Copies of the presentations are available.
All who attended will receive copies of the PDF power point presentations and Certificates of Attendance if required. (Some presentations may not be accessed)
To purchase a copy of the live recorded presentations please email us.
GUEST SPEAKERS INCLUDED
Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage
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Department of Health (Water Unit ) WA
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Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
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University of WA
School of Agriculture and Environment
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OLEOLOGY
Some pics from the event.....
WATER POLICY REVIEW WA
Changes to the Water Policy and Guidelines : Draft State Planning Policy 2.9 Planning for Water (SPP 2.9)
Speaker
Loretta Van Gasselt
Dept of Planning, Lands and Heritage
Planning Manager | Strategy and Engagement
In 2017 a series of meetings were held with government and non-government stakeholders to discuss the effectiveness of water-related SPPs and identify any gaps and issues. Through this process it was identified that the current water policy framework was outdated, complex and needed to better respond to anticipated impacts from population growth, changing climate, differing land uses and economic trends.
This presentation will cover:
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The key changes that have been made to the planning policy framework relating to water
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An overview of the approach taken
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Some changes made to the policy content relating to the Government Sewerage Policy
PUBLIC HEALTH DRIVERS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH WA 'S DESIRED OUTCOME FROM SPP2.9
Speaker
Richard Theobald
State Drinking Water Regulator
Department of Health WA Water Unit
More details on this topic coming soon
RUNOFF AND GROUNDWATER RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN SOUTH WEST AUSTRALIA
Speaker
Don McFarlane
Adjunct Professor, UWA School of Agriculture and Environment
The South West of WA has experienced a drying trend since about 1975, something which is increasingly becoming evident in parts of the word with a Mediterranean climate. In the South West, the drying, along with higher temperatures, has resulted in profound changes that were initially hard to detect from year-to-year variability.
While runoff seems initially to be most affected, it is a reduction in groundwater levels that is often the underlying cause. The cumulatively effect of dry years is to lessens surface water-groundwater interactions.
The risk of dryland salinisation has reduced over much of the South West, although there are areas where is continues to seriously impact on agricultural land and native vegetation. Reduced rainfall amounts and possibly intensities, and the drying of wheatbelt valleys, has resulted in less winter flooding but there may have been an increase in summer flood risks.
The large reduction of runoff into Darling Range reservoirs important for Perth’s water supply has been well documented. The talk will also look at trends in groundwater levels in the Perth Basin using datasets from two government departments.
Climate change impacts on South West hydrology are still to be fully expressed.
The talk is based on a paper recently published with four co-authors in the Journal of the Royal Society of WA
BRIEF
An emerging concern worldwide is a group of substances known as PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances), which were developed over 50 years ago and incorporated into a host of industrial processes and products such as firefighting foams and all manner of other non-stick, water-repellent or stain-resistant goods.
PFAS are highly persistent in the environment, moderately soluble, can be transported long distances (in some cases many kilometres) and transfer between soil, sediment, surface water and groundwater.
PFAS have been shown to be toxic to some animals, and because they break down very slowly they can bioaccumulate and biomagnify in some wildlife, including fish. This means that fish and animals higher in the food chain may accumulate higher concentrations of PFAS in their bodies.
This session will address investigations in WA, The PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (2020), analysis in water, developments and trends and the challenges of PFAS in the Mining Sector
PFAS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Speaker
Tracey Hassell
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
(presentation cannot be accessed)
Tracey will present on;
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The PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP) 2020
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PFAS investigations in WA - Investigations of ambient PFAS levels
PFAS
Speaker
Paul Callaghan
Director OLEOLOGY
ANALYSIS OF PFAS IN WATER - DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS
Speaker
David Riessen
ALS Global
PFAS can contaminate recreational water from a variety of sources. In addition to contamination from fire-fighting foams, PFAS can be released into the environment from wastewater and sewage discharges. Leaching from landfill sites where products and materials containing PFAS are sent for disposal can also occur.
This presentation will discuss;
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Developments in Sample Handling
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Developments in Instruments and Analysis
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Current and Future Trends in the industry
PFAS IN WA
KEY SPEAKERS
LORETTA VAN GASSELT
Department of Planning Lands and Heritage
Loretta van Gasselt is the Planning Manager of three land use planning policy teams at the Department of Planning Lands and Heritage. One of the teams Loretta manages is responsible for the development of land use planning policies focused on water and the provision of advice on policy implementation associated with several water-related matters including public drinking water source protection areas and wastewater.
Loretta holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Social Ecology and has been working in the fields of environment, land use planning and policy for 33 years across the not for profit, local, state and federal government sectors.
Loretta will speak about the review of the water related planning policy framework, specifically the development and recent release for public consultation of Draft State Planning Policy 2.9 – Planning for Water.
RICHARD THEOBALD
Department of Health Water Unit WA
Richard has worked in the Department for more than 30 years and as the Managing Scientist Water he is responsible for all health-related matters associated with drinking, waste, recycled, alternate, environmental recreational and aquatic waters in Western Australia.
Richard is the State Drinking Water Regulator; delegate of the Chief Health Officer for waste water, recycled water and aquatic waters; Secretary to the Advisory Committee for the Purity of Water and the Statutory Committee of the Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies.
In addition, he is a member of several State and National committees including enHealth Water Quality Expert Reference Panel, National Onsite Regulators Forum, National Recycled Water Regulators Forum, National Aquatic Facilities Regulators Forum and Australian Standards Committees.
DON MCFARLANE
Hydrogeologist Adjunct Professor
University of Western Australia
Dr Don McFarlane has majors in geology and soil science, a masters in natural resource management and a doctorate in hydrogeology. He managed soil and catchment hydrology groups in the WA Department of Agriculture before becoming a Director in the Department of Water. At CSIRO he managed the water flagship and led projects on projected climate change impacts on South West- and Pilbara water resources, as well as on managed aquifer recharge. He is currently an Adjunct Professor supervising post-graduate students and giving occasional lectures. He won the CSIRO Chairman’s Medal for his contribution to satellite remote sensing of dryland salinity and native vegetation.
TRACEY HASSELL
Manager Waste Industries at Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
Tracey is a Manager of Waste Industries for the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) and one of the selected staff who represent DWER as a member of the Heads of EPAs National Chemicals Working Group (NCWG) for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The NCWG is currently in the process of drafting version 3 of the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan, which establishes a practical basis for nationally consistent environmental guidance and standards for managing PFAS contamination.
Tracey has over 15-years of experience in environmental consulting as a subject matter expert in hydrogeochemistry and is an experienced environmental practitioner for contaminant fate and transport assessments, and human health and environmental risk assessments. She has worked on mining, industrial and contaminated land industry Project sites across Australia and Overseas.
Tracey has worked for DWER for just over 4 years in the regulation of the Waste Industry and is responsible for undertaking environmental assessments under Part V of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 with a focus on wastewater treatment plants, landfills and solid & liquid waste facilities. In her role at DWER, she provides advice on approaches to implementation of Federal and International legislation and consultation on Federal and global guidance on the management of emerging contaminants and wastes relevant to industries regulated under the Environmental Protection Act 1986.
PAUL CALLAGHAN
Founder and Director
OLEOLOGY
Paul Callaghan is the founder and Director of OLEOLOGY, a provider of engineered solutions for PFAS and oil-free water. He has been involved in the oil & gas/water industry for more than 33 years.
His depth of knowledge results from a career in the oil industry, followed by leading the engineering development within water treatment technologies. Since 2006, Paul has been developing solutions for the removal of hydrocarbon and PFAS from fire training installations, groundwater, leachate and others and has received the accolade for Australia’s Top 19 technologies for the innovative PFAS treatment system to achieve below detectable levels.
Having spoken at multiple international events, his expertise in water treatment has been demonstrated in a three part edition published in the USA ‘International Filtration News’ and also published in the ‘Australian Mining Review’ and ‘Waste Management Review’. Working alongside other technology leaders in water treatment the application to not only solve worldwide problems but to enhance water supply in scarce water areas and cross collaborate with multiple industries.
