The changing role of the urban water sector

Guest Editorial Piece by Professor Tony Wong, CEO, CRC for Water Sensitive Cities Since the National Water Commission’s 2011 report on the future direction of urban water in Australia, the sector has intensified its strategising of its changing and future role across various fora. The Commission challenged the sector to “enhance its effective contribution to more liveable, sustainable and economically prosperous cities in circumstances where broader social, public health and environmental benefits and costs are clearly defined and assessed”. Therefore it will be necessary to for the water retailers to move beyond the traditional provision of ‘taps and toilets’ services of water supply and wastewater disposal to realise more multifunctional and flexible urban water systems delivering a broader range of services and outcomes for communities. Future urban water infrastructure will harvest and recycle an integrated mix of water sources (such as catchment water, stormwater, wastewater, greywater, seawater) bounded by principles such as minimising ecological footprints, through a more flexible combination of centralised and decentralised systems. It is this more complex systems approach that will enable a more sophisticated suite of social and ecosystem services such as water security, flood management, water quality protection of waterways, urban heat mitigation, enhanced biodiversity, amenity, social cohesion, catchment repair and overall improved system resilience – or coping capacity for future uncertainties.