Creating a water sensitive South Australia
Most South Australians live in Adelaide. They have experienced droughts and have seen the effects of living in a warm, dry climate. As a result they are passionate about water and maintaining the green landscape of their city. They share a concern for future of water resources from the River Murray and the need to protect riverine systems such as the River Torrens and the marine ecosystem of Gulf St Vincent.
Like other Australian states, South Australia has invested in new technology to diversify its water resources. South Australia is now recognised as a leader in the capture and reuse of stormwater, rainwater tank ownership and wastewater reuse. It invests in research both locally and nationally to ensure it has the best and most current knowledge and technologies.
Following investment in large scale water sensitive projects to secure drinking water supplies, attention is now turning to local scale solutions where there are opportunities to integrate non-drinking water sources. This may see a mix of local scale, village scale and city scale projects that together ensure all water in Adelaide is used productively and maintains the liveability of the city.
Water Sensitive SA is a capacity building organisation that has been established to leverage these initiatives and research. It builds networks amongst practitioners and develops their skills and capacity to implement the new approaches and technologies.