What does future urban water infrastructure look like?
Watch the video of What does future urban water infrastructure look like? held on Wednesday 12 May 2021.
The challenges of population growth, urbanisation and climate change are impacting water availability and adding to water pollution in cities around the world. More severe and frequent flooding, droughts and bushfires are putting unprecedented pressure on our water resources. With this, we need to rethink how we provide water services to our cities.
Join our expert panel as they tackle this topic by discussing non-traditional water supply options including stormwater harvesting, wastewater recycling and desalination. Our panel will share their technical, social, environmental, and economical perspectives on this issue.
Panelists
Professor Mark Pascoe
CEO, International Water Centre and Professor of Practice - Integrated Water Management, Griffith University
Professor Mark Pascoe has worked in the water industry for more than 40-years, spending several years with Brisbane City Council where he was Manager of Water and Sewerage. In the mid-1990s, Mark held the position of Queensland Operations Manager of Woodward-Clyde Pty Ltd, an environmental engineering consultancy firm. Mark left the Brisbane City Council to take up the position of Deputy Director at the International Water Association in London, which he held for three years before returning to Brisbane in early 2005 to begin his role as Chief Executive Officer at the International Water Centre.
Pam Kerry
Manager of Integrated Water, South East Water
Pam Kerry is Manager of Integrated Water (including Fishermans Bend) at South East Water. She is an experienced research and Integrated Water Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the utilities industry. Pam is interested in achieving positive change and liveable cities through collaboration and practical solutions. She is skilled in Integrated Water Management strategy and development.
Professor Sarah Bell
City of Melbourne Chair in Urban Resilience and Innovation, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, The University of Melbourne
Professor Sarah Bell joined Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute in 2021 as the City of Melbourne Chair in Urban Resilience and Innovation. Prior to this, she worked for 16 years at University College London as Professor of Environmental Engineering. Her research addresses community engagement with infrastructure, with a particular interest in water. The City of Melbourne Chair in Urban Resilience and Innovation is a collaboration between the University of Melbourne and the City of Melbourne, with the aim to jointly foster research and training in the field of city resilience and innovation. Professor Bell’s role will connect the urban resilience and innovation activities of both the City and the University and provide thought leadership to strengthen policy responses and community engagement for a thriving knowledge city.
Emeritus Professor Peter Scales
Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne (Chair)
Peter Scales is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Melbourne. His research background is in surface and separations science and engineering, including the removal of contaminants from water. The application of his research is on water security in our cities and urban environments. He has worked across the minerals, water and wastewater industries for more than thirty years. In the past five years his research has focussed on water reuse in our cities, the importance of pollution reduction in our rivers and lakes and how we can improve the value of water in our society. Part of this work is to demonstrate integrated solutions to water supply and wastewater treatment that are scalable and easily deployable.