdegate radar imagery offers farming businesses real-time information on rainfall and wind, and is expected to transform farming practices in the region. (AWA)
Extra water will be made available to Carnarvon irrigators to support water budgets for 2016-17. The Department of Water's aquifer status report and other information, the Carnarvon Water Allocation Advisory Committee had recommended the department release water for distribution if required, with a target date of December 1, 2016. (DPC Media Statements)
Water Minister recently met with trainees at a native seed bank in Broome which uses recycled water to grow native species for land restoration projects across the Kimberley and Pilbara regions. The Government, through the Water Corporation, had partnered with the Mamabulanjin Aboriginal Corporation (MAC) to offer Aboriginal trainees aged 17-24, the opportunity to work at the MAC seed bank to gain valuable experience and contribute to TAFE qualifications. (DPC Media Statements)
Planning Minister Donna Faragher has released Western Australia's updated State Planning Framework policy for
public comment. State Planning Policy 1 State Planning Framework Policy (SPP 1) brings together existing State and regional policies, strategies, plans and guidelines within a central State Planning Framework. It sets the context for decision-making on land use and development in Western Australia. (DPC Media Statements)
The Victorian Government has released a new water policy, which aims to help the state deal with drought, climate change, and population growth in future. (AWA)
Recent floods in New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria have reminded us of the power of our weather and rivers to wreak havoc on homes, business and even, tragically, lives. As Dorothea Mackellar poetically pointed out, “droughts and flooding rains” have been a feature of Australia throughout history, so maybe we shouldn’t be all that surprised when they happen. However, we also know that the reported costs of flooding in Australia have been increasing, most likely through a combination of increased reporting, increased exposure through land use change and population growth, and changes to flood magnitude and severity. So it is critical that we understand what might be causing these changes. (The Conversation)
A South Australian company is gaining international traction using computer-generated frequencies to target specific minerals, improve water quality and eliminate scaling… the units – which cost $5000 upfront and generate an annual power bill of around $10 – have plenty of benefits for a broad range of commercial, domestic and public applications. (AWA)
Company directors who don’t properly consider climate related risks could be liable for breaching their duty of due care and diligence, a new legal opinion has found. Although the alarm for business leaders has been sounding for some time, the release of the opinion by senior barristers and leading solicitors confirms the potential liability for Australian company directors. (The Conversation)
Planting Healthy Air is a brand new study from
The Nature Conservancy in collaboration with the
C40 Climate Leadership Group. This study investigates how important trees are in cleaning and cooling the air, on both a local and a global scale and as a result they have been able to identify the cities where an investment in tree planting can make the biggest impact. The study aims to provide urban leaders with the data they need to demonstrate that investments in tree planting can improve public health in their cities and concludes that trees are essentially the only cost-effective solution addressing both deteriorating air quality and rising urban temperatures. Some amazing
interactive maps have also been developed to support the research. (202020 Vision)
Australia needs to reconsider its carbon farming and afforestation policies to avoid placing excessive pressure on already limited water resources, one of Australia’s leading ecosystems experts has urged. (AWA)
The campaign for recycled drinking water needs to be relaunched and rebranded in Australia, according to a leading water technology provider. (AWA)
Despite closing its doors in September 2016, the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence released the Final Report on its activities over the past six-and-a-half years; and continues to provide extensive content on its legacy website. The
Final Report provides detail on the research projects and the outcomes and legacies developed from the research outputs; including lessons learned and recommendations for the future. There are also five supplementary reports that provide more detail on the processes behind some of the key Centre initiatives and achievements. The
legacy website is live, but no longer updated, and provides access to the research, tools, frameworks, process documentation and other resources produced by the Centre and its research partners. (AWRCE)
The developers have built an onsite treatment plant in an effort to conserve, recycle and export water, but no one has signed up yet. (The Guardian)
Participate in the survey for a chance to win a $1000 grant for your community group. Perth NRM's Annual Community Capacity in NRM survey is now open and we would like to encourage all environmental volunteers to participate. The survey is one of Perth NRM’s main ways to understand the capacity gaps in environmental groups and ensure that the training and workshops we provide target the most relevant topics for environmental volunteers. The data generated from this annual assessment helps us to show to funders the value and contribution environmental volunteers make to natural areas. Survey closes 5pm, Friday 25 November (Perth NRM)
Water news from around the world...
Generation Y has grown up in a rapidly warming world. According to the US National Climate Data Centre, every month since February 1985 has seen above average global temperatures, compared with the twentieth century. I have no memories of a “normal” month. 2016 is on track to be the hottest year on record, surpassing the previous records set in 2015 and in 2014. These are just a few of the flurry of recent record temperatures, which includes Australia’s hottest day, week, month, season and year. (The Conversation)
This week, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to require that certain new buildings be built with a green roof. The new law, going into effect in January, will require between 15 to 30 percent of roof space on most new construction projects to incorporate solar, green roofs, or a blend of both (National Geographic).
Australia has dedicated $100 million to gendered water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issues abroad, but more must be done to address the absence of women’s input if true change is to be affected, says a leading Australian WASH researcher. As part of Australia's commitment to the United Nations High-Level Panel on Water, Malcolm Turnbull announced the funding would be committed to a new Water for Women initiative. (AWA)
New legislation allowing Californians to taste-test recycled water in their communities was signed on 21 September 2016 and comes into effect on 1 January next year. Law
AB 2022, Gordon: Advanced purified demonstration water allows facilities that produce recycled water to distribute free potable samples to the community for educational purposes. (The Daily Journal)
Risk, Cost and Benefit Assessment of enhancing water supplies with recycled water
The US National Academy of Sciences (2016) has released its report entitled
Using Graywater and Stormwater to Enhance Local Water Supplies: An Assessment of Risks, Costs, and Benefits. The report examines technical, economic, regulatory, and social issues associated with graywater and stormwater capture for a range of uses, including non-potable urban uses, irrigation, and groundwater recharge. By looking at case studies, the report considers the quality and suitability of water for reuse, treatment and storage technologies, and human health and environmental risks of water reuse. (AWA)
As California faces a fifth year of record‐breaking drought, the world’s largest water reuse project of its kind, the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS), produced its 200‐billionth gallon of water. Implemented in January 2008, the GWRS supplies 850,000 people annually in Orange County. (OCWD))
This year’s theme for World Toilet Day focuses on how sanitation, or the lack of it, can impact on livelihoods. Toilets play a crucial role in creating a strong economy, as well as improving health and protecting people’s safety and dignity, particularly women’s and girls’. World Toilet Day was on 19 November. (IWC)
CRC for Water Sensitive Cities
Which projects do you think of as the best examples of water sensitive cities concepts? Are there built examples, strategies, policies or studies that serve as really great references? What kind of information makes examples the most useful for your work? This short survey will help the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities develop tailored new resources for everyone to use.
