In my 30 years of research, I keep uncovering long-standing environmental issues the mining industry doesn’t seem to learn from.
- Associate Professor in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University
Five capital city water storages fell over summer, and some appear to be facing dramatic long-term declines. Late drenching rains fell on southeastern Australia, but some unlucky centres missed out.
Floods will undoubtably wash pollutants into water reservoirs. Are we prepared enough to protect our drinking water?
If you want to swim in the Yarra River, you can check the water quality to see if it’s safe. If you want to swim in the Nepean River, you can’t – and that’s a problem.
Australia’s capital cities have collectively lost 30% of their stored water over the last six years. But this loss is not evenly distributed across the country.
Flushable wipes have won a victory in the Federal Court, but you still shouldn’t put them down the toilet.
Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs have raw and untreated sewage from 3,500 people discharged directly into the Tasman Sea.
Water in Sydney is far cheaper than in Melbourne, and residents take full advantage of it.
Cities relied entirely on conserving and recycling water to get through the last big drought. We now have desalination plants, but getting the most out of our water reserves still makes sense.
Sydney and Melbourne are bringing desalination plants back on stream and Adelaide plans to increase its plant’s output. Perth depends on desalination. But is it the best way to achieve water security?
Plants can find it tough to get all the nitrogen they need, especially from Australian soils. But summer storms can provide an added boost.
Of Australia’s capital cities, Perth has the saltiest tap water, while Melbourne, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra have the least salty. And while all are within guidelines, the variation is striking.
An audit of Sydney’s drinking water has found worryingly high salinity. If the biggest water catchment in the country has problems, what about regional and rural Australia?
The Bunya pine is a unique and majestic Australian tree that commands respect.
Just because something is advertised as ‘flushable’ doesn’t mean you should put it in your toilet.
Every year councils around Australia compete to prove they have the best-tasting tap water in the country.
Perth is looking at recycling all its sewage in the city’s future water supply. But many Australians’ drinking water already contains indirectly recycled treated sewage.
The situation in Perth in particular has some parallels to that of Cape Town, but Australian cities responded to the last big drought by investing in much bigger water supply and storage capacity.
Australian cities have turned to some very costly solutions when water is scarce. But as the world’s second-highest users of water per person, more efficient use and recycling are key.
You flush the toilet. Down it goes. What happens after that? Clancy, age four, wants to know.
The environmental regulator has stepped in to stop water pollution from an underground coal mine damaging a World Heritage River. Can the mine deliver improvements and will the river recover?
The cutting of senior staff from WaterNSW, the body that oversees the safety of Sydney’s water supply, poses serious risks to Australia’s most complex water network.
Australia’s status as a major wheat exporter means we have a special role in helping the rest of the world eat. But with a changing climate, and so much of the world’s wheat being used as animal feeds…
Sea levels are rising and the world’s vast coastal settlements face many damaging changes. One of the most difficult and expensive challenges is the risk to the safe and effective operation of our sewerage…
NSW is not doing enough to prevent excessive environmental damage from chemical leaks: it is more common than many people realise for liquid wastes to be discharged into waterways. The NSW Environment…
Contact Ian for
- General
- Media request
- Speaking request
- Consulting / Advising
- Research collaboration
- Research supervision
- Location: Sydney, Australia
- Website
- X (formerly Twitter): @drianwright
- Article Feed
- ORCID
- Joined
