Urban and Industrial Water

Research Program Leader: Peter Franzmann
Personal Assistant: Wendy Whitford

Group Leaders:
Peter Dillon - Water Reuse
Greg Davis - Environmental Process Engineering
Stewart Burn - Urban Water Systems Engineering

Caring for our water

Water demand is fast outstripping supply in many Australian cities. Climate change and population growth is putting increased pressure on water resources and many sensitive urban land and water environments are at risk of contamination.

Driven by the vision to protect Australia’s water resources, CSIRO aims to secure innovative and safe supplies of water for the future by:

• Encouraging recycling
• Protecting water quality - through good urban catchment management and remediation of contaminated water resources.

CSIRO is committed to creating new water recycling systems and methods for protecting existing water resources and remediating contaminated resources. This is done through conducting groundwater modelling, catchment management, microbiological, socio-economic, health and technological research.

Innovative water recycling systems

Our recycling research identifies and develops emerging technologies for the storage and treatment of water. An important key to sound urban water management is the integration of groundwater resources into the urban water system.

Our research incorporates health and environmental risk assessment which is a vital component in community engagement. We also identify key factors in the successful adoption of recycling innovations and the community values associated with them.

We evaluate these innovative recycling systems and where successful, integrate them - through modelling - into real and conceptual urban based water systems.

CSIRO is committed to developing methods to ensure safe adoption of recycling systems. This includes evaluation of health and land use options whilst also engaging the community.

Protecting and restoring water quality

Our remediation research focuses on a series of investigations; from understanding contaminant behaviour through to knowledge of their impact or beneficial use.

Our work is consolidated by research into reducing the impact of contamination. By working with industry, government and other research providers, we develop innovative scientific solutions for the assessment and treatment of contaminated environments.

The outcomes assist in water protection and water quality policy by providing sound advice on the management and prevention of contamination threats.

Related Links

• Managed Aquifer Recharge Project - The Managed Aquifer Recharge project in Western Australia involves infiltrating treated wastewater into groundwater aquifers and reclaiming it as a new water source. Nov 2005
• eWater CRC
• Water for a Healthy Country Flagship