Water: for liveable communities and sustainable industries

Australia’s water industry has seen significant change over the last decade, with the introduction of water recycling, considerable developments in water efficiency and many cities now having a desalination plant. Ageing infrastructure and climatic pressures on water mean this change will likely continue, particularly as a booming population is predicted to double over the next 50 years.

Ozwater’16 will once again bring together the brightest minds, innovators and enablers in water and wastewater for a three-day conference to uncover and explore the challenges and opportunities facing the water sector now and in the future.

The event attracts speakers from across the country and internationally, from leading water professionals, commercial and business honchos, industry leaders, technology entrepreneurs and academic masterminds. They will share their knowledge of both local and global issues as they relate to water, putting a spotlight on sustainability issues. This year the conference agenda is packed with additional streams relating to current issues including liveability and sustainability of the future.

In addition to the comprehensive conference program, there is also a workshops program and trade exhibition. The trade exhibition is free to attend from Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 May. It features more than 200 exhibitors showcasing water-related products, services and innovations from international and national companies.

Keynotes include:

• Kerry Bodine — writer and customer expert, co-author of Outside In: The Power of Putting Customers at the Center of Your Business
• Professor John Thwaites — Chair of ClimateWorks, Chairman of Melbourne Water
• Andrew Geczy — CEO, International and Institutional Banking, ANZ

With over 150 platform presentations, the event will see dedicated streams on Liveable and Sustainability Cities of the Future, Sustainable Industries, Customers and Communities and Water for Rural, Remote and Regional Communities. Presentations include:

• Moving wastewater treatment facilities to resource recovery facilities — Dr Art Umble of MWH, Denver, USA
• Beyond benchmarking: a water sensitive cites index — Lindsey Beck, LindseyB
• Outcomes from integrated water planning — Robert Considine, Melbourne Water
• Using market-based instruments to deliver cost-effective stormwater management outcomes — Jeremy Cheesman, Marsden Jacob
• Generating liveability benefits from investment in water authority land assets — Kym Whiteoak, RMCG
• The role of climate-resilient water sources in Australia — Matthew Hardy, Bureau of Meteorology
• The role of renewable energy in the Australian water sector — the water-energy nexus — Wayne Goodwin, Beca
• Tropical highs: applying lessons learnt from existing groundwater recharge schemes to inform Northern Australia’s proposed increasing demand for water — Carly Waterhouse, CH2M
• Sustainable mining operations and the prospective role of membrane bio-reactor in mine water management — Amos Branch, UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology, UNSW

Ozwater’16 will also feature workshops on:

• Transitioning to a water sensitive city — part 1 and 2, presented by CRC for Water Sensitive Cities
• Validating water treatment in integrated water management: introducing ‘Waterval’, presented by the Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence
• Future water infrastructure investment — where will the money come from?, presented by Aither Pty Ltd
• Enhancing business outcomes though education — Australian Water Association Water Education Network

Details at a glance

Ozwater’16 is supported by Principal Sponsors Suez and Melbourne Water.

What: Ozwater’16 international water conference and exhibition

Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

When: 10–12 May 2016

Web:  www.ozwater.org

Register for the free trade exhibition at: www.ozwater.org/tradevisitor.

Early-bird prices close 31 March.

Image credit: ©amidala/Dollar Photo Club