Water in the Bush 2024 program filled to the brim with presentations and award winners
Department of Lands, Planning and Environment staff attended the Australian Water Association’s 35th Water in the Bush conference in Darwin. They gave presentations on the Territory Water Plan, law reform, regulation, managed aquifer recharge and water efficiency. Our people and projects were also recognised for their achievements taking home two awards at the 2024 NT Water Awards Night Dinner.
The annual conference is organised by the AWA’s NT Branch and is a highlight in the calendar for the water sector in the Territory. It connects water professionals, community and industry to share information about the current and future state of the Territory’s water and inspire positive change.
In its 35th year the conference had a stellar line up of presenters, filled to the brim with six presentations from our own department, and a keynote address from the new Minister for Water Resources, the Honourable Joshua Burgoyne MLA.
In his first address on the topic of water Minister Burgoyne spoke about the vision for water management in the NT. He highlighted the privileged position the Northern Territory (NT) has with our waterways and the trust he has in the department’s scientists to manage water and the environment for the benefit of Territorians.
Following this, Nerida Horner, Executive Director, and Sofija Tanevska, Graduate Research Officer, from the Office of Water Security shared some highlights from one year of the Territory Water Plan. This included achievements from across the NT Government and Power and Water. You can read more in the Territory Water Plan annual progress report 2024.
One of these achievements has been the release of the NT Government’s Water Demand Management Strategy, which Michael Quinane, also from the Office of Water Security presented. The strategy which was released in July this year commits our department and all NT Government agencies in the Darwin region to collectively reduce water use by 20% by 2027-2028.
Abbe Damrow, Director of Water Legislation, shared some lessons learned from other states in Australia and Canada on what works well for water law reform.
Matthew McDonald, A/Manager Water Regulation, outlined the department’s priorities for water compliance, and how it has been tracking with water regulation in the arid zone.
Hydrogeologist Hannah Groves was joined by Dr Constantin Seidl from Flinders University and gave an update on the Upper King River Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) project. Their presentation highlighted the opportunities for MAR and identified how regulation or policy changes could be needed to better plan for this water storage option to become a reality in the NT. The King River project is being funded through the National Water Grid Fund.
The day was rounded out with not only one but 2 wins at the NT Water Awards.
The Water Resources Division was recognised for their work on the Beetaloo Strategic Regional Environment and Baseline Assessment (SREBA), winning the 2024 Research and Development Excellence Award. Read more about SREBA award.
The award sponsored by Water Research Australia recognises projects that challenge current practice and address the need for a sustainable future. SREBA was one of the most comprehensive regional environmental assessments ever undertaken in Australia. This included establishing the baseline groundwater levels, water quality, aquifer parameters and aquifer inter- and intra-connectivity, characterisation of recharge and surface water-groundwater interactions and the surface water resources in the region. The project provides the information necessary for sound decisions to be made about the development of any onshore shale gas industry.
Dr Susannah Clement, Senior Policy Officer from the Office of Water Security took out the 2024 Young Water Professional Award.
The award is sponsored by Xylem and honours individuals whose contribution to the water sector aligns with the AWA’s purpose of inspiring and driving a sustainable water future. Since joining the department in 2021, Susannah has been a driving force behind the development of the Territory Water Plan and many of its initiatives. This includes working closely with the Health and Housing departments and with Power and Water to tackle water security challenges in remote communities. Susannah has led reform projects like the drafting of new Safe Drinking Water legislation, supported the development project proposals for new infrastructure, and developed new programs to improve community engagement and communication about water quality and supply.
Both winners will go onto represent the NT at Australian Water Awards to be held at OzWater’25 in Adelaide next year in May.
Philippa Hunter, Director of Water Planning and Engagement was also a finalist in the 2024 NT Water Professional of the Year.
Congratulations to all the award winners, finalists and presenters who aptly represented our department’s water resource management and policy prowess at this year’s conference with pride and professionalism.
