Flinders University
Flinders University is a university that is part of the pulse of the water sector. Here we bring together everything it publishes on Smart Water Magazine: its news, its blogs and the events it takes part in.
Study finds drinking water plumbing systems are a reservoir for antimicrobial resistant pathogens
A growing threat of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) pathogens poses a critical public health threat—and drinking water plumbing systems serve as significant but overlooked reservoirs of these problematic microbes. Despite international efforts to combat AMR, surveillance has primarily focused on clinical cases, while environmental reservoirs—such as drinking water plumbing systems—remain poorly understood. The research underscores the […]
Pacific island water security requires new approach
Hydrology experts at Flinders University are calling for urgent investigations into the operation of bore-fields that access fresh groundwater on Pacific islands, including Kiribati, where rising sea levels are already putting local water supplies at risk. “These atoll islands have the most threatened fresh groundwater on earth, and are relied upon by some of the […]
New approach needed to save Australia’s non-perennial rivers
Non-perennial rivers, which stop flowing at some point each year, dominate surface water movement across Australia, yet monitoring the continued health of these vital waterways demands a new type of research attention. More than 70% of this nation's rivers are non-perennial due to a combination of ancient landscape, dry climates, highly variable rainfall regimes, and […]
Too little is known, and done, to tackle rising risks of plastic waste in our seas, warn scientist
As millions of tons a year of microplastic waste mounts in marine environments, Flinders University scientists warn the ramifications to wildlife, food webs and human health are still little understood. A review of how plastic waste and their associated chemicals impact marine food webs, published in Environmental Pollution, warns the impact of this "omnipresent contamination" of marine environments is […]
New tech to monitor climate change
Weather extremes have become more frequent and intensive since the 1950s, and international hydrology experts are using new technology to map land areas subject to hotter, dryer conditions under climate change. Flinders University experts have worked with Chinese and other Australian researchers on three studies to assess the effects of droughts on heatwaves, vegetation health […]
Scientists call for better controls of Australia’s groundwater
After Australia’s latest floodwaters subside, a study led by Flinders University has called for action on 18 challenges facing more sustainable use of vital groundwater, a natural resource valued at more than $34 billion to the nation’s economy. Already, over-extraction and unregulated pumping in Australia is contributing to water table declines with serious long-term impacts […]
Mercury removal in polluted water made easy
Mercury pollution is a global problem in water, air and soil near goldmines, cement and other heavy industries burning fossil fuels – with removal too expensive or difficult in some of the poorest countries in the world. Now Flinders University experts have expanded testing of a sustainable extraction material capable of absorbing almost all mercury […]
Stormwater harvesting device benefits urban street trees
Reports of tree canopy coverage dwindling in Australia's suburbs raise pressure on local government and other authorities' efforts to improve the health of urban street trees. Flinders University research has found stormwater interception and infiltration that allows water to soak into tree root zones is proving effective for a shady tree canopy in concrete urban environments where extreme […]
Why groundwater is one of our most precious resources
From the Murray-Darling system to Great Artesian Basin, "invisible" underground groundwater is often the only water supply available across the vast majority of Australia—and its annual contribution to GDP is estimated at more than $6.8 billion a year. However, overuse of groundwater during droughts and aquifer depletion has led to water crises, including in Australia's "food […]