This project will investigate the the fate and the sources of a range of priority emerging contaminants to CECs Australian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), that will allow water and environmental authorities better diagnostic tool for proactively managing the release of emerging contaminants into treatment plants.

PhD Thesis underway by Madara Weerasooriyagedara.

To face the mounting pressures of increasing demands on depleting fresh water supplies, the water industries are compelled to explore alternative water supplies such as desalination, water recycling (Indirect and Direct Potable Reuse), and storm water reuse, among others. However, community attitudes to such alternative sources and technologies remain a critical barrier to be overcome in most contexts.  This research will explore community attitudes to different sources of water, particularly in relation to trust (both in the relevant technology, and trust in the administrating water utility), the perceived need for alternatives in light of climate change, and the so-called ‘yuck factor’, which is often cited in the water literature as a key cause of negative attitudes to alternative water sources.

PhD Thesis underway by Christina Semasingha.

Viruses are responsible for more than 50% of all health-care associated gastroenteritis. Of those, norovirus is the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis and adenovirus which  can cause a wide range of clinical diseases. Molecular surveillance of these viruses is essential to identifying prevalent strains that link to epidemics. This is the first Australian study to assess population-level epidemiology of norovirus and adneovirus, highlighting the benefits of using both clinical and environmental samples for surveillance of viruses circulation within the population. A better understanding of the viral strains’ distribution enhances the development of successful vaccines.

PhD Thesis completed by Jennifer Hoi Yin Lun in August 2018.

Growing populations and climate change place increased pressures on our water supplies. Stormwater harvesting and reuse offers a potential option to augment traditional water resources. Before it can be utilised within a given context, however, its safety must be established. This project developed a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) model representing pathogen sources and treatment barriers within a proposed stormwater harvesting scheme. The BBN can utilise a range of data sources and be constantly updated to assist managers to engage effectively with stakeholders and identify the most appropriate combination of risk management strategies available to them.

Honours Thesis completed by Dean Albert Mensinga in October 2019.

The presence of taste and odour (T&O) is a growing concern for the water industry due to negative associations with unsafe drinking water. Although consumers primarily judge water quality by its aesthetic properties, T&O compounds are usually present in trace concentrations. This project investigated current complaint management processes and evaluated analytical techniques for detecting T&O compounds.

Honours Thesis completed by Lily Liu in June 2015.

Radionuclides are used for nuclear medicine, veterinary medicine, and research purposes. Nuclear medicine is commonly used for detection of tumour tissue, routine diagnostic imaging and treatment of diseases at many medical sites across South Australia.  This project determined if there were harmful radionuclides in the wastewater.

Honours Thesis completed by Samantha Pandelus in November 2016.

Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that causes the diarrhoeal disease cryptosporidiosis. It is a key concern for water utilities and health regulators because it is common in source waters, highly transmissible, difficult to inactivate and has limited effective drug treatments. There are 26 species of Cryptosporidium but only two, C. hominis and C. parvum, are of public health concern because they cause >90% of infections. this project evaluated and improved PCR assays for Cryptosporidium detection and developed new novel PCR assays for Cryptosporidium species identification.

Honours Thesis completed by Anna M. Wilson in November 2013.

The increasing use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in consumer products has created concern about their fate and effect in the environment. Cosmetics and textiles may release ENMs during their life cycle, which can make their way into waterways often via discharge from wastewater treatment plants. This project assessed the toxicity of nano titanium dioxide and fullernes to green algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata in the presence or organic matter, including treated wastewater effluent and humic acid.

Honours Thesis completed by Elissa O’Malley in October 2013.

This project  developed and tested novel instrument components used in the construction of a portable, robust and inexpensive flow injection analysis (FIA) system for the detection of triazine herbicides using chemiluminescence (CL). The study focussed on three main components: sample pre-concentration, sample-reagent mixing and detection of the CL signal.

PhD Thesis completed by Ana Maria Gracioso Martins in March 2011.

WaterRA is leading a consortium of water industries as part of the future configuration of the “CRC Care” post-June 2021. Water industry leaders (funding partners) of the consortium will determine the key information or research gaps to be addressed in a three-year plan. Topics will include, but not limited to, contamination assessment and remediation thereof in different media as they relate to their core business. Detailed project scopes will be achieved through subsequent co-design with research leads.