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LGNSW.ORG.AU

LGNSWWATER MANAGEMENTONLINE CONFERENCE

PROGRAM

Images: Yarrie Lake, Narrabri. White Leeds Arid Wetlands, Broken Hill.

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WELCOME

CR LINDA SCOTT PRESIDENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT NSW

WELCOME MESSAGE FROM THE LGNSW PRESIDENT

Welcome to the 2020 LGNSW Water Management Online Conference. I thank Narrabri Shire Council Mayor Cathy Redding, and her team, who wholeheartedly supported our decision to take the forum online to protect the health and safety of our delegates, our staff, speakers, sponsors and event managers, consistent with NSW Health guidelines.

We were all looking forward to visiting Narrabri and the Namoi River in North West NSW, part of the Murray-Darling Basin, where water environments and wise use of water resources are always topical. We hope to be able to visit soon.

Whether you live and work in the bush or urban environments, we’ve got a fantastic line-up of speakers who are going to lead discussions on the full range of water resource management and water security issues relevant for all councils and their water utilities.

NSW Water, Property and Housing Minister Melinda Pavey and Federal Resources, Water and Northern Australia Minister Keith Pitt will be joined by keynote speaker Dr Jane Doolan, Commissioner of the Productivity Commission. As well we have the NSW Water Directorate, which will host a forum on the operations of local water utilities, and several industry leaders presenting during the three concurrent conference streams and panel discussions on drought and indigenous water management.

I hope you enjoy all this online 2020 LGNSW Water Conference has to offer while taking the time to ask questions and contribute to debate.

We’re also very grateful to our government sponsor, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, and our other sponsors for helping to make this event possible.

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PROGRAM WEDNESDAY 7 OCTOBER

9.00am – 9.05am Conference opensIntroduction and overview of the day

Gerry GannonMaster of Ceremony

9.05am – 9.15am President’s address Cr Linda ScottPresidentLocal Government NSW

9.15am – 9.20am LGNSW Increasing resilience to climate change through water projects – Clip

9.20am – 9.40am Official opening address Water resource management and what this means for urban water suppliers

Melinda Pavey MP NSW Minister for Water, Property and Housing

9.40am – 9.50am Federal Minister’s address (pre-recorded)Water security and federal initiatives

Keith Pitt MPFederal Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia

9.50am – 10.00am 10 Minute Break

10.00am – 10.45am Panel discussion: Focusing on drought - Four perspectives, facilitated by MCPanelists present for five minutes each followed by Q&A from the audience

5 minutes each followed by Q&A

Climate and water outlook Matthew Coulton General Manager Bureau of Meteorology

Maintaining community water quality during times of crisis

Josh Tickell Senior Project OfficerNSW Health

Water quality management following bushfires and other extreme weather events

Professor Stuart Khan School of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity NSW

Maintaining community water security during times of crisis

Graham AttenboroughExecutive Director Water, Programs and ServicesWater Group, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

10.45am – 10.50am Sponsor Overview - Eire Constructions

10.50am – 11.20am

30 minutes including Q&A

Presentation: All options on the table Community engagement on purified recycled water for drinking

Adam LovellExecutive Director andDanielle FrancisProject ManagerWater Services Association of Australia

11.20m – 11.30am 10 Minute Break

11.30am – 12.00pm

30 minutes including Q&A

PresentationPutting water at the forefront of strategic planning

Erin SaundersSenior AdvisorWestern Sydney Development Sydney Water

12.00pm – 12.25pm Presentation: Uralla water supply arsenic incident Lessons learned from November 2019

Aidan Macqueen Manager Water, Waste and SewerUralla Shire Council

12.25pm – 12.35pm Sam Samra Award Co-Presented by Department of Planning Industry & Environment, Water Directorate and Local Government NSW

12.35pm – 12.50pm Presentation: Managing urban water risksImproving how the Department regulates and supports local water utilities

Michael BlackmoreDirector Water Utilities Water Group, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

12.50pm – 1.00pm Wrap up by MC

1.00pm – 1.30pm 30 Minute Break

If you are posting on social media about the LGNSW Water Management Conference, please use the hashtag #LGNSWwater2020

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WEDNESDAY 7 OCTOBER (CONTINUED) 1.30pm – 3.30pm Water Directorate Forum

The forum, which is organised and facilitated by the NSW Water Directorate, provides an opportunity for members of the directorate to discuss issues about the operations of local water utilities.

ChairBrendan Guiney, Executive Officer, Water Directorate

THURSDAY 8 OCTOBER 9.00am – 9.05am Overview of the day Gerry Gannon

MC

9.05am – 9.15am NSW Shadow Minister’s address Clayton Barr MP Shadow Minister for Water

9.15am – 9.25am Federal Shadow Minister’s address (pre-recorded)

Terri Butler MPFederal Shadow Minister for the Environment and Water

9.25am – 9.30am Sponsor Overview - Water Directorate

9.30am – 10.15am Presentation: The science and strategies of wellbeing during a crisisHow to build protective factors around our people

Carli Phillips BHSc, MBA, Mental Health First Aider, Corporate Wellbeing Specialist

10.15am – 10.30am 15-minute break

10.30am – 11.15am Panel discussion: Innovation in indigenous water managementEach panelist will present for five minutes, followed by Q&A from the audience

5 minutes each followed by Q&A

Aspirations and concerns of indigenous communities in water resource management

Bradley Moggridge, IAE PhD CandidateAssociate Professor in Indigenous Water Science University of Canberra

Ensuring adequate water supply and sewerage in Aboriginal communities

Vince Keogh Manager, Aboriginal Communities Water and Sewerage Program (ACWSP)Department of Planning Industry and Environment

Managing NSW State Government infrastructure in a culturally sensitive landscape: An Aboriginal Cultural Heritage mapping project

Elle Lillis Senior ArchaeologistVirtus Heritage

11.15am – 11.20am Sponsor Overview - Sky Land Management

11.20am – 11.30am 10-minute break - Sponsored by Sky Land Management

11.30am – 12.35pm Concurrent conference streams (Select one of the three streams)

STREAM 1 – Water conservation and demand management, sponsored by IDEXX and facilitated by Sanjiv Sathiah, Senior Policy Officer, LGNSW

11.30am – 11.35am IDEXX overview and introduction Christopher LambethBusiness Manager, Water, Livestock, Poultry and Dairy – AustraliaIDEXX

11.35am – 11.55am Bits you probably hadn’t thought of when thinking of smart metering

Guenter Hauber-DavidsonManaging DirectorWaterGroup

11.55am – 12.15pm Towards net zero water Chris Wootton CEOAlliance for Water Stewardship Asia-Pacific

12.15pm – 12.35pm Building water resilience in regional towns by rethinking the “pipe-to-creek paradigm”, a case for integrated water management planning

Sarah Costello Manager of Business and Sustainability The Water and Carbon Group

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THURSDAY 8 OCTOBER (CONTINUED)

STREAM 2 – Local Water Utilities Risk Management, sponsored by NSW Health and facilitated by Josh Tickell, Senior Project Officer, NSW Health

11.30am – 11.35am NSW Health overview and introduction Josh TickellSenior Project OfficerNSW Health

11.35am – 11.55am Water supply security: Do the 5/10/10 secure yield rules fail the 2019-2020 drought and climate change?

Peter ClokePrincipal Hydrologist NSW Urban Water Services

11.55am – 12.15pm Survival guide for local government water managers in a new era of risk

Jo Preston Senior Risk SpecialistHunter H2O

12.15pm – 12.35pm NRAR’s relationship with LWUs – water compliance now and in the future

Jane CurranWater Regulation OfficerNatural Resources Access Regulator

STREAM 3 – Panel discussion: The initiative of councils in responding to drought, facilitated by Gerry Gannon MCPanellists present for 10 minutes each, followed by Q&A from the audience

11.30am – 12.35pm Water security for Armidale and Guyra in 2019“Living within available resources”

Arun GautamProject EngineerArmidale Regional Council

5 minutes each followed by Q&A

Drought, holidays and water carting – A case study

Robert ScottDirector Infrastructure and Engineering ServicesMid-Coast Council

Living with the worst drought on record - the Tamworth story

Tracey Carr Sustainability Co-ordinatorTamworth Regional Council

Connecting communities: The tale of two pipelines

Roland HeatleyWater Services ManagerMoree Plains Shire Council

12.35pm – 1.00pm Keynote addressChallenges in urban water supply from a Productivity Commission perspective Inquiry into the National Water Initiative (NWI)

Dr Jane DoolanCommissionerProductivity Commission

1.00pm – 1.10pm Wrap up and close of conference

This program is correct at the time of printing. Speakers and program details may have changed due to unforeseen circumstances.

Images: Dangars Gorge, Albury. Dubbo Sewage Treatment Plant.

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Distinguished Sponsors:

Eire Constructions Pty Ltd

Eire Constructions is a civil construction company specialising in water, sewer and drainage infrastructure. Our accredited, qualified and experienced team has been working in NSW for more than 40 years, delivering high-quality, cost-effective solutions in collaboration with our clients.

Sky Land Management

Sky Land Management provides high-quality, innovative aerial and traditional ground-based land management solutions. Since 2014, it has used the unrivalled and unique capabilities of the latest precision drone technology to provide safer, targeted, efficient and cost-effective solutions for weeds and other native vegetation management.

SPONSORS Government Sponsor: NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

One of the department’s key responsibilities is to promote the delivery of safe, secure, efficient and sustainable water supply and sewerage services by regional NSW’s local water utilities. To achieve this, the department sets policy for, regulates, monitors performances of, administers infrastructure funding for, and provides assistance to local water utilities.

Social Sponsor: Water Directorate

NSW Water Directorate represents 89 local government-owned water utilities, providing an independent source of advice to councils on water and sewerage operations and technical issues. Regional NSW councils own and operate 350 water supply schemes and 300 sewerage systems serving 1.85 million people in communities in regional NSW.

LGNSW thanks the sponsors of the online LGNSW Water Management Conference 2020 whose support have made it possible to produce a comprehensive and quality program.

SPONSORS

Topic Stream Sponsors: NSW Health

The NSW Health Water Unit supports water utilities as they provide safe drinking water across NSW. As part of the Population and Public Health Division, the Water Unit promotes a wider understanding of drinking water quality management as a key activity in protecting the health of people in NSW.

IDEXX

IDEXX is a global leader and innovator in diagnostic solutions and testing for water, milk, production animals and pets. We aim to provide the best possible solutions so that our customer can deliver the highest standard of testing and care, improve productivity, and support business growth.

Supported by theSupported by the

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COMPANY PROFILES

Sky

Land Management

Images: Lake Hume, Albury.Mt Kaputar National Park, Narrabri.

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Dial Before You Dig

The drought is breaking, but water is still precious. Dial Before You Dig will let you know when someone is working near your underground networks. It could prevent damage. Remember to log council works with www.1100.com.au to find out what other utilities are nearby. It’s free to use.

ProMinent Fluid Controls Pty Ltd

ProMinent Fluid Controls the “go to” company for Chemical Feed Equipment and Water Treatment Systems. Tomal, a ProMinent company supply the PolyRex and PolyMore, polymer mixing and batching systems for dry and liquid polymer.

Taggle Systems Pty Ltd

Taggle Systems smart water metering solution provides data and insights to water utilities and councils to reduce water consumption, identify leaks, educate and change consumer behaviour, improve operational processes and reduce operational costs. Taggle provides an end-to-end solution and 100% coverage of all water connections.

GFS Engineering

This Narrabri-based, family owned metal manufacturing business works with local government and private contractors on a range of products and projects within the water and sewage treatment industry. It provides engineering design solutions and has a track record of completing quality works on time and on budget.

Hunter H2O

Hunter H2O is an Australian, privately owned specialist water and wastewater consultancy that draws on decades of frontline operational experience to deliver highly practical, proven solutions for any water challenge. “Together we create the right water solutions to improve lives and support sustainable and healthy communities.”

Isle Utilities

Isle Utilities is an independent and expert business and technology consultancy that operates across a global network of more than 350 water agencies and 6500 technology providers. Through its W-Lab program, Isle Utilities supports 75 local government water businesses across Australia and New Zealand in their technology innovation needs.

Atom

Atom Consulting is a team of specialist engineers who have their boots on the ground, a deep understanding of the policy and years of experience. Whether you are in the public or private sector, Atom helps to deliver the best outcomes to communities through policy development, regulatory and operational support, and strategic, risk and project management.

TRADE SUPPORTERS

WATER INDUSTRY SUPPORTER

SPEAKERS GIFT SPONSOR

Images: View from Doug Sky Lookout, Mt Kaputar National Park. White Leeds Arid Wetlands, Broken Hill.

A donation to WaterAid Australia has been made to thank our speakers and to sustain our industry.

LGNSW.ORG.AU/WATERCONFERENCE