Water security is critical for supporting our urban, rural and natural environments. Demands on our water supply for our communities and the environment is likely to increase with climate change (reduced overall rainfall and higher temperatures) and an expanding population.

A significant volume of wastewater (70%) and stormwater (97%) is still discharged into surface waters and the marine environment. This is a resource that could further supplement our water use and take the pressure off our water supplies from other sources. Much of our stormwater and wastewater infrastructure is reaching its end of life, which presents an opportunity to implement changes that would improve reuse. This would also support the protection of our waterways and coastal systems as stormwater and wastewater are two significant pressures that impact the health of these environments.

In South Australia, water is managed by a number of different agencies. This includes those responsible for natural environments (surface waters, marine and groundwater), drinking water, water used for other purposes (for example, irrigation), wastewater and stormwater.

Integrated management of our waters would provide a more holistic and consistent approach across the state in the governance, management and use of our waters. It would do this by integrating the delivery of water, wastewater, recycled water and stormwater services to support water security, public health, and environmental and urban amenity outcomes. It is acknowledged that SA Water is currently developing the Resilient Waters Futures Project discussion paper to support the delivery of an integrated Urban Water Strategy for Greater Adelaide. It is suggested that a similar approach to support the integrated management of water should also be considered for regional centres.