Australian Water Association

08/09/2026

National Water Week is taking shape across Australia 💧

From community activities to local events, AWA members and organisations around the country are getting ready for National Water Week, 19–25 October 2026.

Here are some of the public events already registered for this year’s week:
🚶Walk for Water 2026 | WaterAid Australia | 📅19-23 Oct 2026
Walk, run or ride for five days and help raise funds and awareness for people around the world who don’t have clean water close to home. Get your workplace, family or friends together and take part as a team.
🔗Learn More: https://hubs.la/Q04wTpl30

📍Water Night 2026 | The Water Conservancy | 📅22 Oct 2026
Turn off your taps from 5–10pm on Thursday 22 October and discover how often you reach for water in just one evening. Households and schools across Australia can take part, build their water knowledge and explore simple ways to value water more consciously.
🔗Learn More: https://hubs.la/Q04wTplK0

There’s plenty of time to get involved too.
Explore public events happening near you, or register what your organisation is doing for National Water Week.

👉 See all NWW'26 events: https://hubs.la/Q04wTpl40
👉 Register your activity: https://hubs.la/Q04wTpmB0

Water is Life – for people, Country, communities, nature and the future.

07/09/2026

This week’s water community updates highlight habitat restoration, wastewater education, customer engagement and greener public spaces.

🌿 Yarra Valley Water is using recycled water to help transform more than 35 hectares around its Upper Yarra Sewage Treatment Plant into habitat for threatened species.

🚽 Sydney Water's Pipe Dramas is helping communities understand how everyday flushing habits can cause wastewater blockages and why only the three Ps belong in the toilet.

💬 Coliban Water is inviting customers to help shape its future plans, ensuring community priorities inform the services and investment needed across the region.

🌱 Water Corporation is supporting greener, more climate-resilient communities through Western Australia’s Waterwise Councils and Waterwise Development programs.

Read about these stories and more: https://hubs.la/Q04wPF7w0

This week in water, major projects and practical initiatives advance water security, recycled water, biodiversity, education and resilient services.

07/09/2026

From an idea inspired by life on the family farm to the international stage in Stockholm 💫

We are incredibly proud of Daniel Cox and the way he represented Australia at the 2026 Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

Daniel earned his place in Stockholm after winning the Australian Stockholm Junior Water Prize, proudly sponsored by Xylem, for SunRay Aqua. His innovative solar-thermal system uses concentrated sunlight to target invasive aquatic w**ds without introducing chemicals into waterways.

In Stockholm, Daniel presented his research alongside young water innovators from around the world and joined the 2026 Meet the Laureate panel, sharing his ideas and experiences with an international audience.

But the week offered much more than an opportunity to present his technology. Daniel exchanged knowledge with researchers, water experts and fellow finalists, encountered new perspectives on shared water challenges and formed connections with young people working on solutions in vastly different environments.

While Daniel did not take home the international prize, his curiosity, ingenuity and openness made him an outstanding representative for Australia. We congratulate him on everything he has achieved and look forward to seeing where he takes SunRay Aqua next.

Daniel, thank you for representing Australia and its water community with such distinction. It has been a privilege to support your journey.

Learn more about Daniel’s innovative w**d control system and his journey to Stockholm: https://hubs.la/Q04wQ4C10

02/09/2026

Could floating wetlands help turn wastewater treatment into part of the climate solution?

A world-first two-year trial by Westernport Water, CSIRO and RMIT University found floating wetland pods reduced greenhouse gas emissions from a wastewater lagoon by more than a quarter.

Installed at Westernport Water’s Phillip Island facility, the floating platform of native reeds and sedges cut carbon dioxide emissions by up to 36% and methane by up to 66%, while also helping remove nutrients and pollutants from the water.

Because floating wetlands can be retrofitted into existing lagoons, the findings point to a practical, scalable and nature-based pathway for water utilities seeking to reduce emissions without major infrastructure changes.

Read more: https://hubs.la/Q04vs5KS0

A world-first trial finds floating wetlands can cut wastewater lagoon emissions, offering the water sector a scalable, nature-based solution.

01/09/2026

Young Water Professionals do not need to wait for seniority to help shape a more sustainable water future.

Melbourne Water Sustainability Champion Mandhy Senewiratne encouraged emerging professionals to define their purpose, communicate it with confidence and build the relationships needed to turn ambition into action during her keynote at the 2026 AWA/IWA Young Water Professionals Conference.

Senewiratne challenges YWPs to look beyond compliance and consider how projects can leave communities and ecosystems better off. This means pairing technical knowledge with storytelling, staying true to a clear sustainability vision and building a strong network of people who can help carry good ideas forward.

Read more: https://hubs.la/Q04vs5JQ0

Mandhy Senewiratne shares how Young Water Professionals can turn sustainability ambition into action through purpose, communication and strong networks.

01/09/2026

Save the dates: National Water Week returns 19–25 October 2026 💧 Getting involved doesn’t have to mean organising a major event.

You could run a quiz with your team, share a local water story, connect with a school or help spread the Water is Life message through your networks.

The Workplace and Community Participation Kit includes practical ideas for workplaces, organisations and communities to take part during National Water Week.

Choose an activity that works for you and join communities across Australia in celebrating why Water is Life.

👉 Download the participation kit: https://bit.ly/4yc42sw
🔗 Learn more at the NWW homepage: https://bit.ly/4x0K6I6

31/08/2026

What changes when we stop seeing water simply as a resource to be managed and start recognising it as living Country?

Quandamooka man and Chief Executive Officer of the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation, Cameron Costello, challenged the water community to consider this question during his Ozwater’26 keynote.

Drawing on Quandamooka knowledge and his decades of experience across environmental management, native title and advocacy, Costello explores how recognising water’s connection to Country, culture and identity can strengthen governance, stewardship and long-term decision-making.

Building a more resilient water future, he argues, depends on meaningful First Peoples participation, place-based governance and a shared responsibility to care for water for generations to come.

Read more: https://hubs.la/Q04vrWNz0

Cameron Costello explains how seeing water as living Country can strengthen stewardship, First Nations governance and Australia's water future.

31/08/2026

This week’s water community updates highlight water security, community connection, infrastructure investment and water education.

🌊 Hunter Water has completed marine works for the Belmont Desalination Plant, including the 830-metre seawater intake tunnel, marking a major milestone in strengthening long-term water security for the Lower Hunter.

🎨 TasWater is working with the Cressy community to shape a new reservoir mural that will celebrate the town’s history, identity and connection to water.

🚧 Yarra Valley Water and MFJ Constructions have completed the $20 million Love Branch Sewer, delivering additional capacity for more than 20,000 existing and future properties in Wollert.

💧 Power and Water Corporation has expanded its That’s My Water! education program to Alice Springs, using hands-on activities and immersive technology to help students explore their local water story.

Read about these stories and more: https://hubs.la/Q04vrVFj0

28/08/2026

🌏 Water scarcity is not an inevitable outcome and Singapore’s transformation offers valuable lessons for water-stressed nations worldwide.

Despite limited natural water resources, Singapore has built a diversified and resilient water supply through long-term planning, water recycling, desalination, local catchments and demand management.

Drawing on insights from Singapore International Water Week, KBR Senior Director, Water, Margaret Riley explores how governments and utilities can respond to accelerating challenges, from climate change and ageing infrastructure to the growing water demands of data centres.

Read more: https://hubs.la/Q04tGf5J0

Explore how Singapore’s integrated approach to recycling, desalination and climate resilience offers lessons for tackling global water scarcity.

27/08/2026

🏟️ What lies beneath one of Australia’s most iconic sporting precincts?

Young Water Professionals attending the AWA/IWA Young Water Professionals Conference went underground at the Yarra Park Water Recycling Facility to see how wastewater is transformed into a reliable resource for irrigation, cleaning and toilet flushing.

Owned by the Melbourne Cricket Club and operated and maintained by TRILITY, the facility produces up to 600 cubic metres of Class A recycled water each day during summer.

The site tours, hosted by TRILITY, gave delegates a practical look at the treatment processes and operational controls required to produce recycled water safely beneath a busy public park.

Read more: https://hubs.la/Q04tG4rD0

Explore the MCG’s underground facility, producing Class A recycled water for Yarra Park irrigation, cleaning and toilet flushing across the precinct.