Water Quality Research Australia

Water Quality Research Australia Limited (WQRA) is a national research centre established to succeed the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment when the CRC ended on 30 June 2008.

WQRA undertakes collaborative research of national application on drinking water quality, recycled water and relevant areas of wastewater management. The main focus of the research program is on urban water issues related to public health and acceptability aspects of water supply, water recycling and aspects of wastewater management. WQRA also has an Education Program, utilising the most successful elements of the CRC Program.

WQRA Newsletter
Issue 21 (January 2010) outlines recent WQRA activiities and forthcoming events for the first few months of 2010. We also welcome a new member to WQRA and provide updates on the Drinking Water and Wastewater/Recycled Water Research Programs. The upcoming Summer Scholar Seminars in February are highlighted, as well as a new funding opportunity from NHMRC.

WQRA AGM - November 2009
WQRA welcomed 60 people, including Member representatives and visitors, to the WQRA AGM at SA Water House in Adelaide on Friday 27th November 2009. Presentations from the AGM are now available.

Health Stream Newsletter
Issue 56 covers a new study on endemic waterborne disease in older people, the investigation into a waterborne Salmonella outbreak in Colorado and Legionella cases linked to industrial exposures. Plus news items and summaries of recent literature on a range of water quality topics.

WQRA support for ARC and NHMRC Grant applications in 2010
ARC Applications for WQRA funding support for the May 2010 ARC funding call closed on 29 January 2010.

NHMRC Members who are considering submitting an application to the NHMRC 2010 Partnerships Projects scheme and and wish to seek support from WQRA, should contact the relevant Program Manager regarding the submissions of expressions of interest. The closing date for the NHMRC partnerships projects scheme is 30 April 2010. Additional information can be found on the NHMRC website http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants/calendar/index.htm

Drinking Water Program – Michele Akeroyd Michele.Akeroyd@wqra.com.au
Recycled Water Program and Wastewater Program – David Halliwell David.Halliwell@wqra.com.au

Research Reports
A range of Occasional Papers and Research Reports is available free to download in PDF format. Recent additions include:
• Report 79 Understanding the growth of opportunistic pathogens within distribution systems.
• Report 77 Benchmarking Water Sensitive Urban Design – Payne Road
The Payne Rd project was an initiative of the Qld Department of Natural Resources and Water to quantify the water, energy and nutrient balances of a cluster scale subdivision that incorporated a number of decentralised technologies, set in a context of Water Sensitive Urban Design. The project component funded by the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment focussed on water supply and its reliability from rainwater tanks, the avoided sewage discharge from on-site greywater reuse, and comparison of the energy footprint with that of a traditional (adjacent) suburb.