Australia’s Water Challenges

One of the biggest challenges facing communities today is ensuring a safe and adequate supply of drinking water. Water security is a major issue for many communities, and it's not just about having enough water—it's also about water quality and preventing water-borne diseases. In Australia, municipal water utilities provide high-quality, safe reticulated water to cities, but many Australians still prefer to drink roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW). Why is this? This study aimed to investigate the reasons behind this choice.

Water security is a major concern for many Australians, especially those in rural and remote areas who may not have access to clean water. Drought conditions and population growth are two major factors that contribute to water insecurity. It's estimated that by 2050, Australia will need twice the amount of water it currently uses. After years of drought, water storage in Melbourne was reduced by 152 GL in 2015. In South Australia, raw water prior to treatment is often poor quality, which means that the level of treatment necessary is extensive.

Water quality and quantity can be impacted by a number of factors, including population growth and extreme weather conditions. In New South Wales and Tasmania, notices of water boiling are issued periodically to the public. In 2016, 18 Tasmanian water utilities were targeted by notices of water boiling, and 23 drinking water alerts were issued by NSW Health. Water hardness is a common problem in many areas of NSW, and it can have a significant impact on municipal water quality.

RHRW has been linked to harmful bacteria and metals which could pose a health risk to humans. Many Australians use RHRW as their only source of drinking water, despite advised messages from the EPA Victoria (which are endorsed by the Department of Health and Ageing [14]) telling the public to abstain from drinking RHRW in areas where tap water is accessible. Adelaide and South Australia have a higher proportion of households drinking RHRW compared with other regions in Australia[15]. Enteric E. coli, total coliforms, and trace metals have been found in RHRW in Adelaide. The health guideline for E. coli is 0 CFU/100 mL in drinking water.

There are several factors that contribute to the consumption of RHRW, including concerns over water quality, lifestyle choices, and the lack of municipal water supplies. In Australia, water is treated with disinfectants, such as chlorine, potassium chloride, citric acid, and chlorine dioxide, to prevent waterborne pathogens from entering the distribution network. Fluoride is also added to municipal water in order to prevent dental caries in children. Fluoride components commonly used in Australia include sodium fluoride, sodium fluorosilicate, and aqueous fluorosilicic acid.

Fluoridation of drinking water is an accepted practice by the Australian health authorities (NHMRC). A drinking water fluoridation policy, enforced by States and Territories, is in place in Australia. The NHMRC sets the guideline for fluoride concentration in drinking water at 1.5 ppm/L. In Adelaide, the average guideline for fluoride in drinking water is 0.88 ppm/L. While chlorine and fluoride in drinking water have been shown to prevent dental caries in children and improve water sanitation, respectively, debate still exists around their introduction.

A survey of households’ drinking water choices was conducted from March to May 2016 in five locations around the Adelaide metropolitan area. The survey found that households in the Adelaide plains were more likely to choose tap water over bottled water, while those in the Adelaide foothills and Adelaide Hills were more likely to choose bottled water.

In Adelaide, the majority of shopping malls are privately-owned. After getting approval, a confirmation email was sent to grant access to the study area. If there was no response or a late response was received, officers from the shopping malls were contacted directly to gain approval. However, some shopping malls refused access to their properties for unknown reasons.
The Research

The University of South Australia is teamed up with Puratap last 2017, a leading water filtration company, to focus on Australia's most precious resource. The $945,000 collaborative research project will be a great way to improve our understanding of this essential element.

UniSA researcher Dr Martin Sweetman has been awarded a three-year Science and Industry Endowment Fund STEM+ Business Fellowship to work with the South Australian-owned business to develop the most advanced water filtration materials on the market.

Dr Sweetman, from UniSA’s School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, will focus on new techniques to remove specific contaminants from the nation’s water supply, caused by industrial and agricultural practices and synthetic chemicals. This is an exciting opportunity for both UniSA and the company, and we are looking forward to seeing the results of this research.

This project will focus on improving the filtration materials currently used by Puratap. By incorporating advanced filtration technologies developed in our laboratory, we will be able to significantly improve the efficiency of our filtration systems. This fellowship will deepen the existing collaboration between UniSA and Puratap.

Dr Sweetman's fellowship builds upon a recent UniSA research breakthrough that found a more efficient way to gauge the quality of filtered drinking water. This research, conducted in partnership with Puratap, also established that water filters need to be replaced annually to maintain safe, high-quality drinking water.

According to Dr. Sweetman, two major impurities in supplied water are dissolved organic matter and disinfection by-products. The latter has been linked to negative health effects, such as cancer. Furthermore, the research conducted has found that there is a correlation between the amount of dissolved organic matter present in water and the level of trihalomethanes (by-products formed when chlorine is used to disinfect water).

Dr Sally Plush, academic project leader and member of the collaborative research team, has described Dr Sweetman's fellowship as "an excellent achievement".

"This fellowship will allow us to build a strong and lasting partnership between UniSA and Puratap," says Dr Plush.

The Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF) provides financial support to facilitate collaborations between academic researchers and businesses, to support the growth of Australian industries.