Q&A with Hydrovation Challenge Winner
What can Victoria's water corporations do with wastewater as land availability declines and the need for carbon neutrality draws closer? Hydrovation Challenge winner, Meg Humphrys, had this in mind when she came up with her idea.
Meg Humphrys
WHAT WAS YOUR HYDROVATION CHALLENGE IDEA?
The short explanation is: A proposal to assess teal carbon capture opportunities in a restored wetland filled with recycled water. You can watch a four-minute video about it here.
The longer answer is that I wanted to look at two of the main challenges we face at our wastewater treatment plant sites, and find a solution with multiple benefits.
The first challenge is finding enough suitable sites for treated wastewater. Traditionally, it’s applied to nearby farmland. But if there has been a lot of rain, farmland takes longer to dry out and this vastly reduces the volume of wastewater that can be safely used on it. In addition, some of the land is not suited for irrigation because of its soil composition and groundwater levels.
The second challenge – which all Victorian water corporations face – is the need to become carbon neutral by 2050 or sooner. Achieving this will require a lot of innovation.
So, back to the idea: It is to assess the feasibility of sequestering carbon by reinstating the remnants of a wetland and filling it with recycled water from a treatment plant. The wetland would polish the recycled water and reinstate habitat to an area that is heavily cleared for agriculture. We want to assess the potential to store and sequester carbon in the wetland’s water column and the sediments below it, to provide a net sink for carbon. If feasible, this would help balance out the carbon released to the atmosphere via the wastewater treatment process.
WHAT WAS YOUR HYDROVATION CHALLENGE IDEA?
The idea for a wetland had been at the back of my mind for many years. It seemed the logical solution – rather than setting up better drainage to irrigate small volumes of water over land not suited for irrigation, why not restore it back to what it once was? The idea was expanded by my team members, Sam Weston and Renee Sweetman, who provided a cultural lens for the project.
Combining the restoration objective with the idea to sequester carbon came together when I started to investigate blue carbon storage opportunities and came across Deakin University’s Blue Carbon Lab. I reached out to Professor Peter Macreadie who runs the centre and was already working closely with catchment management authorities in Victoria.
As the idea progressed with the team at Westernport Water, we continued to think of other benefits the project could provide. For instance: What if we made the site accessible for recreation? Could it be designed to provide habitat for threatened and endangered species? Could we improve the local waterway if we discharged water from the wetland? What cultural values and knowledge could be included to enhance understanding of how the area was used and could be restored? What opportunities are there to involve local community groups and for ongoing citizen science assessing how effective the site is at meeting its goals?
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT – HOW WILL YOU SPEND THE PRIZE MONEY?
The $10,000 in seed funding will go on the feasibility study, which will be carried out by Deakin Uni’s Blue Carbon Lab. They are leaders in blue and teal carbon research. Teal carbon is stored in non-tidal freshwater ecosystems, such as wetlands. The feasibility study will assess what the carbon sequestration potential is for a restored wetland filled with recycled water.
In addition, a stakeholder engagement plan will be prepared to identify and maximise any co-benefits the project could deliver. Once all of the information is gathered, a concept design for the wetland site will be prepared, which will be presented to stakeholders for consideration.
At this stage, given COVID-19 travel restrictions, I am not sure what the $5000 professional development funding will be used for. The intention was to visit a couple of sites where blue carbon is being accounted for (there are international examples and some sites in Australia where research is underway) and to also visit wetland sites that have a recycled water source.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR YOUR IDEA?
There are a lot of objectives and opportunities for co-benefits for this project and it is acknowledged it is likely that there will be some trade-offs. For example, the wetland design might have some particular species or physical requirement to favour the site for a carbon sink, which might not necessarily align with some of the other features or preferences identified by stakeholders.
The blue carbon methodology is also currently under development, and planned for release in the next couple of years. Whether this methodology will support our unique site is unknown, and the project could end up looking at alternative methodologies for carbon sequestration or a combination of methodologies.
WHAT ABOUT THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY?
The opportunity to work in partnership with a research institution, such as the Blue Carbon Lab, and other agency stakeholders and community members aiming to deliver a unique solution that will provide multiple co-benefits and enhanced environmental outcomes.
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF
I am a mother of two amazing young boys and love nothing more than getting out for a surf (after parenthood – this has reduced to 1-2 per week, when lucky!) and spending time at the beach with the family. I enjoy living with a very creative partner who is heavily engaged in the arts scene. I also took the opportunity while on maternity leave to write and illustrate a children’s book about the water cycle.
WHAT’S YOUR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AND ROLE?
I am Westernport Water’s Wastewater & Sustainability Officer. As we are a small regional water corporation, within this role I get to work on a range of areas, including wastewater treatment and compliance, environmental risk management, recycled water scheme management and reuse strategy development.
I completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours at the University of Tasmania where I studied geology and environmental science. I worked as an exploration geologist for a couple of years in NSW and WA before entering the water sector, where I worked in groundwater management at Goulburn Murray Water in Tatura. I then moved to Phillip Island (my dream coastal location) to work in my current role at Westernport Water where I have been for the past eight years.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE WATER INDUSTRY DO MORE OF?
I would like to see the continued trend towards more diversity within the workforce and diversity of ideas that make the most of opportunities for the communities we serve. I’d love to see a sector that not only paves the way to sustainability by adopting new low emission technologies, but one that collaborates and innovates to provide a resource recovery model for a circular economy.
I would like to see new ways of managing the land beyond traditional farming practices, such as regenerative farming techniques, engaging and working with and alongside traditional owner groups on land, and combining traditional knowledge with ecological knowledge for better environmental outcomes. I would like to see environments enhanced as much as possible.