Water recycling in Australia – during and after the drought

Radcliffe, John

doi:10.1039/c5ew00048c

Cited by 39 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…In order to estimate the fraction of S TOT associated with increased use of alternative water sources, information concerning their annual uptake and volumetric storage capacity was compiled from the work of Low et al 22 Although centralized (and potable) supply alternatives were pursued during the drought (e.g., the Wonthaggi Desalination plant and the Sugarloaf pipeline), both projects were completed after the drought ended, and have since contributed minimally (or not at all) to Melbourne's potable supply. 5,38,46 A variety of nonpotable projects were also pursued, intended to save potable water for required uses such as drinking. These include recycled water schemes (e.g., dual pipe systems for in-home uses such as toilet flushing), permanent greywater and stormwater harvesting systems, and rainwater catchment measures (e.g., rainwater tanks).…”

Section: ■ Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4 A similar story is playing out in Perth, Western Australia, which remains in a water vulnerable state (running two desalination plants at full capacity to meet public water demand), despite the official cessation of drought in 2009. 5 This water scarcity is unlikely to abate in the near future, as climate models project a warmer, drier, climate for both Southwest and Eastern Australia. 6,7 This will place cities in these regions under increased water stress, and has the potential to shift water supply systems from generally robust to predominantly insecure.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deconstructing Demand: The Anthropogenic and Climatic Drivers of Urban Water Consumption

Hemati¹,

Rippy²,

Grant³

et al. 2016

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Cities in drought prone regions of the world such as South East Australia are faced with escalating water scarcity and security challenges. Here we use 72 years of urban water consumption data from Melbourne, Australia, a city that recently overcame a 12 year "Millennium Drought", to evaluate (1) the relative importance of climatic and anthropogenic drivers of urban water demand (using wavelet-based approaches) and (2) the relative contribution of various water saving strategies to demand reduction during the Millennium Drought. Our analysis points to conservation as a dominant driver of urban water savings (69%), followed by nonrevenue water reduction (e.g., reduced meter error and leaks in the potable distribution system; 29%), and potable substitution with alternative sources like rain or recycled water (3%). Per-capita consumption exhibited both climatic and anthropogenic signatures, with rainfall and temperature explaining approximately 55% of the variance. Anthropogenic controls were also strong (up to 45% variance explained). These controls were nonstationary and frequency-specific, with conservation measures like outdoor water restrictions impacting seasonal water use and technological innovation/changing social norms impacting lower frequency (baseline) use. The above-noted nonstationarity implies that wavelets, which do not assume stationarity, show promise for use in future predictive models of demand.

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Section: ■ Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deconstructing Demand: The Anthropogenic and Climatic Drivers of Urban Water Consumption

Hemati¹,

Rippy²,

Grant³

et al. 2016

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Multiple schemes have suffered challenges, with some schemes delayed in commissioning, placed on standby or prematurely decommissioned (Radcliffe 2015). As a result, just over 6 Mm 3 of recycled water was produced in 2015 for urban use -96% less than the 2012 production rate of 162 Mm 3 (Bureau of Meteorology 2017).…”

Section: Scheme Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The development of recycled water schemes has aided the progression towards sustainable urban water management; a strategic objective of urban water utilities (Ferguson et al 2013, Radcliffe 2015. The implementation of schemes facilitated significant learning and knowledge development within the water sector and promoted collaboration between multiple stakeholders (Institute for Sustainable Futures 2013a).…”

Section: Chaptermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the household scale, rainwater tanks, greywater reuse and wastewater treatment and recycling schemes were developed to provide additional water supply . At the development to 6 CHAPTER 2 centralised scale, wastewater treatment and recycling, stormwater harvesting and managed aquifer recharge schemes were developed to provide for residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial use (Sharma et al 2010 (Radcliffe 2015). The urban water sector is now armed with a portfolio of diversified water and wastewater services; however, this portfolio has come with a substantial level of debt, increased costs to customers and an array of stranded assets (WSAA and IPA 2015).…”

Section: Diversification Of Urban Water Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrated project risk management for residential recycled water schemes

West¹

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In Australia, recycled water schemes have been implemented in residential developments to contribute to sustainable urban development, enhance water supply security and reduce pollutant discharges to the environment. However, a proportion of schemes have been delayed in commissioning, placed on stand-by or prematurely decommissioned well before the end of the scheme design life. Subsequently, the Australian Productivity Commission has questioned the robustness of the project assessment and decision-making practices adopted by the urban water sector.Despite considerable research on recycled water schemes, few attempts have been made to characterise the complex array of risks to the long-term viability of schemes or to define critical risk factors for which targeted management measures may be developed. To date, the risk assessment and management practices for recycled water schemes have pertained to environmental and public health risk only, with limited attention provided to the broader array of project risks. Consequently, the overarching aim of this thesis is to establish an integrated project assessment framework which incorporates critical risks to the long-term viability of residential recycled water schemes in an integrated manner.The study was based on a pragmatist philosophical foundation where practical outcomes and real effects were considered vital components of the research. A mixed method design was applied, where qualitative and quantitative methods were used to enable complementary and convergent research findings. The nature of the risk knowledge being sought was the construction of critical risk factors, with recognition that these constructions are subject to on-going revision as contextual conditions change.Through a case-study analysis of 21 residential recycled water schemes in Australia, 34 risk factors arising from six sources -physical, social, political and regulatory, implementation and operation, financial and economic and legal and contractual -were identified and characterised. The critical risks to the long-term viability of residential recycled water schemes, based on historical occurrence, comprised: unanticipated operational costs, legal and contractual arrangements, regulatory requirements and approval process and customer complaints and customer expectations not met. Despite continued concern pertaining to the public health risk of recycled water, the research findings concluded that public health impacts have been low to date.A national survey, developed on the basis of the defined risk factors, enabled the collection of complementary data to refine and verify the critical risk factors. At present, the ii inability to demonstrate an incontestable business case is posing a significant risk to the long-term viability of residential recycled water schemes. Political, regulatory, organisational and financial factors were also rated as critical risks, in addition to community risk perception and fall in demand. The survey results shed further light on the regulatory environ...

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Urban responses to restrictive conservation policy during drought

Palazzo

Liu

Stillinger

et al. 2017

Water Resources Research

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With climate change, the extent, severity, and frequency of droughts around the world are expected to increase. This study analyzed the ability of water districts to meet mandatory urban water conservation targets, which are a common policy response to drought. During California's recent record‐breaking drought, a 25% state‐wide use reduction objective was set and met. However, only 50% of urban water districts analyzed in this study reached their individual conservation target, which offers an opportunity to evaluate the factors associated with successful water use reduction. The findings show that the inclusion of water districts in the polycentric import structure may improve water conservation, but that source diversity may offer water districts a perceived buffer from the need for immediate water use reductions. Drought severity and lower median incomes are associated with greater water conservation, and conservation varies by hydrologic region. This analysis offers insights into institutional design and suggests that local biophysical and economic conditions shape responses in systematic ways that should be addressed by public policy responses to drought.

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Water recycling in Australia – during and after the drought

Abstract: Australia responded to drought with water reform and the use of alternative water sources to ensure security of water supply, but at a cost.

Cited by 39 publications

References 3 publications

Deconstructing Demand: The Anthropogenic and Climatic Drivers of Urban Water Consumption

Deconstructing Demand: The Anthropogenic and Climatic Drivers of Urban Water Consumption

Integrated project risk management for residential recycled water schemes

Urban responses to restrictive conservation policy during drought

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