2014 National Water Awards announced

The Australian Water Association’s (AWA’s) National Water Awards were announced last night as part of the annual Ozwater conference and exhibition. Presented across eight categories, the awards included projects from all Australian states and territories.

The award winners were as follows:

Australian Stockholm Junior Water Prize - Lewis Nitschinsk

This prize is for high school student projects aimed at improving the quality of life through improvement of water quality, water resources management, water protection, and water and wastewater. It was awarded to Lewis Nitschinsk for his project on the optimal reclamation point of phosphate from an industrial wastewater treatment facility through chemical precipitation using calcium chloride.

Undergraduate Water Prize - Anna Wilson

Open to final-year students in Australian universities who carry out a thesis or project related to water, this award rewards students for excellence in the field of water studies and research. The thesis of Anna Wilson, of Flinders University, evaluated and improved published polymerase chain reaction assays for Cryptosporidium species identification and developed a novel typing assay.

Young Water Professional of the Year - Liz Pattinson

This award honours young water professionals for their contribution to the water industry and is an opportunity to recognise those individuals who have the potential to be future water leaders. Liz Pattison, operations manager of the Remote Area Essential Services Program at Parson Brinckerhoff, was awarded due to her extensive work raising awareness of water and wastewater servicing requirements for remote Aboriginal communities.

Water Professional of the Year - Professor Graeme Dandy

This award honours individuals who have displayed a sustained passion and continued commitment to the water industry, and who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and influence in the water sector. Professor Graeme Dandy has made a significant contribution to the water industry in South Australia and internationally through his leadership, teaching, research and professional activities. He is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Adelaide and co-founder, director and technical consultant for software and consulting company Optimatics.

Water Industry Safety Excellence Award - Gosford City Council

The objective of this annual award is to acknowledge outstanding initiative and team contributions in considering and playing an active part in the area of safety improvement and injury prevention across the entire water industry. The Water and Sewer Directorate at Gosford City Council is responsible for operating Mangrove Creek Dam and its Intake Tower, which has a vertical shaft with a 47 m drop. The council designed a rolling grate floor that allows workers to work closely to the shaft from all sides without risk of falling into the shaft.

Program Innovation Award - BMT WBM, Moreton Bay Council, Unitywater and Bligh Tanner

This award provides recognition of significant environmental or sustainability programs within the water industry. Moreton Bay Regional Council’s Total Water Cycle Management Plan (TWCM) has been developed to help sustainably manage waterways in the Moreton Bay Region. It provides a framework for balancing growth with the needs of the local environment and identifying strategies for the long-term management, health and quality of local waterways. The plan is the first of its kind in South-East Queensland.

Infrastructure Project Innovation Award - Interflow

This rewards significant and innovative infrastructure projects and initiatives within the water industry. Interflow’s project specified structural renewal of 1.2 km of 900 mm diameter sewer pipeline some 20 m deep in a residential and industrial area which ran under Silverwater Road. Renewal was completed while the sewer remained in full service, and it should not need further maintenance for 50 or more years.

Research Innovation - Department of Water (WA)

This award encourages innovation, constant environmental improvement and sustainable management of Australia’s water resources. The Department of Water and its predecessors have worked more than 20 years to reverse high stream salinity in the upper catchment of the south-coast’s Denmark River. In 2012, the state government announced the river’s average salinity levels had dropped to 470 mg/L - the first time an Australian river has reversed salinity levels to become fresh.

AWA Chief Executive Jonathan McKeown said the array of different project types entered for this year’s awards is an indication of how paramount water and wastewater is to so many industries and parts of our lives.

“These awards of excellence demonstrate the innovation, courage, leadership and outstanding achievement that is needed to meet our nation’s water needs in the decades to come,” said McKeown