Posted 12 August 2011
The CWI team just missed out on this Eureka prize on the 6th September. As Eureka finalists, the CWI team really enjoyed the gala celebration of Australian science!
The Connected Waters Initiative (CWI) Team is a finalist in the 2011 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes for Science.
The nomination is for the Professor Peter Cullen Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation that recognises outstanding contribution to water resource management.
The CWI Team team includes Professor Ian Acworth, Associate Professor Bryce Kelly, Dr Martin Andersen, Dr Anna Greve, Andrew McCallum, Gabriel Rau and Dr Wendy Timms.
They have undertaken research demonstrating the extent of the connectivity between surface water and ground water resources. This research demonstrates that a collaborative effort focusing on obtaining information from in-stream point measurements and small scale field measurements and deep borehole observations through to observations on the catchment-scale, is required to advance rural water management.
The CWI Team developed a multidisciplinary tool kit for the investigation of surface water and groundwater interconnectivity. The research reflects how detailed climate, river flow, recharge, irrigation usage, water chemistry, geological, and geophysical data sets can be combined to improve our understanding of the processes surrounding the movement of water through a catchment.
State government agencies have integrated CWI research results into their decision-making process. The Namoi Catchment Management Authority has requested the CWI map zones where groundwater extractions are highly connected to the streams and river, and other zones where there is no long term viable recharge and current groundwater extractions are not viable. The CWI groundwater research has also informed aspects of the Namoi Catchment Action Plan.The recent Upper Namoi Catchment Groundwater Status report by the NSW Office of Water referenced the CWI team cites and research papers numerous times.
Most importantly, presentations by the CWI team have been a major source of independent information for groundwater stakeholders. A primary goal has been to provide high quality information that can help inform the debates on water management in the Murray-Darling Basin. Final, one of the team members, Dr. Wendy Timms was invited to review the draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan before it was released.
Presented annually by the Australian Museum, the Eureka Prizes are a unique partnership between government organisations, institutions, companies and individuals committed to celebrating the vitality, originality and excellence of Australian science.
The winners will be announced at a Gala Dinner on September 6.
Links
Professor Andy Baker features in American Water Resources Association ‘Water Resources Impact’, September 2020 edition.
The Connected Waters Initiative (CWI) is pleased to welcome Taylor Coyne to its network as a postgraduate researcher. If you’re engaged in research at a postgraduate level, and you’re interested in joining the CWI network, get in touch! The CWI network includes multidisciplinary researchers across the Schools of Engineering, Sciences, Humanities and Languages and Law.
The Grand Challenge on Rapid Urbanisation will establish Think Deep Australia, led by Dr Marilu Melo Zurita, to explore how we can use our urban underground spaces for community benefit.
On the 21 August 2020, CWI researchers made a submission to the National Water Reform Inquiry, identifying priority areas and making a number of recommendations as to how to achieve a sustainable groundwater future for Australia.
Results published from a research project between the Land Development Department (LDD) Thailand and UNSW has demonstrated how 2-dimensional mapping can be used to understand soil salinity adjacent to a earthen canal in north east Thailand (Khongnawang et al. 2020).
