Mike gave an introduction on new media tools, using the recent Pitchfest sponsored by the Water Industry Alliance and the University of Adelaide.

More on Mike Seyfang at www.mikeseyfang.com

Mike’s wonderful mashup can be viewed at http://blip.tv/file/503412/#share

Blog written by Paul Dalby

The following is a list of statistics of downloads and blogs of the event.

You-tube downloads: 334 downloads in total. Tim Anderson’s talk was the most popular with 86 downloads to date (20 November 2007).

Podcast downloads: 93 downloads in total. Most individual speakers have between 10 and 20 downloads each.

Blogs: 6 comments on the blogs page.

The following is a list of statistics of downloads and blogs of the event.

You-tube downloads: 312 downloads in total. Tim Anderson’s talk was the most popular with 86 downloads to date (14 November 2007).

Podcast downloads: 80 downloads in total. Most individual speakers have between 10 and 15 downloads each.

Blogs: 6 comments on the blogs page.

This talk is podcast from the Water Pitchfest, sponsored by the Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide and the Water Industry Alliance.

Paul Dalby from In Fusion Consulting gives a five minute demonstration on new media tools such as RSS feeds, podcasting, video casting and blogging using his site http://www.litfuse.com.au as an example.

Paul Dalby has 10 years experience in managing and promoting scientific research in the management of water, soil and other natural resources. He is a sought after facilitator and communicator.

Presentation given at the Water Pitchfest 2007 at the Sebel Townhouse in Adelaide South Australia on 25th October 2007.

This talk is podcast from the Water Pitchfest, sponsored by the Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide and the Water Industry Alliance.

Tim Anderson from Optimatics gives a five minute “pitch” on the power of optimisation for improving the efficiency of water management.

Tim Anderson is a qualified Civil Engineer and Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has 20 years business experience encompassing engineering, commercialization and marketing.

Presentation given at the Water Pitchfest 2007 at the Sebel Townhouse in Adelaide South Australia on 25th October 2007.

This talk is podcast from the Water Pitchfest, sponsored by the Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide and the Water Industry Alliance.

Don Perugini from Intelligent Software Development gives a five minute “pitch” on the use of artificial intelligence for improving water use efficiency.

Don Perugini is a scientist and entrepreneur with qualifications in software engineering and computer science, graduating from The University of Melbourne and The University of Adelaide. Don has over 10 years experience in applying advanced technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, for simulation, optimization and automation software solutions to address complex distributed military and commercial problems. Don has numerous publications in the field. Don, together with his wife Dr Michelle Perugini, are the founders of a new and innovative company called Intelligent Software Development, which applies this advanced technology to the water and defence industries.

Presentation given at the Water Pitchfest 2007 at the Sebel Townhouse in Adelaide South Australia on 25th October 2007.

This talk is podcast from the Water Pitchfest, sponsored by the Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide and the Water Industry Alliance.

David Lewis from the University of Adelaide gives a five minute “pitch” on recent research to improve the efficiency of water treatment in sewerage plants.

David Lewis is a lecturer in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide. His research involves optimising the efficiency of growth conditions of microalgae for water treatment, biodiesel production and creation of feedstock for aquaculture.

Presentation given at the Water Pitchfest 2007 at the Sebel Townhouse in Adelaide South Australia on 25th October 2007.

This talk is podcast from the Water Pitchfest, sponsored by the Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide and the Water Industry Alliance.

Peter Moller from Agrilink gives a five minute “pitch” on water sensors for the irrigation industry.

Peter has international irrigation management experience, working on projects in Australia, North America, Latin America, Middle East, South Africa and Southern Europe, including being based in California for 6 years. Peter founded Agrilink (Water Management Services) as a regional company in Western Australia in 1990, introducing innovative services and technologies that formed an integrated approach to strategic water management for Agriculture, Golf and Turf. This business formed the basis for the co-founding of Agrilink Holdings P/L in 1997.
Presentation given at the Water Pitchfest 2007 at the Sebel Townhouse in Adelaide South Australia on 25th October 2007.

This talk is podcast from the Water Pitchfest, sponsored by the Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide and the Water Industry Alliance.

Chris Colby from the University of Adelaide gives a five minute “pitch” on understanding the real costs of desalting seawater.

Dr Colby was formerly a consulting engineer for industry specialising in water treatment, supply and management for regional and rural areas, including desalination. Since commencing with the University, he has received several grants from the Australian Research Council and State Government State Energy Research Advisory Council to investigate desalting options for potable water supply to Adelaide, application of desalting technologies for reclamation of high-salinity wastewater at metropolitan sewage treatment plants, and new desalting technologies and processes.

Presentation given at the Water Pitchfest 2007 at the Sebel Townhouse in Adelaide South Australia on 25th October 2007.

This talk is podcast from the Water Pitchfest, sponsored by the Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide and the Water Industry Alliance.

Lionel Ho from the Australian Water Quality Centre gives a five minute “pitch” on new, low cost filtration technology for treating water to rapidly increase quality of potable water.

Dr Lionel Ho is currently employed as a Research Scientist at the Australian Water Quality Centre (a business unit of SA Water) in Adelaide where he has been involved in research relating to water treatment, cyanobacterial metabolites and aquatic microbiology. He has authored and co-authored over 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters and conference publications.

Presentation given at the Water Pitchfest 2007 at the Sebel Townhouse in Adelaide South Australia on 25th October 2007.

This talk is podcast from the Water Pitchfest, sponsored by the Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide and the Water Industry Alliance.

Joe Flynn introduced the audience to the Water Pitchfest, sponsored by the Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide and the Water Industry Alliance.

Joe Flynn commenced as the Water Industry Alliance CEO in September 2007 and brings private and public sector experience in spearheading reform and growth of Australasian water and energy sectors, delivering international infrastructure projects, and leading public private economic development initiatives.

Roles have included Managing Director of a state owned water and electricity utility, GM establishing a $1.3bn utility network alliance, leading a $100m mechanical and electrical contracting business servicing the water and resources sectors and Chair of a public-private economic development agency.

Presentation given at the Water Pitchfest 2007 at the Sebel Townhouse in Adelaide South Australia on 25th October 2007.

The Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide hosted a public forum on the Future of Water in South Australia on 24 October 2007. The presenters were:

• The Hon Karlene Maywald, Minister for Water Security and Minister for the River Murray (includes podcast and Powerpoint)
• Mr Chris Stathy, Managing Director of Philmac Pty Ltd (includes podcast)
• Associate Professor David Paton, University of Adelaide (includes podcast)
• Dr Rod Oliver, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO (includes podcast)

Minister Maywald spoke about the historically low flows in the Murray Darling Basin which, when coupled with the drought conditions in the Mount Lofty Ranges, threatens water security for the city of Adelaide. Her analysis was sobering, and it looks as thought Adelaide could run out of water in two years if there is not significant rainfall in the next 12 months.

Chris Stathy’s perspective was that some of the water security problems facing South Australia could be solved if industry was given a greater opportunity to invest its ideas, energy and capital into clever new solutions. He noted that the current restrictions in water use are causing severe economic hardship for some businesses in Adelaide and suggested that Perth stands out in Australia as a city with best practice in water management.

David Paton described the horrible decline of birds, plants, fish and invertebrates in the Coorong system, as a result of years of man-made and natural drought conditions. The result is likely to be the extinction of some species in this area, and perhaps will contribute to the compete extinction of the Fairy Tern.

Rod Oliver gave a disturbing presentation on the ecological health of the River Murray. The Council of Australian Governments agreed to provide 500 GL pa of water for environmental flows in the River Murray system to protect six ecological systems along the River Murray that they call “icon” sites. The results of a thorough analysis by CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country shows that so far the governments of Australia have provide zero extra environmental flows for the river. Furthermore, while they have identified 380 GL pa that could be saved for environmental flows, this will not be enough to save ecological systems along the River. The CSIRO analysis found that 2,000 GL pa will be required to protect the six “icon” sites.

All of this is pretty depressing.

Three things struck me as being important messages from all four talks.

1. While there are some positive things being done to provide extra water sources for Adelaide and South Australia, including water recycling, storm-water capture and recovery and improvements in water use efficiency by individuals and industries, the overwhelming issue is that humans are taking too much water from the Murray Darling System. The over-extraction of water from the system has lead to a dying Coorong, a sick and declining River Murray and wetlands, and water security problems for irrigators and urban residents of much of South Australia. The solution seems to be a wholesale clawing back of water from irrigators who use over 70% of flows in the Murray Darling Basin. The mechanism of how this is done requires some smart thinking. Some suggestions as to how this could be achieved that were put forward by speakers and audience members. They include

• buying back all of the water and then selling a lesser percentage at a higher price to those uses prepared to pay (including urban users),
• the government making a decision to leave larger volumes of water in the river and allocating a lesser percentage of water to all users under existing licensing arrangements,
• buying back licenses from irrigators for environmental flows.

All of these mechanisms create winners and losers, however it seems to me that under the current arrangements, everyone and everything in the Murray Darling Basin is a loser.

2. Acts of Parliaments such as the EPBC Act and Ramsar Act, and plans and agreements such as the Murray Darling Basin Agreement and The Living Murray Agreement have completely failed to protect the riverine environment of the Murray Darling Basin. This should be cause for sober reflection and re-assessment by government as to what it is required to protect environmental assets against legitimate economic interests.

3. Blaming government, irrigators, the media, or even the NSW government (my pet hate) is not going to solve the challenge of protecting the water security for South Australia and its environment. In South Australia we are facing a crisis, if not a catastrophe right now. Many irrigators are going to lose their livelihood in the Riverland this year. Businesses in Adelaide have collapsed as a result of water restrictions. The southern lagoon of the Coorong is being read the last rites. The wetlands and redgums along the River Murray are dying or are dead. Now is a time for government, industry and the community to work together to get through these tough times. We need a concerted effort that involves the energy, ideas, investment and cooperation of all people with an interest in a healthy Marray Darling Basin system.

This presentation is available on the LitFuse feed. You can register for the feed on your i-tunes: http://feeds.litfuse.com.au

The Presentation by David Paton is available as a podcast. You can also download a pdf version of his Powerpoint presentation.

The Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide hosted a public forum on the Future of Water in South Australia on 24 October 2007. I have created a more detailed blog on this event.

The presenters were:

• The Hon Karlene Maywald, Minister for Water Security and Minister for the River Murray
• Mr Chris Stathy, Managing Director of Philmac Pty Ltd
• Associate Professor David Paton, University of Adelaide
• Dr Rod Oliver, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO

David Paton described the horrible decline of birds, plants, fish and invertebrates in the Coorong system, as a result of years of man-made and natural drought conditions. The result is likely to be the extinction of some species in this area, and perhaps will contribute to the compete extinction of the Fairy Tern.This presentation is available on the LitFuse feed. You can register for the feed on your i-tunes: http://feeds.litfuse.com.au

The Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide hosted a public forum on the Future of Water in South Australia on 24 October 2007. I have created a more detailed blog on this event.

The presenters were:

• The Hon Karlene Maywald, Minister for Water Security and Minister for the River Murray
• Mr Chris Stathy, Managing Director of Philmac Pty Ltd
• Associate Professor David Paton, University of Adelaide
• Dr Rod Oliver, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO

Rod Oliver gave a disturbing presentation on the ecological health of the River Murray. The Council of Australian Governments agreed to provide 500 GL pa of water for environmental flows in the River Murray system to protect six ecological systems along the River Murray that they call “icon” sites. The results of a thorough analysis by CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country shows that so far the governments of Australia have provide zero extra environmental flows for the river. Furthermore, while they have identified 380 GL pa that could be saved for environmental flows, this will not be enough to save ecological systems along the River. The CSIRO analysis found that 2,000 GL pa will be required to protect the six “icon” sites.This presentation is available on the LitFuse feed. You can register for the feed on your i-tunes: http://feeds.litfuse.com.au

The Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide hosted a public forum on the Future of Water in South Australia on 24 October 2007. I have created a more detailed blog on this event.

The presenters were:

• The Hon Karlene Maywald, Minister for Water Security and Minister for the River Murray
• Mr Chris Stathy, Managing Director of Philmac Pty Ltd
• Associate Professor David Paton, University of Adelaide
• Dr Rod Oliver, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO

Chris Stathy’s perspective was that some of the water security problems facing South Australia could be solved if industry was given a greater opportunity to invest its ideas, energy and capital into clever new solutions. He noted that the current restrictions in water use are causing severe economic hardship for some businesses in Adelaide and suggested that Perth stands out in Australia as a city with best practice in water management.

This presentation is available on the LitFuse feed. You can register for the feed on your i-tunes: http://feeds.litfuse.com.au

The Water Research Cluster of the University of Adelaide hosted a public forum on the Future of Water in South Australia on 24 October 2007. I have created a more detailed blog on this event.

The presenters were:

• The Hon Karlene Maywald, Minister for Water Security and Minister for the River Murray
• Mr Chris Stathy, Managing Director of Philmac Pty Ltd
• Associate Professor David Paton, University of Adelaide
• Dr Rod Oliver, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO

Minister Maywald spoke about the historically low flows in the Murray Darling Basin which, when coupled with the drought conditions in the Mount Lofty Ranges, threatens water security for the city of Adelaide. Her analysis was sobering, and it looks as thought Adelaide could run out of water in two years if there is not significant rainfall in the next 12 months.

This presentation is available on the LitFuse feed. You can register for the feed on your i-tunes: http://feeds.litfuse.com.au

This event has been podcast.

The Water Pitchfest presents new technologies in water management. The event is co-sponsored by the Water Research Cluster at the University of Adelaide and the Water Industry Alliance. Speakers included:

• Joe Flynn, CEO of the Water Industry Alliance, introduces the first Water Pitchfest
• Chris Colby from the University of Adelaide on the costs and processes of desalination
• Lionel Ho from SA Water on inexpensive technologies in biofiltration
• Don Perugini from Intelligent Software Development on the use of artificial intelligence to improve water efficiency
• David Lewis from the University of Adelaide on new technologies in water treatment systems
• Peter Moller from Agrilink on new water sensors in irrigation
• Tim Anderson from Optimatics on the power of optimisation for improved management of water resources
• Paul Dalby on experiments in new media tools on www.litfuse.com.au

We would greatly appreciate your feedback on this event. Please provide comments in the response box below.