What The Experts Say…
In a warming climate, we need a drought-resilient water system
This is what experts outside the Rous region
are saying, doing and proving
A complementary mix of options…
In their report All Options on the Table, the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) recommends a complementary mix of water options. They caution us that new dams are high-risk investments because they are dependent on rainfall.
Similarly, the 2020 NSW Productivity Commission Green Paper recommends we pursue efficiencies and new supply options such as water recycling.
Prof Stuart White ~ How we might invest in system-wide water efficiency
Watch 9min video by Prof. White on Rous Supply
ISF have been working on integrated water supply and demand planning for over 20 years, including in all mainland States in Australia and in a number of places internationally.
He speaks from this experience and from his personal experience with the Development of the first Rous Regional Demand Management Strategy.
1. Minimise Risk
3. Water Efficiency & Non-potable Reuse
4. A Sustainable & Smart Water Future
Prof Stuart Khan says a drought-resilient system should get 30-50% of its water from rainfall- independent sources, such as water reuse or desalination
Watch 5min video by Prof. Kahn on Rous water supply
Prof Khan: Prof of Civil & Environmental Engineering at UNSW and Member of the Advisory Body to the National Water Grid Authority.
“The Draft NSW Water Plan makes much of the importance of rainfall independent supplies.
I strongly encourage Rous County Council to focus their objectives on water security and resilience. In my opinion another dam constructed on the same waterway, in the same catchment just downstream from the current major water supply, does not progress these outcomes. Instead Rous Council should look for diversification in alternative water catchments and sources.
A diversified water supply portfolio based on rainfall independent supplies offers the opportunity to provide resilience against drought as well as other potential water supply problems”.
David Tomlinson, economist, says on the financial side, the Dunoon dam could become an expensive stranded asset, with current users paying for water that they will never use
Watch 5min video by David Tomlinson on Rous water supply
David Tomlinson: Economist, Writer, local resident & was an elected member of Lismore Council for 9 years.
Elia Hauge, Civil Engineer, speaks on the various factors contributing to a resilient water system.
Watch 5min video by Elia Hauge on Rous water supply
Elia Hauge: Civil Engineer, previously working in the Engineering Operations at Sydney Water and currently completing her PhD on Climate Adaptive Planning in the Water Sector.
“Putting all of our reliance on rainfall, especially rainfall from a single catchment, does not provide enough diversity and is not in the best interests of water security for our region.
Elia has strong concerns about what is termed the “expected impact”, which is the suggestion that we can expect a particular future, which does not take into account the predictions of rainfall under climate change and the projected impacts of temperature increases on yield calculations.
In addition, not knowing if there will be a societal behaviour change and the implications for global
warming, leads to further uncertainty around the impacts of climate change and rainfall yield. Elia talks on the video about the impacts of global warming and modelling from a
global model to a regional model.
A whole new world of options has opened up since
Rous proposed the Dunoon Dam years ago.
We know our water system presents challenges of governance and topography. But we also know that when people join together to solve problems, innovation flows.
