Issues 79, June 2007
WATER RESOURCES

Editorial

Water Resources: An Introduction
Neil Byron, Commissioner,
Productivity Commission
Neil Byron answers some common questions about Australia’s water resources.

A Brief Guide to Greywater
Environment Protection
and Heritage Council
An informed approach to greywater use is especially important during drought, when an increase in "informal recycling" can cause hygiene problems.

What’s Happening to Australia’s Rainfall?
Blair Trewin,
Australian Bureau of Meteorology
The effects of changes in Australia’s rainfall patterns are evident, but how and why are these changes happening?

Water Policy and Climatic Risk
Stephanie Szakiel and Stephen Beare, CRA International, Canberra
Water property rights and markets were introduced to improve water use efficiency and management of climate risks. At a time of critical water availability, will we allow these institutions to work, or accept bureaucratic decisions about where, when and by whom water can be used?

The Water Revolution
Fiona McKenzie, Policy Analyst, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists
There is nothing like drought to fuel a water debate. Over the past 100 years, such debates have helped shape today’s water management system.

Gauging Priorities for the Ethical Use of Water
John St J. S. Buckeridge, School of Civil, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, RMIT University; Chair, Bioethics Committee, International Union of Biological Sciences, Paris
In an arid continent, how do we strike a moral balance between the water needs of humans and those of the environment? John Buckeridge highlights the Victorian dilemma.

Australia: The Dam Nation
Martin Thoms, Riverine Landscapes Research Lab, University of Canberra
Dams can mitigate the effects of intermittent rain, but what is the cost of water “development” to river ecosystems?

Water Options for South-Eastern Queensland
Naomi Carrard and Stuart White, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney
Sound decisions on a host of environmental, social and economic issues are essential to good water planning.

Tapping into Desalination
Cris Kennedy, Science Communicator, CSIRO Land and Water
Our towns and cities are parched, our population growing, climate change promises less rain, dams are running low, rivers are drying up, and we’ve tapped our groundwater reserves. Why not turn to the sea?

California’s Experience
Eric M.V. Hoek, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los Angeles
Reverse osmosis processes have developed in the face of increasingly limited water resources, but they do have limitations. Eric Hoek describes a few details of the Californian experience.

Rainwater Tanks: Costs and Benefits
Caleb Mitchell, Hughes Trueman P/L, Parramatta, and Ataur Rahman, School of Engineering, University of Western Sydney
Rainwater tanks in urban areas are becoming more common, but are they financially viable?

The Murray–Darling Basin: Australia’s Food Bowl
Wendy Craik, Chief Executive, Murray–Darling Basin Commission
Ninety years since the birth of the River Murray Commission, Wendy Craik describes the work of its successor.

Boom Times for Recycled Water
Peta Maddy, Manager, Renewable Resources, Western Water, Gisborne, Victoria
As Victoria’s drought continues, primary producers, councils and sporting groups are turning to recycled water as a beneficial alternative to valuable drinking water.