Water Quality Acquisition Systems in Australia

Address uncertainty

Pests Climate Change

Uncertainty
Urbanization
Competing
demand
?

Loss of species
Pollution
Know your WHY
• What is / likely / does happen: Monitor & Model & M&E
• Fit for Purpose?
• Policy
• Evidence-based decision making
• Regulator, industry and community cooperation
Why
Things to do – add excel
Specialist Hydro-Met Monitoring

• Real-time flood forecasting, reservoir modelling and online Decision

Support System for hydrology, water quality and flooding
• Hydrolog, XPSWMM, SCADA, AEM3D+ SOURCE Catchments

• Postgres database generation, secondary Postgres database

• Warning system and multiple scenario forecasting

• Online diagnostic and forecasting system

• ORACLE and SQL Server databases integration

Data > Information > Knowledge
Architecture
Engaging
Experts
Engage Operators
Engage Decision Makers
WQ data + Model Results
 Engaging
Trust before
communitiesUse
Benchmarking: Environmental Report Cards

• Synthesise large datasets for multiple sites

• Transformative assessment and communication tools

• Science to Policy
Water Quality Index (WQI)

• Single number to express overall water quality based on

range of biological, physical or chemical parameters
• Complex > Easy to Use

• Geo-spatial and spatio-temporal consolidation

Pilot Study Uttar Pradesh
State to Site

• Level 1: Basin Level WQI

• Level 2: Site specific WQI Scores

• Level 3: Detailed Parameter Information

State to Site: WQI in Victoria

• Fully cloud based

• Historical WQ data: 20 parameters, ~ 20 years, 200 sites
• Watershed > Catchment > Sites
• Narrative, spatial and temporal analysis, actions
• Automated reporting, update of thresholds (norms), resources
• Combined SURFACE WATER / GROUNDWATER
State Regulation of Trans-boundary reporting
regions
Water Quality Index: Calculation
Rapid Assessment for Policy
Rapid Assessment for Policy
Where do I monitor?
Lessons from Australia

• Use data to assist investment framework

• Build Trust among states/stakeholders/users
• Whole-of-life-Cycle Cost Assessment
• Think ‘downstream’ & ‘off-stream’
• Combine qualitative and quantitative
• Consider alternative measures of ‘security’
• The data are used to improve environment
Thank you

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