Hunter Water's strong presence at annual Ozwater conference
Hunter Water had a strong presence at the Australian Water Association's annual Ozwater conference last week, with more than half a dozen representatives showcasing the organisation’s exceptional work.
The three-day, jam-packed program, which focused on a theme of ‘Reimagining our Water Future’, provided insight into the Australian water industry and enabled networking opportunities across a whole range of disciplines.
Hunter Water Chief Information and Technology Officer, Jenny Francis, who joined the organisation in July 2018, said that, as a relative newcomer to the water industry, Ozwater let her choose from a large range of areas to learn more about our industry.
“I was also proud to support a couple of our own Hunter Water people as they presented papers and, in my view, did us proud,” said Ms Francis.
Manager Water Planning, John Stanmore, presented Totally Random Forests; Assessing Algal Risk in a Climate of Deep Uncertainty on day two of the conference.
He said Ozwater provided an opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues from the water sector and meet new people.
“The biggest win for me this year was hearing some solutions that other utilities had put in place for similar water quality challenges we’re facing.”
Marketing and Partnerships team members, Alicia Nash and Kellie De Waal, also shared how a buckets installation energised community water saving behaviours by using emotive experiences and inspiring people into action.
“It was great to share our experience of an innovative approach to energising our community into water saving action.
“Receiving immediate, positive feedback was really inspiring and there were lots of opportunities to learn from other people’s experiences and collaborate and share ideas,” said Ms Nash.
Hunter Water had a total of seven featured presentations across the three days.
These included A Science Based Approach to Water Restrictions for Green Spaces by Kirsty Jones, Save Your Buckets: Energising Community Water Saving Behaviours by Kellie De Waal and Alicia Nash, Putting Energy into Naegleria Risk Management by Dr Abby Morrow; Researching Customer Attitudes to Water Conservation in the Hunter by Kirsty Jones, Totally Random Forests; Assessing Algal Risk in a Climate of Deep Uncertainty by John Stanmore, Water Liveability Nexus: Hunter Water’s New Collaborative Approach to Development Planning by Tony McClymont, and Where’s Our Water?: A Hunter Water Awabakal and Worimi Water Story by Kristy Ratcliffe.
Thank you to all of the presenters and those who attended in support, including Managing Director, Darren Cleary, Chief Information and Technology Officer, Jenny Francis, and Acting Executive Manager Customer Strategy Retail, Keiran Smith.