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.
In Australian water we have reached, and in some ways surpassed, a critical inflection point. Increasing extreme weather events brought on by climate change are pushing our 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.
As state governments, councils and water authorities face the challenge of maintaining reliable, sustainable and affordable water services, it is fast becoming clear that the way forward involves new thinking and collaboration across all areas to ensure the very best outcome from the other essential input – greater investment.
“With this convergence of pressures, there’s a growing recognition that a significant increase in industry investment will be needed over the next decade or so to meet evolving requirements and customer expectations,” says Pam Johnson, Sustainability and Environment Manager at Interflow, a leading provider of pipeline infrastructure solutions in Australia and New Zealand.
“But it’s not just about investment, it’s about how we work, collaborate and deliver solutions together.”
Innovating an engineered water solution
Joseph Curkovic, a civil engineer and Interflow’s newly appointed Innovation Manager, said the asset and engineering challenges are immense.
“We’re acutely aware of the mega, macro and micro challenges facing water authorities,” Curkovic said.
“Population growth means greater demand for water and higher volumes of sewage, which puts increasing pressure on our ageing infrastructure.
“Other challenges include rainfall unpredictability, evolving regulation, budgetary constraints, increasing expectations from customers and transitioning to a net zero environment, to name a few.”
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.
“As constraints tighten, expectations rise and seemingly conflicting demands increase, new technologies and methodologies are paramount to meet the future needs of our 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.”
Only then, he says, will we be able to improve outcomes for the environment, and for communities that depend on water and wastewater networks.
The procurement challenge
More broadly, the path to sustainability and achieving net zero carbon emissions remains challenging.
“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,” Johnson 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. It also means engaging closely with customers, to help them prepare for the changes and challenges that come with innovation.”
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.”
Roles, relationships and the knowledge gap
Contractors are rarely consulted during the design, planning and maintenance process. This relationship, Curkovic says, will have to change as the sector seeks solutions that are sustainable, efficient and fit for future purpose.
“Contractors are often best placed to identify practical and lower-impact solutions,” he said. “Whether it’s trenchless options, innovative processes or new materials, we know what is possible and we have the breadth of experience to have seen many of these solutions in play.”
Johnson agrees. “If we want circular economy principles to become reality, and if we want innovation in materials and delivery, everybody needs to be at the table as early as possible.”
Bringing experienced contractors into discussions earlier will also help fill a gap around asset knowledge that is developing in some councils and water authorities. As people who deeply understand the assets reach retirement age, institutional memory is naturally lost. Contractors that have worked on those systems for decades often know their condition and behaviour as well as anybody.
“There are new people in the industry doing really good work around the environment and in other important areas,” Curkovic said. “Though we need to recognise the importance of decades of experience with their assets.
“Companies like ours have the experience and depth of knowledge to help with early decisions and designs. We can challenge ideas to help come up with the very best solution.
“Progressive asset owners are already seeing the benefits of early contractor engagements, with the likes of Interflow.”
Where to from here?
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.
“Achieving this requires collaboration across sectors, reflecting the spirit of United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 17, ‘Partnership for the Goals’,” Johnson said.
“We must partner strategically to get where we want to go, and to make sure we’re all on the same journey.”
For more information, visit interflow.com.au