As pressure rises on Australian water infrastructure – compounded by climate change, ageing assets, population growth, rising costs and increasing expectations – the way forward must be innovative, efficient, and sustainable.
The Australian water sector has reached, and in some ways surpassed, a critical inflection point.
Increasing extreme weather events brought on by climate change are pushing systems beyond their current limits. Urban sprawl and higher density inner city living are similarly putting intense strain on assets that are often operating near the end of their lifespans.
Joseph Curkovic, a civil engineer and Interflow’s Innovation Manager, agrees that the asset and engineering challenges the sector faces are immense.
“We’re acutely aware of the mega, macro and micro challenges facing water authorities,” Curkovic said.
“Innovative engineering solutions play a critical role in resolving many of these complex problems, including well-established trenchless technologies which help asset owners to address challenges in rehabilitating and renewing existing pipelines.
“These techniques minimise excavations and result in minimal surface disruption, faster construction times at a lower cost, and significantly reduce the environmental footprint associated with building new pipelines, often using open trench methods.”
Curkovic said that as constraints tighten, expectations rise and seemingly conflicting demands increase, new technologies and methodologies become paramount to meeting the future needs of customers.
“What will be required is greater, more open dialogue and collaboration across the entire value chain and asset lifecycle between asset owners and delivery partners like Interflow, who are leaders in trenchless technologies. It will demand increased collaboration, and ultimately, joint investments in new technologies,” he said.
“Only then will we be able to improve outcomes for the environment, and for communities that depend on our water and wastewater networks.”
The net zero challenge
More broadly, the path to sustainability and achieving net zero carbon emissions remains challenging, said Pam Johnson, Sustainability and Environment Manager at Interflow.
“It’s not that solutions don’t exist – many of them do. The challenge lies in rolling them out consistently across an entire sector, across businesses of all sizes and at all stages of their sustainability journey,” she said.
“While managing our operational emissions remain challenging, it’s achievable, especially with Interflow’s strong purpose: to improve lives, communities and the environment.
“But when it comes to what we buy and how it’s made – essentially, how other businesses operate – system-wide progress will take deep collaboration, not just with suppliers but across the whole industry.”
As major water authorities begin shifting their procurement focus to include decisions around more sustainable and performance-based outcomes, it opens the door to new ways of working that challenge well-established and accepted engineering practices.
“That gives us permission to push ahead with our innovation programs and bring our purpose to life,” Johnson said.
“Without those shifts in customer expectations, some sustainable alternatives might never gain traction.”
The myriad of pressures on water in Australia mean success is no longer defined solely by technical outcomes. It is also about ensuring long-term water security, building stronger communities, respecting cultural heritage, embedding climate resilience and enhancing biodiversity.
As Johnson said, “we must partner strategically to get where we want to go, and to make sure we’re all on the same journey.”
