The Value of Operator Competency project was a WaterRA initiative to communicate the value and benefits of an appropriately trained and competent frontline operator workforce. A key finding was: ‘The current governance approach to technical competency in the Australian water industry does not guarantee the implementation of L&D (Learning & Development) programs, that deliver the necessary competency required to undertake frontline operator roles.’

Currently there is no consistent national operator competency benchmark and this has resulted in inconsistent approaches by utilities to operator training and competency. This project proposes to bring industry and regulators together to develop minimum standards for technical competency that facilitates a more consistent approach towards technical competency and the implementation of L&D programs for frontline water industry operations.

The project will:

1. Identify and review current national L&D programs.

2. Develop a Technical Competency Benchmark that facilitates a consistent approach towards evaluation and implementation of competency, including:

• Identification of roles, process mapping, training needs analysis, and knowledge and skills requirements
• Nationally Accredited training
• National Registration
• Maintenance of knowledge and skills

3. Develop template tools for water utilities to develop and implement benchmark requirements.

4. Develop tools for water utilities to self-audit and a version for regulators to provide to auditors.

5. Trial tools in regional and remote utilities as identified by project partners.

6. Develop a knowledge sharing program for the water industry and regulators.

The Australian water industry is an active participant in research that aims to improve water quality but there are often barriers to disseminating and implementing research findings and results. This project referred to technical research which developed methods, including in vitro cell culture, to check the safety of recycled water (WaterRA Project 2002). The original research included delivery of a series of workshops to disseminate findings. This project followed up by administering an online survey in which 29 of the workshop participants gave feedback about ongoing adoption and implementation of Project 2002 activities. They reported a perception of regulatory and industry barriers to the broad acceptance and implementation of in vitro methods. It was concluded that the combination of workshops and online survey was an effective way to evaluate the progress (or otherwise) of technology transfer.

Smaller and regional Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) have the capacity to recycle wastewater for agricultural use, but the cost of obtaining regulatory approval or ‘accreditation’ is prohibitive. One reason for this is that each WWTP must demonstrate that its processes and operations consistently remove pathogens that cause infectious diseases in humans. Operating conditions include flow rate through the WWTP, and temperature in the activated sludge component of the WWTPs. Although pathogen ‘log removal values (LVR)’ were obtained for a WWTP at 19-20°C in Part I of this project (WQRA project 2001), these values cannot also be attributed to summer temperatures of 26°C. This research determined LRVs for ‘new’ WWTP operating conditions and combined the data with data from Phase I (Project 2001) for analysis. One of the conclusions from Part II was that faster flow rates associated with increased rainfall reduced pathogen LRVs.

The ADWG explains policies but does not provide the specific steps and actions needed to apply risk management principles within a water treatment plant (WTP). The original ‘Guide to Drinking Water Supply Systems for the Management of Microbial Risk’ (WaterRA Project 1074) filled this gap by providing Australian-specific advice about managing and optimising common water treatment processes to achieve microbial health-based targets. Since its publication in 2015 it has become a popular reference document, and its widespread acceptance and use has prompted the production of this second edition. Included are updated technologies and regulations, and a series of auditing tools and templates for application in a variety of situations, including the identification and quantification of risk.

Click here to download the Good Practice Guide.

Failure to maintain appropriate levels of knowledge, skill, and experience in the frontline operator workforce runs the risk of disruption and loss of service delivery consequent to human error, along with associated risks to the environment and public health and safety. This research reviewed literature that reports water quality safety incidents, other industry training requirements, and forward-looking training preparedness for new technologies. A case study and water industry survey provided additional information for review. Five key operating principles proved important to operator development and training. It was found that the Australian water industry lacks workforce competency and management practices that are well-established in the aviation, nursing, electrical and engineering industries, and that many utilities do not use the Water Industry Operators Certification Framework, even though this provides the best pathway to frontline operator competency and management. It was concluded that the Australian water industry would benefit from considering regulatory changes to drive a nationally consistent governance approach to the provision of frontline operator training and competency certification.

The ADWGs include methods and strategies for calculating all types of risks to water quality but lack guidance for managing extreme weather events. This research completed a number of activities which included the collection and analysis of 10 Australian extreme weather events and listed transferrable, real-world lessons and experiences. Two hypothetical scenarios based on extreme flood, and on bushfire combined with significant rainfall, were designed then ‘managed’ by diverse water utility personnel and health regulators. This activity also generated a list of key lessons. Optimal methods for calculating short-term Exposure Trigger Values for hazardous compounds were identified. Outcomes from all the project activities were processed and collated into a practical instruction guide to support Australian water utilities in their management of extreme weather events.

The ADWG 2011 lacked objective, quantifiable criteria for measuring pathogen removal from source waters. The WHO requires that health-based targets (HBTs) are used to ensure safe drinking water. HBTs can be set by making ‘Disability Adjusted Life Year’ (DALY) calculations which incorporate information about a population; the average Australian lifespan and the impact of infection on the length of a healthy life. Pathogen levels in water that correspond to micro-DALYs with minimal population-level effects are too low to be detectable by existing tests. This problem is addressed by calculating ‘log removal values’ (LRVs). Pathogens can be measured in source and treated water after the application of a defined method. When 90% of the pathogen is removed, the LRV equals 1, while 99% removal has an LRV of 2. HBTs incorporate LRVs, which are based on objective, quantifiable criteria, to reduce pathogen loads to levels that correspond to acceptable Australian micro-DALY levels. This research collated existing datasets about pathogens in source waters and the efficiency of their removal by treatment plants around Australia. From this, default pathogen levels for a range of Australian source waters and climate events, and LRVs for different treatment methodologies were obtained.

Climate change is depleting water resources, while population increases drive demand for additional recreational facilities, particularly in the vicinity of urban centres. It was thought that public access to water catchment land and reservoirs might cause large-scale outbreaks of disease, and that the water-consuming public would have to pay more for the additional water treatment required to keep drinking water free of the organisms that cause infectious disease. Some consider this unfair because it is an added expense that results from recreational access by a minority of the population. This research considered peer-reviewed literature, policy and regulation, hazard and risk assessment procedures, and placed these in the context of interviews, focus group interactions and surveys. It was concluded that although the science of the adverse effects of recreational access on water quality continues to stand up to examination, there is now justification for conducting an advanced risk-benefit analysis which was developed during the study. This uses a ‘multi-attribute utility’ approach that enables assessment of any given situation by incorporating cross-impact matrices. This risk-benefit methodology addresses the significant issues that arise when adjusting or implementing new recreational access priorities.

The protection of sources of water and catchments is an important method for maintaining water quality; one that can mitigate cost and reliance on downstream water treatment and disinfection. Catchment protection requires risk assessment, but water quality management approaches were not originally developed for natural environments, and ecosystem-based methods (such as the Ecological Risk Assessment methodology), require complex data inputs often unavailable to water utilities.

This paper discusses various water quality risk management techniques and proposes a step-by-step catchment risk assessment methodology that is compatible with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.