Archived Industry News for Water Professionals

The recent spill of about a million litres of uranium ore and acid has been used as a platform to call for the end of uranium mining at the Ranger site.

Cave community proves the tenacity of tiny life-forms

In a world bathed in perpetual darkness, a recent study has found tiny communities bursting with vitality.

Doors to deal with flowback closing in NSW

A major coal seam gas company is shopping around for someone to deal with its chemical-laden ‘flowback water’, but the response from nearby treatment plants has not been favourable.

Funding to flood desert mines with irrigation ideas

The Western Australian Government has announced a multi-million dollar plan to investigate novel ways of watering the desert, hoping to propagate a new future for the Pilbara region.

New sugar system gives Reef command to farmers

A small group of Queensland canefarmers have signed-on to a program aimed at reducing toxic run-off to the Great Barrier Reef.

Study plots pollutant path from micro to macro problem

With plastic pollutants and additives piling up on land and in our oceans, an important study has sought to find whether the synthetic substances transfer to wildlife when they are eaten.

Victoria will turn the tap in its own time

The Victorian Government has reserved the right not to flood private properties with dam-water, even if the Federal Government tells it to.

Watchdog says sunscreen claim's meaning has changed

Australia’s consumer watchdog has barked-down claims about the alleged danger of nano-materials in sunscreen.

Algae plant churns output back to input

An environmental engineer has developed and enacted plans for a single site which could process human waste and harvest oil and gas without harmful emissions.

More fines from North Queensland copper dump

A mining company has been fined $120,000 for the heavy pollution of waterways in Far North Queensland.

Reef record shows two-thousand year growth spurt

A study led by University of Sydney scientists has had a long look back at the Great Barrier Reef’s history, probing deepwater fossils for the natural wonder’s life story.

Santos spreads wells for knowledge

Australian oil and gas company Santos Ltd. is sinking eighteen water monitoring bores around its operations in New South Wales – saying that if water tables are diminished or damaged, they will know about it.

Study seeks to unpick conflicts, cut to core of land issues

A new project has been launched to find out exactly how the values of people in rural areas are affected by land use conflicts caused by CSG drilling, wind farms, irrigation and agriculture.

Twin spills spark nasty clean-up, closures

The Gold Coast City Council may need some extra toilet training, after raw sewerage was accidentally spilled twice in less than a week.

Why pollution changes clouds to anvils in the sky

Airborne pollutants do more than just accumulate over time – we now know they contribute to the make-up of storm clouds, creating more direct weather effects.

New NASA launch to peek behind Venus' veil

Biting at the heels of NASA’s latest launch, the space agency is preparing to send up a rocket to probe the atmosphere of Venus.

Process cut to get gas freely floating

The Australian Government is continuing its pledge to dissolve approval processes it deems unnecessary or duplicative, this week announcing a new ‘one-stop-shop’ environmental process for offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities.

Border net picked apart by budget cuts

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service says it will be difficult to “stop the boats” when it has to cut 600 staff members in coming years.

Algae growth shows centuries of sea-ice shifts

The ebb and flow of annual changes in sea-ice cover is reflected in the algae underneath, allowing scientists to plot changes in the ice by counting the ‘age rings’ of water plants.

Better science hopes to save billions

Even under the most modest global warming scenarios, extreme El Niño years will occur twice as often – a new report from the University of New South Wales says.