Study Shaping Future of Urban Water Management

Ground-breaking Study by Arup and Sydney Waterinto Future Scenarios for Urban Water Management Launched at a Committee for Sydney

Sydney 2054 workshop will help cities in Australia and across the world address key pressures that pose challenges to safe, secure and sustainable supply of water.

The study, led by global design and engineering firm Arup and Sydney Water, draws on a range of future scenarios in mapping how water supply in Sydney and other major cities could look in 25 years in the face of population growth, increasing scarcity of water and continued budget pressures.

Each scenario sees the industry move in a new direction with various opportunities for customers, infrastructure and governance. Some incorporate modest changes such as the introduction of products and services using smart-water metering, real time monitoring, smart phone apps and related technology. Overall, water bills could become lower as customers are more empowered to reduce consumption.

Others suggest more extensive changes such as self-management of water supply by local communities, a greater role for private industry in building and operating site-specific water systems, differentiated customer billing.

Arup's Australasia Water Leader, Daniel Lambert said the joint planning study was one of the most imaginative and forward-looking of its type undertaken by any water utility, and would help Australian water utilities to plan for and effect change on a local and global scale.

Estimates are that Sydney faces rapid urbanisation with an additional 1.3 million people predicted to move into the city over the next decade. Population growth will boom with urban renewal projects around corridors and hubs that have access to public transport, and major job and housing growth in Western Sydney. As a result, Sydney Water is exploring options for future supply models that complement the existing centralised system to provide affordable and timely servicing options that support urban planning and design aspirations.

While the scenarios and trends identified in the Arup/Sydney Water study offer a glimpse into the hybrid model of water management that could take shape in Sydney in the face of demographic and economic pressures, they also offer the potential for wider application. They also touch on the broader opportunities presented by water utilities in the generation of energy and the recovery of resources from wastes.

According to Arup, the expertise and technology that Sydney Water and other Australian water utilities will develop in making the transition to new models in future represents intellectual property that could support new domestic and export revenue streams.

Source: Sidney Waters

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Taxonomy

• Research
• Integrated Urban Water Management
• Water Management