National Committee on Water EngineeringPosition papers provide an informative, nontechnical summary of water engineering issues which affect the community. They also present the Institution of Engineers position on these issues.
Listed below are the titles and abstracts of the current position papers. Click on the link to view the full paper:
This paper is concerned with floods in Australia, and the means by which the adverse impacts of flooding can be minimised. Its purpose is to provide a general understanding of the causes of floods, assessment of flood risk, and the benefits of appropriate floodplain management.
The Australian climate is noted for its marked variability of extremes. The possibility of rapidly occurring climate change due to both natural and anthropogenic factors necessitates the acknowledgement of the uncertainty of future climate and the development of contingency planning for adaptation to a changing climate. This paper aims to provide an Australian context to the current global concern over climate change. This paper also attempts to provide a more rational approach to managing water resources and hydrological issues given the historical variability of the Australian climate and the uncertainty of its future climate.
Provision of safe drinking water is fundamental to Australia's high standard of living. This paper describes the issues considered by water engineers in the development and supply of drinkable water through the environmentally sensitive investigation, design, construction and operation of water storages, treatment plants and distribution systems.
Dryland salinity is fundamentally a groundwater problem that produces effects at or above the land surface, and in the underlying root zone. Along with erosion and waterlogging, it is a form of land and water degradation that has serious implications for Australia’s future. This position paper is designed to outline the technical aspects of dryland salinity in Australia, and recommend action to address the problem.
Education is vital to the maintenance and growth uf expertise in water engineering which is responsible for infrastructure valued well over $50 billion. This paper explores the partnership between formal educational providers, the profession and the Institution. Changes in technology, the de-skilling of the public sector, socio-political shifts and structural change in the tertiary education sector are stressing and challenging the education partnership forcing it to evolve and adapt.
The need to efficiently and effectively manage the harvesting and quality of our limited water resources has long been recognised. Complex water management infrastructure systems and regulatory structures have been instituted to achieve the needs of the community. The need for formalised environmental management by the water industry itself is, however, only now emerging as an essential component of sustainable development and management of our water resources.
Floods in Australia are a natural and frequently occurring event, often affecting thousands of people. Floods can cause widespread disruption to commercial and agricultural activities and property damage resulting in millions of dollars of economic loss. This paper argues that the economic and social impact of floods can be mitigated by a combination of structural and non-structural measures. These include land-use regulation, public education, implementation of flood warning systems as well as the construction of flood mitigation structures.
Water engineers and hydrologists provide industry and government with the scientific/technical basis for dealing with current issues in water and land management. This paper discusses the information and research needs of the water industry (as at 1995).
Sustainable management of natural resources is vital for the high quality of life to be enjoyed by future generation of Australians. The concept of Integrated Catchment Management offers a unique chance to confront this issue in a participative manner by all stakeholders.
There is growing concern with the extent and quality of current data collection activities, as well as with the access to the data. This paper is aimed at policy makers and those who fund and undertake data collection, so that, in the current trend to commercialise Government enterprises which have traditionally collected the data, the collection of data is done effectively and efficiently, and continues to maximise the benefits to the community.
This draft Position Paper outlines the Australia’s water resources and how we use our water. It is increasingly being recognised that new development will not be sustainable with respect to water unless integrated strategies to manage the water cycle are implemented. This paper supports the adoption and implementation of such integrated strategies and promotes the conservation of our drinking water and the more efficient and effective re-use of our stormwater and wastewater resources to reduce the use of high quality drinkable water for purposes which only require a lower quality of water.
Last Modified:
Tuesday, September 18, 2007 7:28
Comments to: peter.brady@eng.uts.edu.au