Stabilisation lagoons hold water from Bolivar Sewage Plant, north of Adelaide, South Australia.
Water Reuse and Environmental Process Engineering
Our expertise in water reuse, resource recovery and environmental processing is addressing urban, environmental and industry demands.
- 20 January 2011 | Updated 14 October 2011
Overview
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Australia’s urban centres are expected to experience acute water shortages by 2030.
If there is no change to current water supply practices, this shortfall is projected to be 680 gigalitres (GL) per year. To help address this shortfall, it is critical to consider the reuse of water, including water storage and treatment.
The subsurface storage of excess water is an attractive option but further research is required to ensure that the aquifers are capable of receiving the water and to assess the potential effects of any chemical alterations in the subsurface.
Better management options and monitoring technologies are required to reduce the impacts of industry on groundwater and surface water quality. There are over 30 000 chemical storages in urban and industrial areas in Australia. The impacts and risks of leaks from these storages, along with increases in chemical use in urban areas, need to be assessed.
Australia’s trillion-dollar energy and resources sectors also require that environmental consequences of their operations are better assessed and efficiencies of their production improved. The science being applied for better outcomes for our urban environments is also applied to industry for cleaner production and environmental protection.
