Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution model ....Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution modelling knowledge gaps and the lack of a multidisciplinary approach to stormwater pollution management is urgent. The anticipated outcome is a modelling tool which industry can use to manage stormwater pollution in changing cities through smarter and economic technology and policy.Read moreRead less
Sources, sinks and processes of faecal contamination in urban estuaries: a case study of the lower Yarra River estuary. The Yarra River estuary is highly contaminated with faecal pollution, reducing the useability of Melbourne’s most iconic feature. This project will provide the necessary understanding to help mitigate faecal sources, with the ultimate aim of reducing the risks to users of this estuary.
Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. This project aims to develop an adaptive, real-time control system for managing disinfectant residuals in chloraminated water supply systems. While chloramine delivers microbiologically safe drinking water in warmer climates and in long distribution systems, it is largely unpredictable, costs water utilities millions of dollars annually, and has uncertai ....Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. Smart management of disinfectant in chloraminated water-supply systems. This project aims to develop an adaptive, real-time control system for managing disinfectant residuals in chloraminated water supply systems. While chloramine delivers microbiologically safe drinking water in warmer climates and in long distribution systems, it is largely unpredictable, costs water utilities millions of dollars annually, and has uncertain benefits. This project’s control system will be guided by quantitative models formulated from multi-pronged, fundamental experiments. The project will quantify microbial chloramine decay and determine mechanisms to increase predictability. The project will develop and demonstrate a real-time control technology which delivered microbiologically safe, cost-efficient drinking water to people in warmer climates, despite warming climate and increasing population.Read moreRead less
Fate of engineered nanoparticles: Challenges in informing human and ecological health risk assessments. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have generated significant public and scientific excitement due to their unique properties. This has led to their application in a wide variety of industries (for example, in composite materials and drug delivery). However, there is concern that some ENPs can have detrimental environmental impacts. This project aims to quantify, for the first time, the fate of E ....Fate of engineered nanoparticles: Challenges in informing human and ecological health risk assessments. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have generated significant public and scientific excitement due to their unique properties. This has led to their application in a wide variety of industries (for example, in composite materials and drug delivery). However, there is concern that some ENPs can have detrimental environmental impacts. This project aims to quantify, for the first time, the fate of ENPs that have leached out of commercial products in groundwater systems. This information is expected to assist regulators in developing appropriate legislation to balance the tremendous benefits and potential risks of nanotechnology.Read moreRead less
A microbiological risk assessment model for the use of reclaimed water in irrigated horticulture. The volume of reclaimed water used in Australia is increasing. A major use of reclaimed water is irrigation of horticultural crops. There are considerable associated risks including contamination of soil and plants and accidental ingestion of harmful pathogens. Whilst research on many risks has been conducted, there are knowledge gaps and information is not readily available to managers. The centr ....A microbiological risk assessment model for the use of reclaimed water in irrigated horticulture. The volume of reclaimed water used in Australia is increasing. A major use of reclaimed water is irrigation of horticultural crops. There are considerable associated risks including contamination of soil and plants and accidental ingestion of harmful pathogens. Whilst research on many risks has been conducted, there are knowledge gaps and information is not readily available to managers. The central aim of this project will be to develop a new, comprehensive mathematical risk assessment model able to simulate different irrigation and horticultural scenarios. The primary output will be a user-friendly environmental decision support system incorporating the newly developed model.Read moreRead less
Riparian rehabilitation and ecohydraulics: interactions between flow, sediment, vegetation and bank erosion in longstem tubestock rehabilitation works. Riparian lands are important for maintaining viable ecosystems, improving water quality and reducing sediment yields in rivers and streams. Research in Australia has shown that streambank erosion is the most significant processes in the continuing physical and ecological degradation of riparian zones. The recently developed longstem tubestock sys ....Riparian rehabilitation and ecohydraulics: interactions between flow, sediment, vegetation and bank erosion in longstem tubestock rehabilitation works. Riparian lands are important for maintaining viable ecosystems, improving water quality and reducing sediment yields in rivers and streams. Research in Australia has shown that streambank erosion is the most significant processes in the continuing physical and ecological degradation of riparian zones. The recently developed longstem tubestock system has shown promise in controlling streambank erosion using native vegetation. However, rehabilitation practices rely on ad-hoc recipes without a thorough scientific understanding of near-bank processes. This research will fill this gap by combining field and laboratory experiments on tubestock plantings in order to develop guidelines and predictive tools for riparian zone management.Read moreRead less
Adaptation of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) to Climate Change, Changing Transport Patterns and Urban Form. This research will (a) provide guidance on future adaptations of stormwater quality infrastructure, (b) provide better scientific understanding of pollutant movements in urban systems and (c) provide methodology to 'future proof' infrastructure design against the pressures of climate change and urban population growth. Project outputs will (a) enable water-sensitive urban designs to b ....Adaptation of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) to Climate Change, Changing Transport Patterns and Urban Form. This research will (a) provide guidance on future adaptations of stormwater quality infrastructure, (b) provide better scientific understanding of pollutant movements in urban systems and (c) provide methodology to 'future proof' infrastructure design against the pressures of climate change and urban population growth. Project outputs will (a) enable water-sensitive urban designs to be applied reliably and (b) minimise the cost of re-building assets before the end of their design life due to climate change. The ultimate benefit is the reduction in water pollution from roadways leading to improved human and ecosystem well-being of urban communities.Read moreRead less
CoPlas: a Modelling Framework for the Simulation of Coevolving Landscape Processes in Australian Humid Environments. This project aims to develop a modelling framework to study the impacts of past and future human and climatic stresses on temperate humid environments. It will combine knowledge and modelling tools for hydrological, geomorphological, biochemical and vegetation processes. It is expected to will provide indicators to assess systems resilience to climate and human stress and to ident ....CoPlas: a Modelling Framework for the Simulation of Coevolving Landscape Processes in Australian Humid Environments. This project aims to develop a modelling framework to study the impacts of past and future human and climatic stresses on temperate humid environments. It will combine knowledge and modelling tools for hydrological, geomorphological, biochemical and vegetation processes. It is expected to will provide indicators to assess systems resilience to climate and human stress and to identify and prevent soil degradation and erosion at the catchment scale, for application for adaptive landscape and water resources management programs.Read moreRead less
Optimum aeration strategies for shallow tidally flushed lakes. Shallow tidally flushed lakes frequently suffer from water quality problems which include catastrophic fish kills. Frequently these events are related to the response of a highly modified system to a natural event. One event is the change from a saline to a fresh environment with seasonal freshwater inflow, in which case the salt tolerant algal species dies. The balance between photosynthesis, sediment uptake, surface oxygen transfer ....Optimum aeration strategies for shallow tidally flushed lakes. Shallow tidally flushed lakes frequently suffer from water quality problems which include catastrophic fish kills. Frequently these events are related to the response of a highly modified system to a natural event. One event is the change from a saline to a fresh environment with seasonal freshwater inflow, in which case the salt tolerant algal species dies. The balance between photosynthesis, sediment uptake, surface oxygen transfer and flushing is lost, with the result that the lake quickly becomes anoxic, resulting in fish kills. This project examines some aeration solutions to this problem.Read moreRead less
Dynamic Release Mechanisms for Phosphorus in Shallow Ponds and Lakes. Phosphorus release from submerged sediments is controlled by the physical and chemical environment. The mechanisms are well understood where thermal stratification is persistent but the behaviour during transient episodes has not been properly addressed. The aim is to study a dynamic chemical and hydraulic environment and develop a model of phosphorus release under these conditions. Algal blooms, which rely on high nutrient co ....Dynamic Release Mechanisms for Phosphorus in Shallow Ponds and Lakes. Phosphorus release from submerged sediments is controlled by the physical and chemical environment. The mechanisms are well understood where thermal stratification is persistent but the behaviour during transient episodes has not been properly addressed. The aim is to study a dynamic chemical and hydraulic environment and develop a model of phosphorus release under these conditions. Algal blooms, which rely on high nutrient concentrations, pose a significant threat to waterways yet a process-based description of phosphorus release is not yet possible. The outcome will be a verified model of phosphorus release mechanisms suitable for a range of water bodies.Read moreRead less