The Sydney Division Water Engineering Panel is please to confirm that its Annual General Meeting will be held at:
Ventuno
Hickson Road Walsh Bay
Evening
6th December 2011
Reservations are essential for this venue.
Archive for the 'Panel Event' Category
November Presentation: Downscaling Climate Projections for Impact and Adaptation Applications in NSW
The November presentation of the Sydney Division Water Engineering Panel has been confirmed for the 22nd November 2011, 5:30 for a 6pm start with light refreshments and alcoholic and non-alcohoic beverages available. The presentation is titled Downscaling Climate Projections for Impact and Adaptation Applications in NSW and will be given by Dr Jason Evans of the UNSW Climate Change Research Centre.
The abstract for the presentation is:
Ongoing climate change means that the historical record is no longer sufficient information for future infrastructure planning across multiple sectors. Climate projection information is derived primarily from Global Climate Models that operate at large spatial scales (100s km) that are inappropriate for most impact and adaptation work. Downscaling this information to an appropriate scale can be done using either “statistical” or “dynamical” approaches. In collaboration with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, the UNSW Climate Change Research Centre is producing dynamically downscaled climate projections as part of the NSW/ACT Regional Climate Modelling (NARCliM) project. This presentation will discuss downscaled climate projections, in particular the NARCliM project and its relevance for future water engineering across multiple scales.
NARCliM is producing climate projections over south-eastern Australia at ~10km spatial resolution, and one to three hourly temporal resolution. In addition to the usual climate variables, NARCliM will be tracking sub-daily precipitation and wind gust extremes down to the maximum 5 minute events. NARCliM outputs cover a wide range of climate variables relevant across many sectors and will provide a basis of climate projection information at scales appropriate for activities ranging from urban flood hydrology up to large water resource reservoirs.
A PDF printable flyer for the event is also available.
The September Water Panel presentation is titled 2D Modelling In Urban Areas and will be presented by Grantly Smith, senior Engineer at the UNSW Water Research Laboratory. The presentation will be held at the Chatswood Engineers Australia Auditorium on 27th September 2011, 5:30pm for 6pm start. Drinks and nibbles will be available prior to the event. The abstract of the talk is:
Flood events in Newcastle in June 2007 and most recently in South East Queensland’s Lockyer Valley in January 2011 have highlighted the importance of robust planning guidelines and building stability criteria for floodplains. These floods have also highlighted a requirement for accurate representation of flood hazard behaviour to support land use and flood evacuation planning documentation.
Currently, two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic (numerical) models have become the de-facto standard for baseline flood planning and management, especially in urban areas. Investigations addressing flood behaviour definition have typically followed a scope devised and refined over many years by government agencies to meet statutory requirements. However, the development, application and calibration of numerical models is open to considerable interpretation.Individual agencies and the specialist consultants servicing these agencies have developed various techniques and methods to address overland flooding using 2D numerical models. However, in many instances, these methods are quite different and produce significantly different outcomes in terms of the generated flood behaviour characteristics.
The presentation will provide an overview of recent research undertaken as part of Project 15 of the Australian Rainfall and Runoff Revision and funded by the Federal Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and WRL. The research project investigated the application of 2D models in urban areas, with a particular focus on the representation of buildings and other floodplain obstacles flow obstacles in numerical models.
A PDF Flyer with all the details is also available.
The next panel seminar, we are pleased to announce, will be the Darcy Lecture and will be a joint presentation with the NSW Branch of the IAH. The presentation is titled: Characterisation of a complex sole source aquifer system in Benin, West Africa and will be given by Dr Stephen E. Silliman, Professor of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences at University of Notre Dame.
The presentation will be held at:
UTS Aerial Function Centre
5:30 for 6pm on the 16 August 2011
The Godomey wellfield is the only source of fresh water for Cotonou, Benin which has between 1.5 to 2 million population. This West African centre is located directly on the Atlantic coast and bordered to the south and west by the large shallow lake. Most production wells are pumping from the partially confined portion of the complex aquifer system and due to the proximity to the lake and coast this water source is under the threat from anthropogenic contamination and seawater intrusion. Collaboration between scientists and students from the United States and Benin has enabled the development of insight into this complex coastal aquifer system by using several different techniques such as numerical modelling, hydraulic testing, water quality characterisation and geophysical surveys.
A series of discussions on scientific and social issues undertaken during this research shows the value of close cooperation between the scientists and in- country collaborators both from technical and social background.
A printable PDF flyer is available.
The next Panel presentation will be given by Rachel Brown, of SKM, who is the manager of the ARR Project 7 project team. It will be a 5:30 for 6pm start at UTS Broadway.
Please note: this will not be at the usual Chatswood venue rarher it will be held at UTS. Also it is being held on the Thursday and not the usual third Tuesday.
An important aspect of flow estimation as distinct from flood estimation is the relative importance of the baseflow component of a hydrograph. Whereas the direct runoff component is the most significant component of a hydrograph for flood estimation and the baseflow component is neglected, this is not always the case for general flow estimation. In recent years the need to estimate small flood flows (in-bank floods) has arisen and, therefore, estimation of baseflow needs to be considered within Australian Rainfall and Runoff.
This project focuses on the development of appropriate techniques for estimating the baseflow component of a hydrograph. It is expected that both statistical and deterministic approaches be developed to meet the various needs of the industry.
This project will result only in preliminary guidance in a form suitable for inclusion in Australian Rainfall and Runoff.
Printable PDF flyer.
The next Panel seminar will be on Tuesday 19th April 2011, 5:30 for a 6pm start at the EA Auditorium, Chatswood. It is a panel Q&A session:
A big leap was made in the way we manage storm water 15 years ago when industry and the public embraced a more holistic view. Storm water systems were no longer seen as just a way of conveying urban runoff in a way that minimized inconvenience for the public. The focus on storm water systems started to include water quality, softer more environmental systems, repairing the ecologically of systems that had been neglected and more recently using storm water as a resource. This seminar’s participants were at the forefront of these changes and bring their combined industry experience to look back on the progress we have made.
Panel:
- Dr Geoff O’Loughlin, Anstad Pty Ltd
- Dr Peter Coombes, Bonacci Water Pty Ltd
- Dr Brett Phillips, Cardno
Drinks and nibbles will be available.
A PDF flyer is available.
Hugh has kindly made a pdf copy of his presentation available.
The next Panel presentation will be held on Tuesday 22nd March, 5:30 for 6pm at the EA Auditorium Chatswood and is title: The Complexities of Surface and Groundwater Interactions. The presentation will be given by Dr Hugh Middlemis, Senior Principal of Aquaterra, Adelaide.
The complexity of surface and groundwater interaction has traditionally resulted in an approach based on simplifying assumptions. Engineers have usually taken a “top down” approach of concentrating on the surface processes, which involve fast hydrologic response times, and not analysing the slower sub-surface processes in much detail. Hydrogeologists have usually taken a “bottom up” approach, which simplifies the surface water process and concentrates on dealing with the longer term sub-surface processes. Neither approach is ideal.
Full details and a more extensive biography are available: Water Panel Flyer March 2011.
Further to the email a while ago this is a reminder that the Panel’s AGM will be held next Tuesday at restaurant Venuto. As we need numbers for a booking, please RSVP ASAP to Seth Westra (HIDDEN EMAIL).
The EA Sydney Water Engineering Panel is excited to announce that Mr Rob Freeman, CEO MDBA, will present an overview of the newly released Murray-Darling Basin Plan at a specially convened EA Seminar to be held at the University of New South Wales on 23rd November, 2010. Following the presentation, discussion of the Basin Plan will be led by a Panel of experts and stakeholders from diverse range of backgrounds including Dr John Williams, Commissioner, NSW Natural Resources Commission; Prof. Richard Kingsford, Environmental Scientist, UNSW; Mr Andrew Gregson, Chief Executive Officer, NSW Irrigators; and Mr Charles Armstrong, President, NSW Farmers’ Association.
Please join us for what we anticipate will be an informative and lively discussion of Australia’s most topical water subject. Note that while attendance at the Seminar is free, seating is limited so it is essential that you RSVP to ensure your attendance. In order to ensure a wide ranging and balanced discussion, questions from the floor will be pre-selected and moderated by the EA Sydney Water Engineering Panel.
Please refer to the attached flyer for full details.
Date: Tuesday November 23rd 2010
Time: Refreshments from 5:30 pm for 6:00pm
Venue: Mathews Theatre Law Theatre Map Reference F8, University of New South Wales, Kensington Campus (http://www.sydneywaterpanel.org.au/?page_id=249)
Limited Seating! RSVP: http://www.sydneywaterpanel.org.au/?page_id=246.
Pre-register a question: http://www.sydneywaterpanel.org.au/?page_id=246.
Enquiries: Grantley Smith or Scott Button: HIDDEN EMAIL.
