OZWATER’12 – only two weeks left to register and participate. The largest water sector event in the southern hemisphere will feature seven internationally renowned keynote speakers, more than 200 industry speakers, workshops, electronic posters and a massive trade exhibition. Do not miss this opportunity REGISTER today at www.ozwater.org

Water Sector News

Submissions to the Murray Darling Basin Authority Draft Plan
Last week we published links to the NSW and Victorian submissions, please find below some further publicly available submission on the MDBA Draft Plan.
South Australian Government
The Greens
The Irrigators' Council
The National Farmers’ Federation

Minister Greg Combet launches the Australian Water Supplier Compact
The Minister for Industry and Innovation, Greg Combet, launched the Australian Water Supplier Compact last week, a collaborative document between waterAUSTRALIA, WSAA, Water Supplier Advocate and the Industry Capability Network. The Compact will encourage Australian water suppliers and urban utilities to deliver benefits for the industry, the economy and the environment. This Compact can be viewed on the waterAUSTRALIA website. (Minister for Innovation) (waterAUSTRALIA)

Grant approval for USA strategy
waterAUSTRALIA welcomed the announcement that its application under the SAMP Program for a national water sector strategy for the USA had been approved by the Government. waterAUSTRALIA CEO Les Targ said the grant would enable implementation of some key initiatives, including the appointment of a US representative and creating a greater profile of the Australian water industry with key customer groups in the USA. (waterAUSTRALIA)

Desalination expansion on track
Construction of the second phase of the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant (SSDP) in WA is running to schedule with water expected to be produced for the integrated scheme by December 2012. Water Minister Bill Marmion said he was pleased to see the progress that had been made. "The current plant is operating at full capacity, already producing more than 20 billion litres of water since it was officially opened in September last year," Mr Marmion said. "When the second stage reaches full production most of our population will be receiving about half of their drinking water supply from the Indian Ocean- independent of rainfall. (Water Corporation)

Research gives Sydney Water a world lead in leakage management
Sydney Water has taken the lead in leak management thanks to an $800K research project to trial innovative leak detection techniques in Sydney’s 3,000 km of large pipes. Sydney Water’s Managing Director Kevin Young said that even though we are rated amongst the best in the world when it comes to leak management, Sydney Water is keen to improve the accuracy and effectiveness in the way we measure any loss of drinking water caused by leakage. (Sydney Water)

$21.8M research program to improve Sydney Water’s wastewater network
Sydney Water is committed to maintaining its wastewater network to minimise odours and concrete corrosion. $21.8M is being invested to fund five years of research into the best methods, models and tools to minimise concrete renewals costing around $40 million a year. $4.7M is funded by the Australian Research Council Linkage Program. This is the largest Australian Research Council grant for water industry research. (Sydney Water)

Water trade proving a valuable tool for Basin communities
Launching a new National Water Commission report today at the Australian Water Congress 2012, Commissioner Laurie Arthur said that water markets have helped regional communities in the southern Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) to remain productive, even during drought. The Impacts of water trading in the southern Murray–Darling Basin between 2006-07 and 2010-11 report is the second report produced by the Commission to fulfil its NWI obligation to monitor the impacts of interstate trade in the southern MDB. (NWC)

Remarkable water savings for Booleroo and Melrose (SA)
The communities of Booleroo Centre and Melrose in South Australia will save nearly six million litres of water each year through the use of an innovative water saving technique. The Australian Government is providing funding of $90,000 under its National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns program to reduce evaporation and improve the quality of the communities’ recycled water, which is used for non-drinking purposes. Covers installed over local wastewater treatment storage lagoons at Booleroo Centre and Melrose are all but eliminating evaporation. The covers also reduce the temperature and UV exposure of the water, reducing the likelihood of algal blooms. (Senator Farrell)

Stormwater to keep heritage parks and gardens green
Heritage-listed public gardens in Melbourne will save water and stay green through a stormwater harvesting and reuse scheme. Marking the start of construction of a stormwater storage tank at Fitzroy Gardens today, Senator Don Farrell, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, said the tank is part of the Eastern Melbourne Parks and Gardens Stormwater Harvesting Scheme. “The Australian Government is investing $4.88 million in the Scheme through its National Urban Water and Desalination Plan under the Water for the Future initiative,” he said. (Senator Don Farrell)

Cooperation agreement to tackle Chile’s water supply deficit
The Chilean Ministry of Agriculture, through the Irrigation National Commission has signed a cooperation agreement with Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) which includes engineering solutions, managed aquifer recharge (MAR) and development of new infrastructure and distribution projects for the benefit of the country. (SKM)

Australia joins UN Global Water Body
Australia has joined a United Nations body to improve access to clean water and safe sanitation for the world's poor. Senator Bob Carr said being a member of the global Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership would allow Australia to add its voice to the global call for safe water to all. He said Australians were fortunate to have access to clean, safe drinking water as well as modern sewerage and water systems. (The Australian)

City West Water partners with Metro-Cebu Water District in the Philippines
Impact-oriented Case Studies of Water Utility/Operator Partnerships in Asia were launched at the 6th World Water Forum in March in Marseille, including the City West Water Partnership with the Philippines. These partnerships twin a mentor utility with a recipient utility in a developing country with the aim of improving water and sanitation delivery by sharing good practices, policies and systems. You can view the case study here. (CWW)

Member News

Farewell to an AWA friend and colleague
It is with regret that AWA would like to inform members that Everard Arthur SWINTON (known to all of us as 'Bob') passed away last Thursday at the age of 89. Bob was a stalwart of AWA and one of our longest members. For many decades Bob has been the technical editor of Water Journal and even the night before he died he was still working on the journal. A memorial service will be held in Melbourne on Saturday, May 5 at Tobin Brothers in Malvern at 10am. A tribute and celebration of Bob’s life will be published in the May issue of Water Journal. AWA offers its deepest sympathies to Bob’s partner Virginia and his family. AWA has lost a good friend.

Watch out! Spam attack on AWA members
We are alerting you to a current spam attack upon AWA members that purports to have obtained the member email address from the Australian Water Association.
We wish to reassure members that the member database has not been accessed and remains secure.
It appears some email addresses have been obtained illegally through an email ‘spoof’ and that as a result some members are now receiving “phishing” type spam.
If you receive such spam, mark the address as junk/spam, delete it and do not reply or open any links within it. For more information on email spoofing please check out this article on PC World.

AWA partners with National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training
AWA is pleased to announce a partnership with the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT).The NCGRT, administered by Flinders University of South Australia, is a Co-Funded Centre of Excellence of the Australian Research Council and National Water Commission and undertakes the scientific research needed to improve understanding of Australia’s groundwater systems. The partnership will deliver high quality training events using world leaders in their field for the next generation of researchers and groundwater professionals. For more information visit the AWA website.

NSW Health seeks regional water utilities feedback
The NSW Public Health Act 2010 will commence later this year. The Act will require each water supplier to develop and implement a risk-based drinking water management system. NSW Health is preparing a series of regional workshops for local water utilities. NSW Health is seeking to identify suitably qualified contractors to help regional water utilities develop management systems. NSW Health will hold a briefing session for contractors on Monday 30 April. For further information on the briefing session please contact Dr Paul Byleveld.

Young Water Professional newsletter
The new YWP newsletter is out, packed with news from the national and international front, updates about the mentoring program, profiles of awards' finalists and the latest technical and social events. Download here. For any enquiries, please contact networks@awa.asn.au

Scholarships now open – IWC Water Leadership Program
Scholarships for the 2012/13 round of the IWC Water Leadership Program are now open for the December 2012 intake. This customised, nine-month program helps emerging water leaders to develop the abilities they need to exert influence, drive change and advance challenging integrated water management projects — abilities associated with the most effective integrated water management leaders. This program is supported by the AWA and WSAA.

Australian Water Engineers forms international partnership
Australian Water Engineers now has an international partner in the manufacturing of flow control equipment, Ham Baker Adams. (Ham Baker)

Andrew Clark has joined Aqua Environmental as Director - Sales and Marketing
Andrew joins Aqua from his previous role as International Sales and Marketing Director at Gutermann Leak Detection and brings a wealth of direct industry experience and knowledge. This new role will assist in further positioning and facilitating regional growth in the Australian pipeline condition assessment market through a wider-reaching and more focused business development initiative.

AWA forms new Registered Training Organisation – AWA OPUS Water Industry Training Institute
AWA, with joint venture partners Opus International Consultants, is pleased to announce the arrival of AWA Opus Water Industry Training Institute (WITI) a brand new Registered Training Organisation. AWA’s relationship with the water industry and Opus’ experience in delivering water training in New Zealand, make this partnership ideal. Initially WITI will focus on delivering NWP30107 Certificate III in Water Operations and intends to provide NWP20107 Certificate II in Water Operations in the future, upon application. Qualifications initially focusing on Water Treatment, Wastewater Treatment and Reticulation and Distribution will be offered and can be customised to suit workplace needs. In the future, WITI will also offer short courses based on clusters of units of competency as required for the accreditation of employees.
For more information on the courses available, visit the AWA website and register your interest today!

Events and Courses

Coal Seam Gas – ‘The Science’: Brisbane 21 August and Sydney 22 August
Register now!
This one-day course provides a broad introduction to coal seam gas, demystifying the science and delving into key industry challenges and government policy. Participants will be introduced to the fundamentals of CSG extraction, and then delve deeper into hydrogeological processes and how modelling can be used to manage risk and uncertainty. Key national experts have been carefully chosen to present, ensuring this course constitutes the best possible introduction to CSG. View further details and register.

Free Industry Forums at Ozwater
For the first time at Ozwater, a series of free Industry Forums will be held immediately preceding the formal program on Monday, 7 May at the Sydney Convention Centre. The Ozwater’12 Forums include:

SIEMENS Water Academy, which is a day-long program that will bring together experts from various technology backgrounds to discuss how technology will enable a sustainable water future.
The Australian Water Research and Development Coalition will be hosting a forum between 2pm and 4pm discussing the progress in implementing a more efficient and cooperative approach to urban water R&D investment in Australia.

See www.ozwater.org/forums for more information and free participation details.

Biosolids and Source Management Conference, 18-20 June 2012, Gold Coast
Registration now open
The conference will allow for sharing knowledge on the treatment process and influent contaminants that may reduce the outlets for this reuse. Keynotes include Dr. John Novak, Virginia Tech (USA); Professor Jurg Keller, Director, Advanced Water Management Centre; Bill Barber, AECOM; and Michael Catchpole, Allconnex.
Download the registration brochure and program. To register go to www.awa.asn.au/bsmconference

Leading Edge Technology Conference, 3-7 June 2012, Brisbane
Registrations now open
The 2012 edition of the highly successful Leading Edge Technology Conference on Water and Waste Water Treatment Technologies (LET) moves to Australia. This event is for all those interested in the latest advances in wastewater and drinking water technologies. It offers a wide range of multi-disciplinary presentations and will provide ample opportunities to learn and network with professionals in your fields of interest. For a program and more information, please visit the website www.let2012.org

Water Industry Capacity Development Workshop (WICD), 14-15 August 2012, Darwin
Don't miss out: Registration now open!
Water skills professionals are invited to Darwin in August to participate in the 2012 WICD Skills Workshop. This two-day event features leading facilitator Dr Martin Challis, who will engage attendees in practical strategies to build leadership capability within their organisations. Participants will also hear from water skills organisations nation-wide on various skills projects. The event provides participants with an opportunity to comment on AWA’s upcoming Accreditation Scheme, and to discuss potential new WICD projects. For more information and to register visit the website.

Groundwater for Decision Makers – Short Course, 30 May 2012, Canberra
This one-day Groundwater for Decision Makers course is designed for water professionals in consulting, research and public authorities to enable them to better inform decision making processes. Attendees will gain an understanding of groundwater terminology, processes and concepts and will gain fundamental knowledge of the policy and legal issues affecting groundwater management. View more information and register.

IWES Gold Coast 2012, 9 – 13 July 2012, Gold Coast
IWES Gold Coast 2012 will take place during the week of 9-13 July. The program incorporates a wide range and number of course offerings for professionals to choose from. Download the full IWES Gold Coast 2012 program, including presenter bio’s and contact details here.

Source 2012 Conference, 29-30 May, Canberra
Attend launch of Source, Australia's new hydrological modelling platform. Find out from water industry experts about the capabilities of Source for water management. Following the conference on Thursday, 30 May and Friday 1 June, will be a range of hands-on professional training courses including Source, Music and Urban Developer, and eWater’s new Eco Tool suite. Find out more and register.

Jobs

There are 50 jobs on the H2Oz website, view them here.

Job of the week:

Water & Sanitation Adviser Australian Volunteers International

ManagementInternational
$128,000 plus benefits. 12 – 24 month contract.
This position is based in Majuro, Republic of Marshall Islands. Build your international experience and share your expertise.

Tenders

Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre Tender No. 1083/12 - Preliminary design for upgrade of solids handling and incineration systems, ActewAGL, ACT, closes 22 May 2012.

In The Media

Ten mining exploration licences have been granted in the water catchment for a possible new dam. (NT News)
The cost of water for residents and businesses next year is still unknown, with the new State Government launching an inquiry into bulk water prices. (Courier Mail)
Melburnians face the biggest overhaul in the supply of household water in decades with a new plan to change the cost of water and where it comes from. (The Age)
Canberra's $155 million Murrumbidgee to Googong pipeline project is almost on time and within budget, with completion expected in July. (Canberra Times)
Huge reserves of underground water in some of the driest parts of Africa could provide a buffer against the effects of climate change for years to come, scientists said on Friday. (Reuters)

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