AWA President Peter Dennis reflects on four decades in water

Recently marking the 40-year anniversary of his career in water, AWA President and Beca HunterH2O Managing Director Peter Dennis looks back on a lifetime of achievement and considers why a career in water is so fulfilling.

Beginning with the commissioning of wastewater treatment plants for Hunter Water under the Hunter Sewage Project in the 1990s, Peter went on to enable major effluent reuse initiatives in the Hunter, including providing high quality potable water replacement projects for Eraring Power Station and for Orica on Kooragang Island.

He also developed Hunter Waters’ inaugural biosolids strategy in 1991 and helped shaped NSW’s first biosolids guidelines. This work led to a successful open cut mine rehabilitation program using biosolids in the Hunter inspired by international learnings from Pennsylvania mines in the US.

Hunter Water set up its unregulated business, Hunter Water Australia in 1998, and Peter moved quickly into a leadership role growing the process and operations part of the business. Very quickly the business grew and Peter and the Hunter Water Australia team were working all over Australia, in New Zealand, the Pacific and USA on exciting water projects that were making a difference for communities.

To reduce travel and spend more time with a growing family, Peter returned to Hunter Water as General Manager of Planning, where there was a focus on revamping the Lower Hunter Water Plan and major reinvestment in major treatment plants.

Peter then moved to South East Queensland to oversee the South East Queensland’s water businesses as CEO of Seqwater.

Internationally, Peter contributed to water quality projects in China, Vietnam and the US before leading HunterH2O through its merger with Beca. Now, as a key figure on the AWA Board, he continues to shape the sector's future.

Given how thoroughly entwinned Peter has become within the water community over the past four decades, he finds it surprising how easily he fell into water.

“I chose chemical engineering because one of my friend’s brothers was a chemical engineer. I thought it sounded really cool. I applied for a job with BHP and also a job with Hunter Water,” Dennis said.

“Honestly, I was really flippant about choosing between those jobs I was offered. If I were presented with a choice like this today, I’d sit down with a piece of paper and write out the pros and cons. But back then, I made up my mind in five minutes flat.

“Water just appealed to me more.”

Dennis said his career in water has offered him some incredible experiences: “walking through some amazing drinking water catchments in Seattle, New Zealand and pristine World Heritage areas of Crystal Creek in Townsville – working in water takes you to amazing places”.

"My career has had a huge focus on sustainability and decarbonisation, even before it was widely recognised as crucial. I’ve always had that desire to make a difference and my career in water has allowed me to contribute to the community in a meaningful way.”

Rewarding career choice

Dennis said one of the most fascinating things about working in water is that every community, every country and every geography has water challenges: “it’s a career that allows you to work anywhere in the world and solve real problems”.

“What appeals to me most is the prospect of doing water well. We can always take the easy route, just put water through a treatment plant and use loads of energy. But the challenge is in doing it smartly, sustainably, and in a way that respects cultural and environmental sensitivities,” he said.

Dennis said water security and resilience is a huge issue. Ageing assets, emerging contaminants and rising costs require engineers and scientists to think innovatively about how we manage water.

“The sector self-selects for people who already have that altruistic mindset, people who care about sustainability and making a difference,” he said.

“The sector is incredibly collegiate. Even though different consulting companies are technically competing for work, there’s a real openness to sharing knowledge. When we come together at events like Ozwater, it’s a friendly and supportive community.

“Right now, there’s a huge amount of work to be done, and the challenges we face require a more diverse skill set than ever before.

“It’s not just engineers anymore, we also need scientists, cultural heritage experts, economists and communication specialists. Water literacy is crucial and we need our engineers and scientists to be good communicators, just as well.”

Biggest challenges

Despite having worked through many complex and demanding challenges over the course of his career, Dennis said one of the most challenging periods of work is actually unfolding in the present moment.

“I honestly think one of the most challenging times is right now,” he said.

“The complexity of the landscape we’re working in has increased significantly. We’re behind where we need to be in terms of planning, and we should be investing two to three times more effort into making the right decisions.

“This included engaging with stakeholders, incorporating cultural perspectives and acknowledging that water management is far more circular than we have perceived it to be.”

At the same time, Dennis said the challenge is also exciting – there's never been a more engaging and fulfilling time to join the sector.

“The projects we’re working on today, including in circular economy initiatives, biosolids management, water for hydrogen and purified recycled water, these were things we could only dream about 10 or 15 years ago,” he said.

Proudest moments

While all successful careers are freckled with proud moments, Dennis said the proudest moments for him have always been associated with delivering great outcomes for communities.

“One recent example is the Quirindi water treatment plant. It had one of the worst raw water supplies. It was algae-laden and exceptionally poor quality. Our team developed the design to make the water safe. Now the community has access to really good, safe drinking water,” he said.

“Another one was in Tweed, where we designed an innovative treatment plant. It wasn’t just about delivering clean water; it was about finding a better way to do it using membrane technology in a unique way.

"I also worked in China on Lake Tai, which has 57 million people living around it. They built all these treatment plants, but they weren’t working properly. A team of us went over, modelled the plants, and got them functioning efficiently.

“That had a massive impact, not just in terms of Lake Tai water quality but also sustainability. They were over-aerating, using far too much energy and we helped them optimise the system. The improvements we made to a few treatment plants were then rolled out across the region.”

And although there are many instances of doing great work for sustainable water management, Dennis said working in water also offers the opportunity to make a lasting difference to the health and sustainability of communities.

"You can leave a real legacy in water. Some of the projects I’ve worked on have been running successfully for 30 years, preventing millions of litres of effluent from going into the ocean. That’s a lasting impact,” he said.

“The industry’s value proposition is incredible. It’s a collaborative sector where knowledge-sharing helps people learn faster. And while it might not pay as much as mining, the ability to make a real difference is huge.”

Are you interested in learning more about careers in water? Head to the Careers in Water platform to discover more.