OzWater 2025
The IWN team is looking forward to heading to Ozwater this year from 20–22 May in Adelaide.
With the 2025 theme, “Looking back, moving forward,” Ozwater invites us to reflect on past achievements while embracing a future where water is central to sustainable growth. We’re excited to be part of these important conversations and look forward to connecting with our members, partners, and collaborators throughout the event.
This year there will be a number of really interest presentations from the Victorian and Tasmania Water Industry which are listed below, if you have the time check them out.
Victorian & Tasmanian Utility Presentations at Ozwater’25
Day 1 – Tuesday 20 May
- THE ADVENT OF PROGRAMS: THE GOLDEN THREAD THAT UNDERPINS OUR INVESTMENT DECISIONS – Sarah Watkins, Melbourne Water
- “INVESTMENT IN KNOWLEDGE PAYS THE BEST INTEREST” – BUILDING CAPABILITY USING EMERGING INCIDENTS AS TRAINING EXERCISES – Michael Horkings and Paul Golsworthy, Yarra Valley Water
- TERHAP: PROJECT ADAPTABILITY THROUGH PLANNING AND DELIVERY – Andrew Truscott, TasWater
- BUILDING SEWERS BY BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS: A 5 YEAR CAPITAL PROGRAM TRANSFORMATION – Sally Crook and Dean Anderson, Yarra Valley Water
- PORT FAIRY STP OPERATIONAL STRATEGY TO ADAPT TO FLOW CONDITIONS – Tina Golkhou, SMEC and Ebony Perrin, Wannon Water
- EMERGING TECHNOLOGY SUITE FOR PRIORITISING WATER DISTRIBUTION MAIN RENEWALS AND MAKING PRUDENT DECISIONS – Tristan Rennick and Julian Wong, Yarra Valley Water
- NANOBUBBLES FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT INTENSIFICATION – Peter Sowter, TasWater
- ENVIRONMENTAL DNA: TRACKING BIODIVERSITY AND ECOLOGICAL HEALTH – Ava Cole, Yarra Valley Water
- UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL HARDSHIP IN A COST OF LIVING CRISIS – Catherine Nicolas, Yarra Valley Water
Day 2 – Wednesday 21 May
- CULTURAL JOURNEY OF THE TASWATER ALLIANCE – DIVERSITY & INCLUSION LEADING TO HIGH EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT – Amanda Allen and Kate Blizzard, TasWater
- FIRST NATIONS CULTURAL LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT APPROACH – Keedan Rigney, Yarra Valley Water
- HANNA ST AND CAUFIELD WEST BRANCH SEWER WORKS – ADDRESSING AGING BRICK SEWERS IN MELBOURNE – Jessica Lim and Jessie Huang, South East Water
- RECYCLED WATER COMMUNITY ASSETS – ENABLING MAJOR VICTORIAN PROJECTS TO REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT THROUGH WATER OFFSETS – Nathan Pitkin and Shreyashi Kanunjna, Yarra Valley Water
- USING PORTABLE ONLINE SENSORS TO ASSESS CHLORINE PERFORMANCE IN AN UNFILTERED DRINKING WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM – Amira Haruwarta, Yarra Valley Water
- INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP TO IMPROVE CLIMATE RESILIENCE – Catherine Loppy and Jason Taylor, TasWater
- ACHIEVING 100% RENEWABLES THROUGH ASSETS IN A REGIONAL LANDSCAPE – Graeme Dick, GWMWater
- ACCELERATING SMART NETWORKS THOUGH A FAST FOLLOWER APPROACH TO COLLABORATION – Travis Juffermans, Barwon Water
- MANAGING DIGITAL METER ISSUES: A PRACTICAL CASE STUDY – Sarah Last, South East Water
- MASS ROLL OUT OF DIGITAL METERS: A CUSTOMER AND BUSINESS-BENEFITS DRIVEN APPROACH – Ash Walsh and Alana Jones, South East Water
- ESTABLISHING INTEGRATED PARTNERSHIPS – Martin Sutherland, Fulton Hogan Utilities, Jane Espie, KBR and Charlie Littlefair, South East Water
- INFLOW AND INFILTRATION THEY SAID WE COULDN’T FIX IT, THEN WE HATCHED A CUNNING PLAN – Jamie Craven, TasWater
Day 3 – Thursday 22 may
- ACCELERATING UPTAKE OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS WITH RECYCLED, LOW CARBON CONTENT – Hayley Vinden, Barwon Water and Jill Fagan, North East Water
- OZOFRACTIONATION OF WASTEWATER – REDUCING BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS INCLUDING PFAS – Jason Barnett and Sean Paul, TasWater
- SENSE-MAKING PATHWAYS FOR BECOMING NATURE POSITIVE – Taegen Hannah, Yarra Valley Water
- INVESTIGATION ON REMOVAL OF PFAS USING WATER TREATMENT SLUDGE AND BIOCHAR – Minh Duc Nguyen, South East Water
- DELIVERING MULTIPLE BENEFITS FROM ALTERNATIVE WATER USE: ROLE OF COLLABORATION IN THE IWM PROGRAM – Suresh Bajracharya, South East Water
- FROM SEPTIC TO SEWER: UNDERSTANDING THE BARRIERS TO SWITCHING – Helen Roberts-Ferguson and Catherine Nicolas, Yarra Valley Water
- USING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT – Sophie Kenway, TasWater
- 8 YEARS OF BIOSOLIDS TO BIOCHAR RESEARCH: WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED – Maedeh Nadimi and Aravind Surapaneni, South East Water
- IWM AS CROSS-SERVICE PLANNING: A FRAMEWORK FOR DELIVERING MULTIPLE BENEFITS TO CUSTOMERS, THE COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT – Mark Wilton and Louise Lennon, Aurecon and Grace Tjandraatmadja, Melbourne Water
- CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OPTIMISATION – Christopher Riddle and Peter Hiransi, South East Water
- TRUNK WATER MAIN BUILD: TOWARDS OPERATIONAL HYDRAULIC MODELLING – Akhilanand Kulkarni, Jacobs and Mahinda Jayasooriya, Yarra Valley Water
- BUSINESS CUSTOMERS: REDUCING WATER LOSSES THROUGH LEAK ALERTS – Belinda Dalgleish, South East Water
- SOTTO VIBRATION SENSORS – FINDING LEAKS WITH A LITTLE BLACK BOX (AND THE PEOPLE WHO MATTER) – Marie Newington, South East Water
Adding to the excitement, technology providers who have partnered with the Intelligent Water Networks (IWN) will also be on display in the exhibition hall. Be sure to check out the following IWN trial partners and exhibitors to learn about the cutting-edge tools and services driving the future of water:
- Transient Detect
- Taggle
- StormHarvester
- Osmoflo
- Novolabs
- Lutra
- Ixom
- Eco Detection
- Detection Services
- Aquatec
We’re looking forward to seeing many of you at Ozwater and to all the great conversations, insights, and presentations the event has to offer.
Ripple Effect Podcast
The Ripple Effect podcast is back for another year—and we’ve got some fantastic episodes lined up!
But before we dive into what’s ahead, we thought it was the perfect time to look back at the episodes we released last year. In 2024, we launched two episodes:
🎙️ Episode 1 – Kayaking and Teapots
Join Kerryn Lester-Smith, Deepak Surendhra Mallya, Michael Thomas, and Jason Cotton as they explore why IWN has a Circular Economy Program and what its key focus areas are for 2025. You’ll hear about the groundbreaking trials underway, the broader circular economy activities happening across the water industry, and how you can get involved.
🎙️ Episode 2 – A Scandinavian Etude
In this episode, Kerryn Lester-Smith chats with Ian Bail, reflecting on his 20 years in the water sector and his recent experiences exploring innovative technology in Scandinavia.
Both episodes were really well received, and we hope the conversations sparked new ideas or perspectives for you—especially around the evolving space of circular economy. It’s always inspiring to hear from some of the real powerhouses in our sector.
Now, we’re excited to share that Episode 3 is out now!
🎙️ Episode 3 – The W Word and It’s Not Water
In this latest episode, Megan Kreutzer shares how Coliban Water is transforming water flows at Lake Eppalock into clean energy, while also diving into carbon sequestration and circular economy initiatives happening across regional Victoria.
A big thank you to all our podcast guests so far, and to the Circular Economy team working behind the scenes to make this series happen. Special thanks to the Circular Economy Leadership Team—Michael Thomas (Program Manager), Kerryn Lester-Smith (Deputy Program Manager), and Deepak Mallya (Deputy Stream Lead)—for their energy, creativity, and commitment. Your leadership continues to drive meaningful conversations and action in this space.
Episode 4 is already in the works and currently in editing—we can’t wait to share it with you soon.
If you’re interested in being part of the podcast series, we’d love to hear from you! Just reach out at enquiries@iwn.org.au.
Circular Economy Tour
On 25 March, 33 people from across the IWN Membership hopped on a bus and joined the second IWN Circular Economy tour.
Our first stop was the Yarra Valley Water ReWaste facility at Wollert. The state of the art facility takes 30,000 tonnes of organic material per year comprising of solid material from Melbourne’s produce markets and liquid material from food manufacturers. The plant converts this once waste into 7,500MWh of clean electricity per year and a nutrient rich digestate.
YVW are currently constructing another facility at Lilydale due to open later this year. This facility will have capacity to process 50,000 tonnes of food waste and produce 13,000MWh of clean electricity per year.
These innovative facilities will divert 80,000 tonnes of landfill and enable Yarra Valley Water to reach net zero emissions, reduce operational costs and keep pressure off customers’ water bills.
Our second stop was the Wollert Community Farm situated on the buffer land around the Aurora Sewage Treatment Plant and adjacent to the ReWaste facility.
The Farm is a partnership and collaboration between YVW, Whittlesea Community Connections, Melbourne Polytechnic and the City of Whittlesea. It includes an environmental education hub and local food system that aims to restore nature and ensure that local community members can live and eat well.
Through this partnership YVW provides the land as well as access to recycled water, Whittlesea Community Connections provide programs and activities that help people break the cycle of disadvantage and Melbourne Polytechnic (the local TAFE) brings teaching expertise and motivated students.
Our final stop was the Yarra Ranges Council Biochar Facility, operated by Earth Systems at Lysterfield.
Biochar is a form of charcoal for addition to soil providing many benefits including:
- Improved soil structure
- Improved soil water-holding capacity
- Increased crop yields
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions
The facility commenced operations at Lysterfield Waste Transfer Site in late-2023 to process woody and green materials generally resulting from storm damage and powerline vegetation management. The facility also processes decommissioned pallets which are shredded on site.
The biochar produced is available for sale to farmers, horticulturalists and home gardeners.
The Yarra Ranges Council said that by making biochar from woody waste and other plant material, they are stabilising carbon that was absorbed from the atmosphere through photosynthesis when the plants were growing. It’s a way of removing carbon from the carbon cycle.
I’d like to shout out to Kerryn Lester-Smith, Michael Thomas and Isobel Decru for all their most excellent work in making the Circular Economy tours such a success.
We are currently planning our next Circular Economy Tour for a few months time, stay tuned for details.
WIOA Vic 2025 – A Great Success
Last week, Issy and I headed to Bendigo for the 2025 WIOA Conference. It was a tremendous success with a record number of visitors and 180+ exhibitors. We had some terrific conversations and unearthed a few trial opportunities. Congratulations to Dean, Glenn, Ann and all the WIOA Team on a record breaking success.
Backing onto the outstanding success of last year’s Operators Trial Competition, we ran the competition again with significant interest and engagement from operators and exhibitors. The winner of the $20,000 funded trial was announced at the awards dinner on the final night of the conference.
The winning trial was separately submitted by both Cameron Patrick from Coliban Water, and Vincent Encena and Samuel Leong from Greater Western Water to trial the Hydroflow technology by Hydropath to prevent struvite formation and calcification in centrifuge lines. Congratulations! The prize will be used to purchase a device for each organisation to trial so we can compare use cases.
Champions Day
The IWN Champions Program is a 2-year program for emerging leaders from IWN member organisations. The Champions play a critical role in connecting their organisations to shared knowledge on innovative technologies and IWN trials conducted within the sector. The formal learning element is a curated self-directed program from Mindshop. The Champions also participate in 1:1 coaching to grow themselves, their career and their presence as an IWN Champion.
We bring the Champions together twice a year for a 1-day workshop, which this year has the theme of intrapreneurship. Cameron Geddes from The Geddes Group facilitates the Champions Program – we thank Cam for his passion, energy and dedication to the Champions program for the past 10 years.
In March, 8 Champions completed their 2-year program. Well done to Ben McCallum (Barwon Water), Kate Bardy (North East Water), Julian Tully (South East Water), Stephen McCormick (Yarra Valley Water), Alex Peel (DEECA), Alex Rowan (Greater Western Water), Erinne Carey (Lower Murray Water) and Martin Ankor (TasWater). We also said good luck to Mel Samaraweera (Coliban Water) who is taking a break for family leave (congrats Mel!).
We also welcomed 9 new Champions – Jenny Perks (Barwon Water), Kendal Krause (North East Water), Sandy Xu (South East Water), Anthony Makati (Yarra Valley Water), Betty Alegria (DEECA), Nick Raffaele (Greater Western Water), Darryl Vines (Lower Murray Water), Samantha Sawyer (TasWater) and Aamir Idris (Coliban Water).
I’d encourage all IWN Members to reach out to their Champion and invite them to talk to your team about IWN and the opportunities for innovation and technology. Just remember, today’s BAU was yesterday’s innovation.
Gas Stream Workshop
In December 2024, DEECA released Victoria’s Renewable Gas Directions Paper for comment. https://engage.vic.gov.au/victorias-renewable-gas-future
The Directions Paper outlines that the Victorian Government’s policy approach for consultation is to establish the Industrial Renewable Gas Guarantee, a renewable gas target and mechanism, as well as related policy details. This model is for consultation only, with final scheme design subject to stakeholder consultation and government decision-making processes. Source: Engage Victoria Website
In response to this paper, the IWN Circular Economy Program Gas Stream held a workshop at Barwon Water’s offices to identify and discuss the opportunities the paper opens for our sector. 23 people attended from across the sector. We very much thank John Day, Deepak Mallya, Michael Thomas and Kerryn Lester-Smith for their great work on this tremendous initiative. The workshop was framed with a presentation by DEECA on the Victorian Renewable Gas Directions Paper, followed by presentations from the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group to overview network, hydrogen, and biogas projects, a Gas Project Developer to share learnings about what projects stack up, and Origin Energy to understand how a gas retailer operates.
The workshop then culminated by identifying three key IWN projects to move forward with. They are:
- Gas for electricity vs direct injection into the grid
- CO2 recovery and utilisation
- Circular Economy planning tool and partnerships
For further information on the projects or to be involved in the IWN Circular Economy Gas Stream, please contact John Day or Deepak Mallya at enquiries@iwn.org.au.
