To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Water quality management Australia.
Journal articles on the topic 'Water quality management Australia'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 journal articles for your research on the topic 'Water quality management Australia.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Rizak, S., D. Cunliffe, M. Sinclair, R. Vulcano, J. Howard, S. Hrudey, and P. Callan. "Drinking water quality management: a holistic approach." Water Science and Technology 47, no. 9 (May 1, 2003): 31–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2003.0485.
Full textAbstract:
A growing list of water contaminants has led to some water suppliers relying primarily on compliance monitoring as a mechanism for managing drinking water quality. While such monitoring is a necessary part of drinking water quality management, experiences with waterborne disease threats and outbreaks have shown that compliance monitoring for numerical limits is not, in itself, sufficient to guarantee the safety and quality of drinking water supplies. To address these issues, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has developed a Framework for Management of Drinking Water Quality (the Framework) for incorporation in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, the primary reference on drinking water quality in Australia. The Framework was developed specifically for drinking water supplies and provides a comprehensive and preventive risk management approach from catchment to consumer. It includes holistic guidance on a range of issues considered good practice for system management. The Framework addresses four key areas:•Commitment to Drinking Water Quality Management,•System Analysis and System Management,•Supporting Requirements, and•Review. The Framework represents a significantly enhanced approach to the management and regulation of drinking water quality and offers a flexible and proactive means of optimising drinking water quality and protecting public health. Rather than the primary reliance on compliance monitoring, the Framework emphasises prevention, the importance of risk assessment, maintaining the integrity of water supply systems and application of multiple barriers to assure protection of public health. Development of the Framework was undertaken in collaboration with the water industry, regulators and other stakeholders, and will promote a common and unified approach to drinking water quality management throughout Australia. The Framework has attracted international interest.
2
Nadebaum, P., M. Chapman, S. Ortisi, and A. Baker. "Application of quality management systems for drinking water quality." Water Supply 3, no. 1-2 (March 1, 2003): 359–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/ws.2003.0125.
Full textAbstract:
Over the past few years the water authorities in Australia have been applying the principles of quality management and risk management in their provision of drinking water of a safe and acceptable quality. These principles have been taken up by the regulatory authorities, and the Australian water industry is ensuring that drinking water guidelines, customer contracts, licences and auditing (both statutory and quality systems auditing), and appropriate quality management systems, are in place for drinking water quality management. A particular focus of this work has been the application of AS/NZS 4360 (Risk Management) and the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points developed for the food industry. This paper discusses the important considerations in applying quality management systems to drinking water quality management within water authorities, and the key issues of how best to integrate these risk management systems with the business management systems of the water authority. A generally applicable model for drinking water quality management systems based on ISO 9002 and HACCP is described. The paper also discusses the process of how management systems already in place within a water authority can be assessed and improvements identified. The objective is that the management systems will be consistent with the authority’s existing business management systems, ISO 9001, the principles of HACCP and AS4360, and the expected requirements of the revised Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
3
Maher, M., J. Nevill, and P. Nichols. "Achieving river integrity through natural resource management and integrated catchment management legislative frameworks." Water Science and Technology 45, no. 11 (June 1, 2002): 127–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2002.0387.
Full textAbstract:
This paper reports on a project which further refines a model legislative framework first identified in a Land and Water Australia project in 1999. This framework is benchmarked against legislative excerpts from within Australian jurisdictions, as well as the major policy initiatives of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) water reform agenda, the Commonwealth's National Action Plan on Salinity and Water Quality, and others. The model framework has been heavily influenced by current thinking on ecological systems, good governance, and organisational management. Another important product of the report is a statement of model statutory objectives and principles, suitable for use in water resource legislation.
4
Miller, R., B. Whitehill, and D. Deere. "A national approach to risk assessment for drinking water catchments in Australia." Water Supply 5, no. 2 (September 1, 2005): 123–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/ws.2005.0029.
Full textAbstract:
This paper comments on the strengths and weaknesses of different methodologies for risk assessment, appropriate for utilisation by Australian Water Utilities in risk assessment for drinking water source protection areas. It is intended that a suggested methodology be recommended as a national approach to catchment risk assessment. Catchment risk management is a process for setting priorities for protecting drinking water quality in source water areas. It is structured through a series of steps for identifying water quality hazards, assessing the threat posed, and prioritizing actions to address the threat. Water management organisations around Australia are at various stages of developing programs for catchment risk management. While much conceptual work has been done on the individual components of catchment risk management, work on these components has not previously been combined to form a management tool for source water protection. A key driver for this project has been the requirements of the National Health and Medical Research Council Framework for the Management of Drinking Water Quality (DWQMF) included in the draft 2002 Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG). The Framework outlines a quality management system of steps for the Australian water industry to follow with checks and balances to ensure water quality is protected from catchment to tap. Key steps in the Framework that relate to this project are as follows: Element 2 Assessment of the Drinking Water Supply System• Water Supply System analysis• Review of Water Quality Data• Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Element 3 Preventive Measures for Drinking Water Quality Management• Preventive Measures and Multiple Barriers• Critical Control Points This paper provides an evaluation of the following risk assessment techniques: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP); World Health Organisation Water Safety Plans; Australian Standard AS 4360; and The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines – Drinking Water Quality Management Framework. These methods were selected for assessment in this report as they provided coverage of the different approaches being used across Australia by water utilities of varying: scale of water management organisation; types of water supply system management; and land use and activity-based risks in the catchment area of the source. Initially, different risk assessment methodologies were identified and reviewed. Then examples of applications of those methods were assessed, based on several key water utilities across Australia and overseas. Strengths and weaknesses of each approach were identified. In general there seems some general grouping of types of approaches into those that: cover the full catchment-to-tap drinking water system; cover just the catchment area of the source and do not recognise downstream barriers or processes; use water quality data or land use risks as a key driving component; and are based primarily on the hazard whilst others are based on a hazardous event. It is considered that an initial process of screening water quality data is very valuable in determining key water quality issues and guiding the risk assessment, and to the overall understanding of the catchment and water source area, allowing consistency with the intentions behind the ADWG DWQM Framework. As such, it is suggested that the recommended national risk assessment approach has two key introductory steps: initial screening of key issues via water quality data, and land use or activity scenario and event-based HACCP-style risk assessment. In addition, the importance of recognising the roles that uncertainty and bias plays in risk assessments was highlighted. As such it was deemed necessary to develop and integrate uncertainty guidelines for information used in the risk assessment process. A hybrid risk assessment methodology was developed, based on the HACCP approach, but with some key additions and modifications to make it applicable to varying catchment risks, water supply operation needs and environmental management processes.
5
La Point, Thomas W. "Water Quality Management: Freshwater Ecotoxicity in Australia. B. T. Hart." Journal of the North American Benthological Society 6, no. 2 (June 1987): 144–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1467228.
Full text
6
McKay, Jennifer. "Water institutional reforms in Australia." Water Policy 7, no. 1 (February 1, 2005): 35–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wp.2005.0003.
Full textAbstract:
With a brief description of the physical setting and institutional history of the Australian water sector, this paper reviews the water institutional reforms in Australia focusing especially on the nature and extent of reforms initiated since 1995 and provides a few case studies to highlight the issues and challenges in effecting changes in some key reform components. The reforms initiated in 1995 are notable for their comprehensiveness, fiscal incentives and clear and time-bound targets to be achieved. Although water institutions in Australia have undergone remarkable changes, thanks to the reforms, there are still issues and challenges inherent in reforming maturing water institutions. Regional diversity in legal systems and quality standards as well as conflicts between private interest and public welfare are still serious to constraining market-based water allocation and management. While Australia still needs further reforms, its recent reform experience provides considerable insights into the understanding of both the theory and the practice of water institutional reforms.
7
Smith, Phil, Grahame Collier, and Hazel Storey. "As Aussie as Vegemite: Building the Capacity of Sustainability Educators in Australia." Australian Journal of Environmental Education 27, no. 1 (2011): 175–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0814062600000161.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractVegemite, a thick, rich and salty product made from yeast extract, is a paste commonly spread on bread or toast in Australian households. This iconic product mirrors some of the unique aspects of this country. For example, Vegemite thinly spread is best. The population of this country is sparse across the wide lands, and the Australian environment with its thin soils, water shortages and intense climates, might also be described as spread thin. These aspects of context present challenges because Australia needs quality sustainability educators thick on the ground to deal with the many and diverse environmental issues.This paper describes the development of the Australian National Professional Development Initiative for Sustainability Educators (NPDISE) and how it was infuenced by the Australian context. Multiple challenges existed: the size of the country, its environmental conditions and rich biodiversity, distance and space between major centres, distribution of people and resources, understanding of and support for education, and three tiers of government – each with its own policies, programs and priorities. On top of this, the practice of sustainability education crosses multiple professional sectors and disciplines. All these challenges had to be taken into account.Research conducted by the Waste Management Association Australia in 2009 revealed that the needs of Australia's sustainability educators in overcoming many of these challenges were broadly consistent around Australia. This gave encouragement to the establishment of a national professional development approach for those working in the environmental education feld. This paper shows how four professional associations – Australian Association for Environmental Education, Waste Management Association Australia, Australian Water Association, and the Marine Education Society of Australasia – worked together for the frst time and approached these challenges whilst developing the NPDISE. A 1954 jingle said Vegemite would help children “grow stronger every single week”. The NPDISE represents a similar ethos with an emphasis on building the sector.
8
Edwards, Louise, and Helen Crabb. "Water quality and management in the Australian pig industry." Animal Production Science 61, no. 7 (2021): 637. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/an20484.
Full textAbstract:
Context Water is the first nutrient and an essential component of all agricultural production systems. Despite its importance there has been limited research on water, and in particular, the impact of its availability, management and quality on production systems. Aims This research sought to describe the management and quality of water used within the Australian pig industry. Specifically, the water sources utilised, how water was managed and to evaluate water quality at both the source and the point of delivery to the pig. Methods Fifty-seven commercial piggeries across Australia participated in this study by completing a written survey on water management. In addition, survey participants undertook physical farm parameter measurements including collecting water samples. Each water sample was tested for standard quality parameters including pH, hardness, heavy metals and microbiological status. Key results Responses were received from 57 farms, estimated to represent at least 22% of ‘large’ pig herds. Bore water was the most common water source being utilised within the farms surveyed. Management practices and infrastructure delivering water from the source to the point of consumption were found to differ across the farms surveyed. Furthermore, water was regularly used as a delivery mechanism for soluble additives such as antibiotics. The quality of water at the source and point of consumption was found to be highly variable with many parameters, particularly pH, hardness, salinity, iron, manganese and microbiological levels, exceeding the acceptable standard. Conclusions In general, water quality did not appear to be routinely monitored or managed. As a result, farm managers had poor visibility of the potential negative impacts that inferior water quality or management may be having on pig production and in turn the economics of their business. Indeed, inferior water quality may impact the delivery of antibiotics and in turn undermine the industry’s antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Implications The study findings suggest that water quality represents a significant challenge to the Australian pig industry. Access to drinking water of an acceptable quality is essential for optimal pig performance, health and welfare but also to ensure farm to fork supply chain integrity, traceability and food safety.
9
Gourley, C. J. P., and D. M. Weaver. "Nutrient surpluses in Australian grazing systems: management practices, policy approaches, and difficult choices to improve water quality." Crop and Pasture Science 63, no. 9 (2012): 805. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp12154.
Full textAbstract:
Nutrient surpluses, inefficiencies in nutrient use, and inevitable leakage of nutrients from grazed animal production systems are putting growing pressure on Australian inland and coastal water resources. While there are some examples of regulatory policy approaches in Australia which aim to reduce nutrient emissions and improve water quality around important and impaired coastal and inland waters, most policy options involve voluntary schemes, often including financial incentives to both industry organisations and farmers to offset the costs of implementing improved management practices. In contrast, much stronger land management regulations have been implemented in the European Union, USA, and to a lesser extent New Zealand. In the near future, greater societal expectations for water quality, stricter standards from international markets, and increasing costs for purchased nutrients will mean that improving nutrient-use efficiency and reducing nutrient losses will be a necessary part of Australia livestock production systems. This is likely to require somewhat varied and difficult choices to better balance production and environmental goals. Policy responses may include voluntary adoption of appropriate nutrient management practices, caps on nutrient inputs, mandatory nutrient surplus targets, limits to stock numbers per hectare, and re-positioning of higher input farms to more resilient parts of the national landscape. Alternatively, society may have to accept that there are unavoidable trade-offs between water quality standards and livestock productivity, with increasing treatment of polluted water at the community’s expense.
10
Dry, Peter R., B. R. Loveys, M. G. Mccarthy, and Manfred Stoll. "Strategic irrigation management in Australian vineyards." OENO One 35, no. 3 (September 30, 2001): 129. http://dx.doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2001.35.3.1699.
Full textAbstract:
<p style="text-align: justify;">Regulated Deficit Irrigation (RDI) and Partial Rootzone Drying (PRD) are examples of strategie irrigation management. They have been successfully adopted for winegrape production in Australia with the aim of controlling vegetative growth to produce 'balanced' vines, and to improve both water-use efficiency (measured as tonnes of fruit per ML of irrigation water applied) and fruit quality for winemaking. This paper will outline some of the physiological principles that underpin these strategies and provide details of experimental and commercial experience in Australian vineyards.</p>
11
McKay, Jennifer, and Anthony Moeller. "Statutory Regulation of Water Quality in Modern Australia." Water International 25, no. 4 (December 2000): 595–609. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02508060008686875.
Full text
12
Crockett, J. A., K. J. Hartley, and W. D. Williams. "Setting and Achieving Water Quality Criteria for Recreation." Water Science and Technology 21, no. 2 (February 1, 1989): 71–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1989.0030.
Full textAbstract:
Water-based recreation is popular in Australia. On the coast many canal estates and marinas are being constructed. Australia's arid and variable climate introduces unusual problems in the establishment of inland recreational lakes. In setting water quality criteria what is achievable must be balanced with what is desirable and criteria may need to be varied between flood and dry periods. Greater emphasis should be placed on understanding, monitoring and managing the ecology of water-bodies. If a stable ecology is maintained, it will generally follow that water quality and conditions surrounding the water-body will be acceptable for human use. In developing new lakes and canals we must carry out some mathematical modelling in order to provide a rational basis for determining water quality criteria and the necessary management actions.
13
Emmett, A. J., and A. L. Telfer. "Influence of karst hydrology on water quality management in southeast South Australia." Environmental Geology 23, no. 2 (March 1994): 149–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00766988.
Full text
14
Tomlinson, Moya, and Andrew J. Boulton. "Ecology and management of subsurface groundwater dependent ecosystems in Australia - a review." Marine and Freshwater Research 61, no. 8 (2010): 936. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf09267.
Full textAbstract:
As demand for consumptive use of groundwater escalates, the need for careful management becomes more pressing. Water reforms in Australia require explicit recognition of environmental needs in water resource plans, but subsurface groundwater dependent ecosystems (SGDEs) are rarely provided for. The ecological values of these sequestered ecosystems are not well documented and are readily overlooked. We review the biodiversity, ecological processes and ecosystem services of Australian SGDEs and highlight the ecological relevance of their connectivity with other ecosystems. A lack of attention to SGDEs in groundwater plans risks inadequate provision for environmental water requirements with probable impacts on ecological values, water quality and ecosystem goods and services in SGDEs and connected ecosystems. We suggest an ecohydrogeological approach to understanding the implications of anthropogenic disturbance on SGDEs based on their connectivity to other ecosystems and aquifer permeability. As well as a template for comparative research on the biogeochemistry and ecology of SGDEs in Australia and overseas, this conceptual tool has potential application in conservation planning, water resource assessment and environmental impact assessment.
15
Sinclair, Martha, and Samantha Rizak. "DRINKING-WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT: THE AUSTRALIAN FRAMEWORK." Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A 67, no. 20-22 (October 2004): 1567–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15287390490491873.
Full text
16
Shea, A., J. Poon, and S. Williamson. "Microbial risk assessment of drinking water to set health-based performance targets to improve water quality and treatment plant operations." Water Practice and Technology 11, no. 2 (June 1, 2016): 495–502. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wpt.2016.006.
Full textAbstract:
Western Water (WW) provides water, recycled water and wastewater services to almost 150,000 people whilst continuously striving to improve processes to provide its customers with safe, cost effective and reliable drinking water, recycled water and treatment services. Under this framework of continuous improvement, WW has reviewed the effectiveness of its drinking water treatment systems using quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) techniques described by the World Health Organization (WHO). The microbial-related water quality targets in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines Paper 6 National Water Quality Management Strategy (2011) National Health and Medical Research Council, National Resource Management Ministerial Council, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra are simply ‘to ensure that drinking water is free of microorganisms that can cause disease’. Whereas, the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling adopted the WHO QMRA approach for setting health-based microbial targets to manage health risk to customers. WW has investigated adopting the AGWR methodology for drinking water risk management, and invested in the development of a convenient and practical QMRA tool for rapid assessment and reporting of the microbial safety of its drinking water systems. This action resulted in the identification of several drinking water system performance deficiencies, and recommendations for system improvements and optimization to improve health risk management to customers.
17
Brandis, K. J., J. Spencer, B. Wolfenden, and D. Palmer. "Avian-botulism risk in waterbird breeding colonies and implications for environmental water management." Marine and Freshwater Research 71, no. 2 (2020): 179. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf18446.
Full textAbstract:
Avian botulism poses a significant risk to waterbird health in Australian wetlands. This paralytic, often fatal, disease occurs when birds ingest a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Our current understanding of avian botulism comes largely from studies in the northern hemisphere, with many of these studies linking outbreaks of avian botulism with poor water quality. The Murray–Darling Basin provides the most important breeding habitat for colonial waterbirds in Australia, but the frequency of large-scale breeding events has declined, and waterbird populations are near record-low numbers. Avian botulism has the capacity to have significant impacts on waterbird recruitment if not managed appropriately. We propose that environmental water-management strategies that aim to maintain water quality through flow delivery to waterbird colonies could mitigate the risk of botulism outbreaks and contribute to waterbird population recovery.
18
Milligan, C. J., and A. B. McAlister. "Water Quality Management at Palm Meadows Golf Course (Australia) by Limited Tidal Exchange." Water Science and Technology 21, no. 2 (February 1, 1989): 211–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1989.0052.
Full textAbstract:
This paper describes the fulfillment of a design brief for a tidal exchange system for lakes within a golf course on the Queensland Gold Coast to maintain aesthetic appeal while retaining approximately constant water levels. Secondary objectives of minimal maintenance, yet ability of the system to support water based recreation were also defined. To achieve the above, a simulation of potential lake layouts and their tidal hydraulics was achieved using ‘ESTRY', a hydrodynamic modelling program developed by Winders, Barlow and Morrison. Output from the model defined the necessary design criteria. This allowed significant cost savings in civil works to be achieved during construction and minimal ongoing maintenance costs in the developed golf course complex. Confirmation of fulfillment of the design criteria has been provided by the satisfactory agreement between predicted model results and actual characteristics of the lakes and the results of a water quality monitoring program.
19
Khan, Shahbaz. "Managing climate risks in Australia: options for water policy and irrigation management." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 48, no. 3 (2008): 265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea06090.
Full textAbstract:
Australia, a country which suffers from recurrent droughts, is currently experiencing a shift in climate. It is often classified as the driest inhabited continent due to the extremely low annual average rainfall (465 mm) and associated low annual average runoff (57 mm). This has required a regular revision of Australia’s water policy to align with the needs of its society. Several changes in water policy have been formulated in recent times with the objective of striking a balance between the consumptive and environmental components of flows in Australian catchments. Some of the developments that affect irrigated agriculture include: (i) the Council of Australian Government’s water reforms; (ii) the Murray–Darling Basin Commission cap (the volume of water that could be diverted under 1993–94 levels of development); (iii) environmental flow rules; and (iv) the National Water Initiative. At a strategic level global climate change threatens the viability of irrigated agriculture and other industries. Under the present water reforms, longer-term water security is not guaranteed because these reforms do not explicitly take into account threats to water quantity and quality due to enhanced climate variability and change. At an operational level, current water allocation systems do not take into account state-of-the-art climate forecasting methods. Therefore, it is often not until after the irrigation season is well underway that irrigators have a reasonable knowledge of how much water will be available. Thus, there is considerable risk associated with planting and crop establishment decisions, resulting in a need for climate forecasting tools aimed at risk management. There is also a need for Australian water legislation and policy to be revisited to incorporate climate change and adaptive management options.
20
Hatton MacDonald, Darla, Ali Ardeshiri, John M. Rose, Bayden D. Russell, and Sean D. Connell. "Valuing coastal water quality: Adelaide, South Australia metropolitan area." Marine Policy 52 (February 2015): 116–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2014.11.003.
Full text
21
Sharp, I. H., and M. A. Schell. "Study of Recreational Use of Sydney Water Board and Fish River Water Supply Storages (Australia)." Water Science and Technology 21, no. 2 (February 1, 1989): 119–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1989.0037.
Full textAbstract:
Existing and potential recreational uses in a number of very different water supply catchments managed by two major N.S.W. authorities were investigated. Community attitudes to recreational use of both land based and water based activities were analysed together with reactions to increased charges to cover costs of ensuring safe water quality. Threats to water quality were studied and additional management and water quality control measures formulated.
22
Scarsbrook, M. R., and A. R. Melland. "Dairying and water-quality issues in Australia and New Zealand." Animal Production Science 55, no. 7 (2015): 856. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/an14878.
Full textAbstract:
The scale and intensity of dairy farming can place pressure on our freshwater resources. These pressures (e.g. excessive soil nutrient concentrations and nitrogen excretion) can lead to changes in the levels of contaminants in waterways, altering the state and potentially affecting the uses and values society ascribes to water. Resource management involves putting in place appropriate responses to address water-quality issues. In the present paper, we highlight trends in the scale and extent of dairying in Australia and New Zealand and describe water-quality pressures, state, impacts and responses that characterise the two countries. In Australia and New Zealand, dairy farming has become increasingly intensive over the past three decades, although the size of Australia’s dairy herd has remained fairly static, while New Zealand’s herd and associated excreted nitrogen loads have nearly doubled. In contrast, effluent management has been improved, and farm waterways fenced, in part to reduce pressure on freshwater. However, both countries show a range of indicators of degraded water-quality state. Phosphorus and nitrogen are the most common water-quality indicators to exceed levels beyond the expected natural range, although New Zealand also has a significant percentage of waterways with faecal contaminants beyond acceptable levels for contact recreation. In New Zealand, nitrate concentrations in waterways have increased, while phosphorus and suspended sediment concentrations have generally decreased over the past decade. Water quality in some coastal estuaries and embayments is of particular concern in Australia, whereas attention in New Zealand is on maintaining quality of high-value lakes, rivers and groundwater resources, as well as rehabilitating waterbodies where key values have been degraded. In both Australia and New Zealand, water-quality data are increasingly being collated and reported but in Australia long-term trends across waterbodies, and spatially comprehensive groundwater-quality data have not yet been reported at national levels. In New Zealand, coastal marine systems, and particularly harbours and estuaries, are poorly monitored, but there are long-term monitoring systems in place for rivers, groundwater and lakes. To minimise pressures on water quality, there is a high reliance on voluntary and incentivised practice change in Australia. In New Zealand, industry-led practice change has been important over the past decade, but regulated environmental limits for dairy farmers are increasing. Dairy industries in both countries have set targets for reducing pressures through sustainability frameworks and accords. To address future drivers such as climate change and increasing domestic and international market demand for sustainability credentials, definitions of values and appropriate targets for waterbodies draining agricultural landscapes will be required. Environmental limits (both natural and societal) will constrain future growth opportunities for dairying and research into continued growth within limits remains a priority in both countries.
23
Khan, Stuart J., Daniel Deere, Frederic D. L. Leusch, Andrew Humpage, Madeleine Jenkins, David Cunliffe, Shona K. Fitzgerald, and Benjamin D. Stanford. "Lessons and guidance for the management of safe drinking water during extreme weather events." Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology 3, no. 2 (2017): 262–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c6ew00165c.
Full text
24
Woodley, Simon. "Management of Water Quality in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park." Water Science and Technology 21, no. 2 (February 1, 1989): 31–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1989.0024.
Full textAbstract:
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. It is recognised and appreciated worldwide as a unique environment and for this reason has been inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Reef is economically-important to Queensland and Australia, supporting substantial tourism and fishing industries. Management of the Great Barrier Reef to ensure conservation of its natural qualities in perpetuity is achieved through the establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The maintenance of water quality to protect the reef and the industries which depend on it is becoming an increasingly important management issue requiring better knowledge and possibly new standards of treatment and discharge.
25
Atkins, R. P. "A Review of Water Quality and Management Problems in Canal Estates in Western Australia." Water Science and Technology 21, no. 2 (February 1, 1989): 217–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1989.0053.
Full textAbstract:
Canal estates are located on the Peel-Harvey Estuarine System, a nutrient enriched waterbody with excessive growths of both macroalgae and phytoplankton. Yunderup Canals have poor water quality exhibiting typical symptoms including frequent phytoplankton blooms, depressed oxygen levels, odour emissions and fish kills. Water in Waterside Mandurah Canals is marginally poorer than that in the Peel Inlet Channel but within an acceptable range. The difference between developments is related to the proximity of the ocean and therefore tidal action. Canal water quality projections are made and several management options evaluated.
26
Brown, R. R., and M. A. Farrelly. "Challenges ahead: social and institutional factors influencing sustainable urban stormwater management in Australia." Water Science and Technology 59, no. 4 (February 1, 2009): 653–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2009.022.
Full textAbstract:
In a time of climate uncertainty and drought in Australia, improved urban stormwater quality management practices are required not only for protecting waterway health, but also as a fit-for-purpose supply source. To conceive of urban stormwater as an environmental threat as well as a water supply source requires a substantial shift in our traditional linear supply and wastewater structures towards more hybrid and complex infrastructure systems. To understand what drives and limits treatment technology adoption for stormwater management, over 800 urban water professionals in three Australian capital cities completed an online questionnaire survey in November 2006. Using the conceptual framework of receptivity assessment, the results revealed the professional community to be highly associated with the importance of improving stormwater quality for receiving waterway health, yet they do not consider that politicians share this perspective by placing a substantially lower level of importance on stormwater quality management. Significant acquisition barriers within each city, including institutional arrangements, costs, responsibilities, and regulations and approvals processes were all identified as constraining more sustainable practices. Capacity building programs, fostering greater socio-political capital and developing key demonstration projects with training events are recommended as useful policy interventions for addressing current institutional impediments.
27
Eberhard, Rachel, Catherine J. Robinson, Jane Waterhouse, John Parslow, Barry Hart, Rodger Grayson, and Bruce Taylor. "Adaptive management for water quality planning - from theory to practice." Marine and Freshwater Research 60, no. 11 (2009): 1189. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf08347.
Full textAbstract:
Adaptive management has been promoted as a structured approach to learning in response to the uncertainty associated with managing complex systems. We developed and tested a protocol to guide an adaptive approach to water quality management in north-eastern Australia. The protocol articulates a framework for documenting uncertainties and performance expectations, negotiating feedback and anticipating iterative and transformative responses to future scenarios. A Water Quality Improvement Plan developed for the Tully–Murray catchment in the Great Barrier Reef region was used to test the protocol and three benefits of its use were identified. First, developing rigorous and timely monitoring and evaluation ensures that opportunities for iterative planning are realised. Second, anticipating future endogenous or exogenous changes to the plan enables the early initiation of actions to inform transformative planning responses. Finally, the protocol exposed the need to coordinate multi-scalar responses to tackle environmental knowledge and management uncertainties and assumptions. The protocol seeks to provide a practical translation of adaptive planning theory that will enable the benefits of adaptive management to be realised on the ground.
28
Northcott, K., S. Bartlett, D. Sheehan, I. Snape, P. Scales, and S. Gray. "Water quality risk management strategies for remote operations." Water Supply 18, no. 2 (June 26, 2017): 482–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/ws.2017.130.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The delivery of treatment and supply solutions for the management of water infrastructure for small and remote communities presents unique challenges. The identification of water quality hazards, the management of risks and conducting plant performance validation and verification activities can all be problematic. The ‘Demonstration of Robust Water Recycling’ (Robust Recycling) Project was funded by the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence (AWRCoE) and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) as a means of developing strategies for the provision of small scale water treatment schemes from non-traditional water sources. Using the example of the AAD's Davis Station, this project featured an alternative approach to the establishment of a risk management framework for water recycling. This approach may be applicable to both drinking and recycled water schemes in other small and remote communities.
29
Edgar, B., N. Schofield, and A. Campbell. "Informing river management policies and programs with science." Water Science and Technology 43, no. 9 (May 1, 2001): 185–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2001.0536.
Full textAbstract:
Conventional wisdom has it that we already have enough science to address the problems causing degradation of our environment, including rivers. This is not true. However it is the case that we could be using existing knowledge better, and that we could be doing more to learn the lessons from the huge sums being spent on river restoration and management. Informing good policy and practical on-ground management with R&D outputs has proven to be is difficult, but essential. This paper reviews some of the history of water and river management in Australia and how perceptions of rivers have evolved. It discusses the challenge of enhancing the linkages between science, policy and practice in river management. It outlines the knowledge exchange, R&D and capacity building strategies of the National Rivers Consortium - a new initiative whose founding partners are LWRRDC, the MDBC, CSIRO Land and Water and the Western Australian Waters and Rivers Commission. This strategic collaboration between policy makers, river managers and scientists brings together organisations with responsibility and expertise to improve the health and management of Australian rivers. The National Rivers Consortium is making a major investment in knowledge exchange and capacity building, based on direct personal contact and learning by doing. The Consortium is establishing a program of training activities targeting river managers and policy makers, based on the best available science and high quality information products. It will support river managers as they plan and implement river restoration and protection projects. The paper concludes with a discussion of the key knowledge gaps that remain impediments to the better management of Australia's unique and diverse river landscapes.
30
Kroon, F. J., C. J. Robinson, and A. P. Dale. "Integrating knowledge to inform water quality planning in the Tully - Murray basin, Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 60, no. 11 (2009): 1183. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf08349.
Full textAbstract:
Decentralised approaches to water governance have emerged as a common approach to tackle complex environmental management issues in Australia and elsewhere. While decentralisation offers hope for a more holistic, integrated and effective approach to environmental planning decisions and solutions, challenges remain to put these ideals into practice. The present paper focuses on a key component of this approach to environmental planning and decision-making – the integration of different types of knowledge used to inform planning goals and the design of water quality management programs. The analysis draws on knowledge integration issues surrounding the water quality improvement plan in the Tully–Murray basin in north-eastern Australia. Here, government and non-government stakeholders are coordinating efforts to assess water quality condition and set management priorities for improving the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage coastal lagoon. Our analysis of the kinds of knowledge and mechanisms of translation involved highlights three main points. First, the tensions between the uncertainty and bias in different types of knowledge brought to the planning table. Second, the timing of knowledge contributions that affects if and how knowledge contributions can be debated and integrated. Finally, the challenges faced by local collaborative groups to broker the translation and integration of knowledge needed to inform strategic environmental decisions and programs.
31
Keipert, N., D. Weaver, R. Summers, M. Clarke, and S. Neville. "Guiding BMP adoption to improve water quality in various estuarine ecosystems in Western Australia." Water Science and Technology 57, no. 11 (June 1, 2008): 1749–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2008.276.
Full textAbstract:
The Australian Government's Coastal Catchment Initiative (CCI) seeks to achieve targeted reductions in nutrient pollution to key coastal water quality hotspots, reducing algal blooms and fish kills. Under the CCI a Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP) is being prepared for targeted estuaries (Swan–Canning, near Perth, and the Vasse–Geographe, 140 km south of Perth) to address nutrient pollution issues. A range of projects are developing, testing and implementing agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce excessive loads of nutrients reaching the receiving waters. This work builds on progress-to-date achieved in a similar project in the Peel–Harvey Catchment (70 km south of Perth). It deals with the necessary steps of identifying the applicability of BMPs for nutrient attenuation, developing and promoting BMPs in the context of nutrient use and attenuation on farm and through catchments and estimating the degree to which BMP implementation can protect receiving waters. With a range of BMPs available with varying costs and effectiveness, a Decision Support System (DSS) to guide development of the WQIP and implementation of BMPs to protect receiving waters, is under development. As new information becomes available the DSS will be updated to ensure relevance and accuracy for decision-making and planning purposes. The DSS, calibrated for application in the catchments, will play a critical role in adaptive implementation of the WQIP by assessing the effect of land use change and management interventions on pollutant load generation and by providing a tool to guide priority setting and investment planning to achieve agreed WQIP load targets.
32
Masters, B. K. "Management of Dairy Waste: A Low Cost Treatment System Using Phosphorus-Adsorbing Materials." Water Science and Technology 27, no. 1 (January 1, 1993): 159–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1993.0038.
Full textAbstract:
Dairy wastes are a source of nutrient pollution of surface and ground waters in high rainfall areas of south west Western Australia. Many of the state's 546 dairies are sited over soils that are either sandy, leading to pollution of ground waters, or clayey, causing reductions in surface water quality. Awareness of the environmental implications of their activities is motivating dairy farmers to join Land Conservation District Committees, where water quality improvement is a primary goal. A low cost treatment system has been designed to reduce the water pollution potential of dairy waste. It incorporates three stages: a sump in which anaerobic digestion occurs; an aerobic vegetated filter with a base of permeable phosphorus-absorbing material; and an irrigated plantation or crop using water that has passed through the system. This paper describes the theoretical background to the design.
33
Lynam, Tim, John Drewry, Will Higham, and Carl Mitchell. "Adaptive modelling for adaptive water quality management in the Great Barrier Reef region, Australia." Environmental Modelling & Software 25, no. 11 (November 2010): 1291–301. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2009.09.013.
Full text
34
Bohnet, Iris C., and Clarence Kinjun. "Community uses and values of water informing water quality improvement planning: a study from the Great Barrier Reef region, Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 60, no. 11 (2009): 1176. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf08329.
Full textAbstract:
Community participation has gained widespread recognition in water management and planning for its potential to inform management plans and gain community support for actions that are aligned with the community’s water values. However, the practical application of community participation remains challenging as there is no consensus on who should be involved and why. During a participatory research project to inform the Tully Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP), the local community was involved in qualitative interviews and workshops to identify the water uses and values in the Tully basin. The results showed that these waters are extensively used and valued via a wide range of activities and that water is more than an economic good. All participants valued the aquatic ecosystems, which provide the basis for setting the most stringent water quality objectives (WQOs). Moreover, the results showed that many of the current uses and values of waters are under serious threat and that some uses and values have been lost over time. These findings informed the setting of the WQOs for the Tully WQIP to protect and re-establish the water uses and values that the local community supports.
35
Paterson, John. "Water Management and Recreational Values; Some Cases in Victoria, Australia." Water Science and Technology 21, no. 2 (February 1, 1989): 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1989.0021.
Full textAbstract:
The growing recognition of recreational and amenity demands on water systems introduces a multitude of issues, many of them complex, to the established tasks of water quality management and water management generally. Victorian case studies are presented. They (1) illustrate the range and diversity of situations that can arise in managing competition and enhancing compatibility between traditional water supply objectives and recreational demands. (2) Fluctuation of storage levels, essential to storage operations, detract from recreational value. Recreational and tourism demands upon Lake Hume have grown to threaten traditional operating flexibility. (3) Mokoan is another such instance, but with its supply function in a state of flux, Lake Mokoan provides more scope for a shift in the balance. (4) Salinity management has become an issue in the management of lakes and wetlands when water supply interests and environmental/recreation interests respectively have different perspectives on salt disposal. (5) Recreational use of town supply sources has long been a vexed issue, although marked shifts in the attitudues of many supply authorities have occurred in recent years. (6) Eutrophication of lakes and estuaries raises difficult issues of responsibility and scientific uncertainty, and the water management connection may be tenuous but will attract public attention. (7) The water body attributes valued by specialised recreational interests require definition in terms that water managers can deal with using routine techniques of systems analysis and evaluation. (8) The demands of the fish population and anglers introduce a new perspective in river management and perceptions of instream values are changing markedly. (9) Direct costs of recreational services supplied by water authorities are not fully accounted: allocation choices and fiscal incidence will emerge as issues of significance. (10) These case studies raise only a fraction of the total range of matters that will, in the years to come, tax the technology and political skills of governments and management.
36
Moss, A. J. "Water Quality in Residential Tidal Canals." Water Science and Technology 21, no. 2 (February 1, 1989): 53–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1989.0027.
Full textAbstract:
Monitoring of water quality in residential tidal canals in Queensland has been carried out since 1974. Some recent data from four separate canal systems and their source waters is presented. Source water quality was generally good and this high quality was maintained in surface waters throughout these systems. Stratification of the water column in poorly flushed canal branches led to periodic deterioration in bottom water quality but this never resulted in significant management problems. Based on the Queensland data and on data from other Australian and overseas canal systems, conclusions are drawn about significant factors affecting canal water quality. These include flushing rates, source quality, polluting inputs, freshwater inflows and depth. Finally, possible objectives for canal water quality are discussed.
37
Braune, M. J., and A. Wood. "Best management practices applied to urban runoff quantity and quality control." Water Science and Technology 39, no. 12 (June 1, 1999): 117–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1999.0537.
Full textAbstract:
South Africa currently has one of the highest rates of urbanisation in the world causing a significant increase in surface water runoff. This, in turn, causes increased flooding and a significant decrease in water quality due primarily to the accumulation of pollutants. The need exists to manage urban stormwater runoff on an integrated catchment basis, thereby reducing the negative impact of urbanisation on the environment and quality of life. In this paper, details on how existing problem areas can be identified and ranked, the use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce the impacts of urbanisation on the environment and the effectiveness of BMP's are discussed and illustrated, based on expertise gained from studies in South Africa as well as visits to the USA and Australia.
38
Arthington, A. H., G. J. Miller, and P. M. Outridge. "Water Quality, Phosphorus Budgets and Management of Dune Lakes Used for Recreation in Queensland (Australia)." Water Science and Technology 21, no. 2 (February 1, 1989): 111–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1989.0036.
Full textAbstract:
The water quality and trophic status of two Queensland dune lakes are compared in the context of assessing the impacts of recreational use and other human activities. Lake Freshwater, Cooloola, has a mean total phosphorus concentration of 12.1 ± 3.3 µg l−1 and is approaching mesotrophic status, whereas Blue Lagoon, Moreton Island, is oligotrophic. Natural loadings of total phosphorus, ranging from 0.2 to 0.35 g m−2 yr−1, are consistent with the progression of Lake Freshwater from oligotrophic to mesotrophic status. The phosphorus loadings predicted by Vollenweider's (1976) one-compartment model, for two values of mean lake depth, also indicate that Lake Freshwater is tending towards eutrophic conditions. The management implications of phosphorus loadings and budgets are discussed.
39
Abal, EG, and WC Dennison. "Seagrass depth range and water quality in southern Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 47, no. 6 (1996): 763. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf9960763.
Full textAbstract:
Correlations between water quality parameters and seagrass depth penetration were developed for use as a biological indicator of integrated light availability and long-term trends in water quality. A year-long water quality monitoring programme in Moreton Bay was coupled with a series of seagrass depth transects. A strong gradient between the western (landward) and eastern (seaward) portions of Moreton Bay was observed in both water quality and seagrass depth range. Higher concentrations of chlorophyll a, total suspended solids, dissolved and total nutrients, and light attenuation coefficients in the water column and correspondingly shallower depth limits of the seagrass Zostera capricorni were observed in the western portions of the bay. Relatively high correlation coefficient values (r2 > 0.8) were observed between light attenuation coefficient, total suspended solids, chlorophyll a, total Kjeldahl nitrogen and Zostera capricorni depth range. Low correlation coefficient values (r2 < 0.8) between seagrass depth range and dissolved inorganic nutrients were observed. Seagrasses had disappeared over a five-year period near the mouth of the Logan River, a turbid river with increased land use in its watershed. At a site 9 km from the river mouth, a significant decrease in seagrass depth range corresponded to higher light attenuation, chlorophyll a, total suspended solids and total nitrogen content relative to a site 21 km from the river mouth. Seagrass depth penetration thus appears to be a sensitive bio-indicator of some water quality parameters, with application for water quality management.
40
Tsatsaros, Julie H., Iris C. Bohnet, Jon E. Brodie, and Peter Valentine. "Improving Water Quality in the Wet Tropics, Australia: A Conceptual Framework and Case Study." Water 12, no. 11 (November 10, 2020): 3148. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w12113148.
Full textAbstract:
The Wet Tropics region of north Queensland contains the highest biological diversity in Australia, has outstanding environmental values, is economically important and located adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Increasing urban development and agricultural intensification in the Wet Tropics has raised serious water quality concerns. To successfully achieve water quality improvement outcomes, the integration of social and biophysical knowledge, in particular clarifying the roles and responsibilities of multiple stakeholders for knowledge integration, has been identified as a key issue and research priority. However, research into the processes supporting knowledge integration and clarifying roles and responsibilities of multiple stakeholders for improving water quality is largely lacking. To fill this gap, we further developed and advanced a social-ecological planning framework to improve our understanding of how multiple-stakeholders can contribute to successful water quality management outcomes. Our conceptual framework, applied in the Tully basin adjacent to the GBR: (1) provides a transdisciplinary approach; (2) enhances the integration of social and biophysical knowledge through tailored methods fitting the local context; (3) shares knowledge and provides recommendations; (4) outlines factors that may promote or inhibit the implementation of freshwater quality objectives; (5) highlights inadequacies of existing government guidelines, policies, and presents co-management opportunities and (6) offers a novel collaborative approach supporting water quality improvement in the Wet Tropics of Australia and beyond.
41
Kuruppu, Upeka, and Ataur Rahman. "Trends in water quality data in the Hawkesbury–Nepean River System, Australia." Journal of Water and Climate Change 6, no. 4 (May 7, 2015): 816–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2015.120.
Full textAbstract:
The Hawkesbury–Nepean River System (HNRS) is one of the most important inland river systems in Australia, which supplies over 90% of Sydney's potable water. In this paper, 25 water quality parameters from nine sampling stations in the HNRS covering a period of 12 years are used to examine the trends in the water quality data in the HNRS. It has been found that there is an overall increasing trend of turbidity, chlorophyll-a, alkalinity, total iron, total aluminium, total manganese and reactive silicate, indicating an overall water quality deterioration in the HNRS during the last decade. The parameters such as phosphorus, suspended solids and ammonical nitrogen do not show any marked change over the period of study. Although an improvement in water quality can be seen at some stations downstream of the undisturbed parts of the catchment, there is a clear trend of increased chemical and physical water quality deterioration at many locations in the HNRS. Better land use planning is recommended to achieve an overall improvement in the water quality of the HNRS in future.
42
Abeysinghe, D. H., A. Shanableh, and B. Rigden. "Biofilters for water reuse in aquaculture." Water Science and Technology 34, no. 11 (December 1, 1996): 253–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1996.0287.
Full textAbstract:
Aquaculture is a rapidly expanding industry in Australia and around the world. The majority of aquaculture operations employ flow through systems whereby residual feed and metabolic products are discharged to a nearby water body. In many countries, the discharge of nutrients rich aquaculture waters has contributed to the degradation of water quality in receiving water bodies. Aquaculture's dependency on water resources ultimately makes water recycling an attractive waste management option. Submerged flow biofilters, utilising a filter media with specific surface area of approximately 141m2/m3, were used to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from a synthetic fish farm water. Three biofilter systems were tested for nitrification, nitrification followed by denitrification, and combined nutrients removal. Successful carbon removal and nitrification were achieved in the nitrification system. The nitrification/denitrification biofilters achieved complete denitrification and nitrogen removal. The cyclic aerated/unaerated combined nutrients removal system achieved approximately 40 percent phosphorus removal, complete nitrification and 40 percent denitrification. The study demonstrated the viability of using biofilters for nutrients removal from fish farm waters. Biofilters are readily designed and constructed in modular form which makes such systems particularly useful for water quality management in aquaculture.
43
Bereskie, Ty, Ianis Delpla, Manuel J. Rodriguez, and Rehan Sadiq. "Drinking-water management in Canadian provinces and territories: a review and comparison of management approaches for ensuring safe drinking water." Water Policy 20, no. 3 (January 10, 2018): 565–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wp.2018.040.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Drinking-water management systems (DWMSs) represent the primary means for preventative management of a drinking-water supply and are defined as a system of policies, procedures and administrative/behavioral controls designed to ensure safe drinking water from source to tap. With influence and inspiration ranging from safe food handling to industrial quality management, DWMSs can take, and have taken, many different forms throughout the world. This variability is especially true in Canada, a country with a decentralized governance structure, where provincial and territorial governments are mostly autonomous in regard to drinking-water governance and management. While this has resulted in comprehensive DWMSs in provinces such as Ontario, less-proactive provinces and territories have fallen behind and may be exposing consumers to under-protected and vulnerable drinking-water supplies. This paper includes a review and comparison of the existing Canadian national, provincial and territorial approaches to drinking-water management, the World Health Organization Water Safety Plan Recommendations, national DWMSs from Australia and New Zealand, and also includes widely applied, generic quality management systems. This information is then used to gauge the comprehensiveness of DWMSs in Canada and highlight potential management gaps and policy recommendations for the development of new, or improving existing, DWMSs.
44
Dutra, Leo X. C., Nick Ellis, Pascal Perez, Cathy M. Dichmont, William de la Mare, and Fabio Boschetti. "Drivers influencing adaptive management: a retrospective evaluation of water quality decisions in South East Queensland (Australia)." AMBIO 43, no. 8 (June 28, 2014): 1069–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0537-4.
Full text
45
Jayasuriya, L. N. N., N. Kadurupokune, M. Othman, and K. Jesse. "Contributing to the sustainable use of stormwater: the role of pervious pavements." Water Science and Technology 56, no. 12 (December 1, 2007): 69–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2007.753.
Full textAbstract:
The city of Melbourne, Australia is experiencing a water crisis with potable water storage reservoirs at an all time low. With increasing urbanisation there is an ever increasing need to research and explore sustainable water management initiatives. There is potential to minimise the negative impacts of stormwater runoff and augment dwindling supplies of potable water through adoption of pervious paving technology. The traditional approach to stormwater management has focused on constructing drainage networks to carry stormwater away from developed areas as quickly as possible to avoid the risk of flooding. The main aim of this research project was to establish relationships between rainfall intensity, infiltration rate and pervious pavement runoff and to examine the improvement to stormwater quality after infiltrating through pervious pavements. This paper describes the laboratory experiment set-up to determine the infiltration patterns and stormwater quality improvement for simulated storms precipitating on pervious pavements. Next, the scaling-up of the experimental rig to a field-based trial is explained. Preliminary results from this work are presented to demonstrate the potential benefits of pervious pavements in the Australian landscape.
46
Anderson, W. K., M. A. Hamza, D. L. Sharma, M. F. D'Antuono, F. C. Hoyle, N. Hill, B. J. Shackley, M. Amjad, and C. Zaicou-Kunesch. "The role of management in yield improvement of the wheat crop—a review with special emphasis on Western Australia." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 56, no. 11 (2005): 1137. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar05077.
Full textAbstract:
Modern bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) has been well adapted for survival and production in water-limited environments since it was first domesticated in the Mediterranean basin at least 8000 years ago. Adaptation to various environments has been assisted through selection and cross-breeding for traits that contribute to high and stable yield since that time. Improvements in crop management aimed at improving yield and grain quality probably developed more slowly but the rate of change has accelerated in recent decades. Many studies have shown that the contribution to increased yield from improved management has been about double that from breeding. Both processes have proceeded in parallel, although possibly at different rates in some periods, and positive interactions between breeding and management have been responsible for greater improvements than by either process alone. In southern Australia, management of the wheat crop has focused on improvement of yield and grain quality over the last century. Adaptation has come to be equated with profitability and, recently, with long-term economic and biological viability of the production system. Early emphases on water conservation through the use of bare fallow, crop nutrition through the use of fertilisers, crop rotation with legumes, and mechanisation, have been replaced by, or supplemented with, extensive use of herbicides for weed management, reduced tillage, earlier sowing, retention of crop residues, and the use of ‘break’ crops, largely for management of root diseases. Yields from rainfed wheat crops in Western Australia have doubled since the late 1980s and water-use efficiency has also doubled. The percentage of the crop in Western Australia that qualifies for premium payments for quality has increased 3–4 fold since 1990. Both these trends have been underpinned by the gradual elimination or management of the factors that have been identified as limiting grain yield, grain quality, or long-term viability of the cropping system.
47
Dunin, F. X., C. J. Smith, and O. T. Denmead. "Hydrological change: reaping prosperity and pain in Australia." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 11, no. 1 (January 17, 2007): 77–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hess-11-77-2007.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract. The adage: “There is no such thing as a free lunch”, is relevant to land-use hydrology in Australia. Changes in land use to achieve greater productivity of food and fibre may have an adverse effect on the water balance and hence on the natural resource capital of a catchment. An altered regime of catchment outflow accompanies those land-use changes which, together with land degradation, impairs available water resources in quantity and quality and threatens enterprise sustainability, notwithstanding the initial improvement in productivity. Central to any hydrological change is an altered pattern of seasonal and annual water use by vegetation that has become modified in function with an amended transpiration fraction of daily evapotranspiration. In Australia, since measurement of evapotranspiration became feasible, the hydrological consequences of changes in land use have been determined, allowing the benefits in terms of plant productivity achieved through enhanced water use efficiency to be weighed against changed catchment outflows, diminished in either quantity or quality. Four case studies are presented as examples of ecological and hydrological changes: two deal with the upland forest environment and two with arable lowlands. In an upland eucalypt forest, following wildfire with subsequent regeneration from natural seedling establishment, substantial reduction in water yield occurred throughout a 50-year period of succession in the even-aged stand. In comparison, the effect of converting eucalypt forest to pine plantations was less detrimental to the yield of water from the catchments, with substantial growth increases over 30 years. In the lowlands, agricultural productivity, both as annual pasture and as crop, far exceeds that of natural perennial grassland and woodland. This increase in productivity comes not so much from any change to the yield of total water outflow but at the expense of water quality, compromised with increased material transport in suspension and solution resulting from accelerated erosion in association with outbreaks of soil salinity and acidity. The present study is aimed at optimising management to give plant production outcomes that ensure environmental protection through resource conservation. In the uplands, harvesting of water is the dominant consideration so that conservative management with limited plant productivity is sought. In the lowlands, the objective is to devise novel ecosystems with profitable plant production that exercises due control on outflow in maintaining the chemical and physical integrity of the edaphic environment.
48
Crampton, Andrea, and Angela T. Ragusa. "Perceived agricultural runoff impact on drinking water." Journal of Water and Health 12, no. 3 (March 25, 2014): 484–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wh.2014.212.
Full textAbstract:
Agricultural runoff into surface water is a problem in Australia, as it is in arguably all agriculturally active countries. While farm practices and resource management measures are employed to reduce downstream effects, they are often either technically insufficient or practically unsustainable. Therefore, consumers may still be exposed to agrichemicals whenever they turn on the tap. For rural residents surrounded by agriculture, the link between agriculture and water quality is easy to make and thus informed decisions about water consumption are possible. Urban residents, however, are removed from agricultural activity and indeed drinking water sources. Urban and rural residents were interviewed to identify perceptions of agriculture's impact on drinking water. Rural residents thought agriculture could impact their water quality and, in many cases, actively avoided it, often preferring tank to surface water sources. Urban residents generally did not perceive agriculture to pose health risks to their drinking water. Although there are more agricultural contaminants recognised in the latest Australian Drinking Water Guidelines than previously, we argue this is insufficient to enhance consumer protection. Health authorities may better serve the public by improving their proactivity and providing communities and water utilities with the capacity to effectively monitor and address agricultural runoff.
49
Richards, R. A., J. R. Hunt, J. A. Kirkegaard, and J. B. Passioura. "Yield improvement and adaptation of wheat to water-limited environments in Australia—a case study." Crop and Pasture Science 65, no. 7 (2014): 676. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp13426.
Full textAbstract:
The improvement in grain yield of wheat throughout Australia through both breeding and management has been impressive. Averaged across all farms, there has been an approximate doubling of yield per unit area since ~1940. This has occurred across a broad range of environments with different rainfall patterns. Interestingly, the gain in the driest years (9 kg ha–1 year–1 or 0.81% year–1) has been proportionally greater than in the most favourable years (13.2 kg ha–1 year–1 or 0.61% per year) when expressed as yield relative to 2012. These data from all farms suggest that further yield progress is likely, and evidence is presented that improved management practices alone could double this rate of progress. The yield increases achieved have been without any known compromise in grain quality or disease resistance. As expected, improvements have come from both changed management and from better genetics, as well as from the synergy between them. Yield improvements due to changed management have been dramatic and are easiest to quantify, whereas those from breeding have been important but more subtle. The management practices responsible have largely been driven by advances in mechanisation that enable direct seeding, more timely and flexible sowing and nutrient management, and improved weed and pest control, many of which have been facilitated by improved crop sequences with grain legumes and oilseeds that improve water- and nutrient-use efficiency. Most of the yield improvements from breeding in Australia have come from conventional breeding approaches where selection is almost solely for grain yield (together with grain quality and disease resistance). Improvements have primarily been through increased harvest index (HI), although aboveground biomass has also been important. We discuss future opportunities to further increase Australian rainfed wheat yields. An important one is earlier planting, which increases resource capture. This will require knowledge of the genes regulating phenological development so that flowering still occurs at the optimum time; appropriate modifications to sowing arrangements and nutrient management will also be required. To improve yield potential, we propose a focus on physiological traits that increase biomass and HI and suggest that there may be more scope to improve biomass than HI. In addition, there are likely to be important opportunities to combine novel management practices with new breeding traits to capture the synergy possible from variety × management interactions. Finally, we comment on research aimed at adapting agriculture to climate change.
50
Howard, J. R., J. Lucas, J. Maitland, P. Tarrant, and T. Watson. "WaterScope: an innovative water quality information management system." Water Supply 4, no. 5-6 (December 1, 2004): 409–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/ws.2004.0132.
Full textAbstract:
SA Water is a State owned organisation that owns and manages South Australia's water supplies, providing reliable drinking water to nearly 1.4 million South Australians. A major issue affecting SA Water's ability to manage water quality effectively has been the difficulty accessing water quality information which has been stored in separate, generally inaccessible databases with poor reporting and decision support capability. To improve SA Water's ability to make timely and effective decisions regarding water quality, an integrated business system has been developed which provides water managers with direct access to comprehensive water quality information. The system includes improved field data collection units which incorporate a barcode system; sample point images and workflow support tools; an integrated water quality data warehouse with automated standard and ad hoc reporting capabilities; a geographical information system containing comprehensive coverages of natural resources and system infrastructure information; and water incident exception reporting and incident management support through a corporate incident management system. Major benefits of the system will include improved management of public health risk through quicker and more accurate reporting of incidents; improved customer confidence in SA Water; improved knowledge capture and visibility of water quality information; increased efficiency of capital utilisation and better understanding of system performance through spatial representation of data and trending of results. WaterScope can also be used and shared by data partners and regulators, making optimal use of the State's limited water quality data sets. It can also be made available commercially to other water management organisations. Future challenges include the integration of wastewater and recycled water data, linking of continuous (on-line) water quality data and links to water demand management systems.