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Water Quality Advisory Committee (WQAC)
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Membership
Professor Don Bursill (Chair)
A graduate of the University of Adelaide, with a Master of Chemistry from the University of New South Wales, Professor Bursill came to University of South Australia in 1993 as an Adjunct Research Professor - a position he still holds in the University's SA Water Centre for Water Science and Systems.
Professor Bursill, internationally acknowledged as one of Australia's most respected water scientists, is the former CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment (1995-2005) and former Chief Scientist of the South Australian Water Corporation (1990-2005). He has spent almost 40 years in the water industry with a principal interest in water quality policy, planning, management and treatment.
Professor Bursill was responsible for establishing and directing the Australian Water Quality Centre in South Australia; is the Current Chairman of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Water Quality Advisory Committee; and has been a Member of the International Water Association (IWA) Program Committee since 1998.
Among many other awards and accolades, Professor Bursill was the recipient of the inaugural Premier's Gold Medal Award in 2005, in recognition of his outstanding contribution and commitment to the management and conservation of water; and he holds the highest honour of the Australian Water Association, the Peter Hughes Award.
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Dr David Cunliffe
Dr Cunliffe is the Director of the Environmental Health Service with the South Australia Department of Human Services. He has been a NHMRC representative on the Rural and Remote Water Quality Steering Group, and on the Northern Territory’s Remote Community Water Management Project Reference Group. He currently chairs the Drinking Water Working Group, as a part of the development of the National Water Recycling Guideline by the Environment Protection Heritage Council, National Resources and Management Ministerial Committee and the NHMRC.
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Mr Bruce Gray (DEWHA rep)
Mr Gray is passionately committed to excellence in environmental management and sustainability at local, regional, and international levels, and effectively engages in both the public and private sectors to achieve corporate and client based outcomes.
Mr Gray’s primary work areas include surface and ground water management, environmental impact assessment, aquatic ecology, environmental education, wetland management, and ecologically sustainable development.
Currently, Mr Gray is a member of the Board of Management of an internationally protected wetland in south-eastern Australia, and regularly contributes to the work of the international Ramsar Convention on Wetland’s Scientific and Technical Review Panel.
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Dr Karin Leder
Karin heads the Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Unit at Monash University. She spent 3 years as an Infectious Disease Fellow at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston and completed a Master of Public Health at Harvard University. Her specific areas of interest include traveller’s health, health issues in immigrants and refugees, and waterborne infections. She manages a clinical load as well as research activities, and represents the NHMRC on the Joint Steering Committee for Phase 2 of the National Guidelines for Recycled Water.
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Mr Adam Lovell (WSAA rep)
Mr Lovell is a member of the Instrument of Appointment for the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines Reference Group (ADWGRG) to assist in the revision of Inorganics.
Mr Lovell has a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry and a Masters of Environmental Engineering Science from the University of Sydney. His current role is A/Science and Technology Manager (usual position: Science and Technology Manager – Water Quality and Public Health) managing a portfolio of science research projects specifically related to water quality issues in potable water and recycled water delivery for Sydney Water’s area of operations. Mr Lovell has an associated external role as Deputy Chairman of CRC Water Quality and Treatment
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Dr Martha Sinclair
Dr Martha Sinclair is a Senior Research Fellow in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit. She is primarily involved in the public health research program of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment, in which DEPM is a partner. Her responsibilities include the planning and management of research projects and coordination of project administration and financial management. She is the chief writer and editor of the CRC's public health newsletter Health Stream, which has an international circulation of over 3000. Martha is also a member of the CRC Education and Training Committee and the CRC Communication Committee.
Prior to formation of the CRC in 1995, Martha provided support to the Head of Department, Professor John McNeil, for contract and consulting work in public health. In this capacity she carried out a number of projects ranging from cost-effectiveness evaluation to the planning and organisation of clinical trials. She holds a PhD in Genetics and Developmental Biology from Monash University. Her laboratory research experience prior to joining DEPM in 1991 focused on the genetic and molecular analysis of clinical and environmental isolates of the bacterial genus Pseudomonas and their use in biotechnology applications.
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Mr Tom Mollenkopf (AWA rep)
Tom Mollenkopf is the Chief Executive of the Australian Water Association. His water industry experience has encompassed Regulation, Corporate Governance, Water Industry Policy, Corporate Development, Environment and Sustainability, Resource Management and Research.
Tom commenced his professional life as a lawyer, spending several years in private legal practice before moving to the corporate arena. He has a MBA from the University of Melbourne, Bachelor of Jurisprudence (with studies in Economics and Politics) and Bachelor of Laws from Monash University.
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Associate Professor Greg Leslie
Greg Leslie is employed at the University of New South Wales as an Associate Professor in the School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering. Prior to joining UNSW, he was CH2M Hill's Technology Leader for membrane systems and water reuse in the Asia Pacific Region. In this capacity he was involved in a variety of water treatment and reuse projects in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States, including the role of lead process designer for CH2M Hill on the Singapore NEWater projects at Bedok, Kranji and Seletar.
Prior to joining CH2M Hill in May of 2000, Greg was employed with the Orange County Water District (OCWD) in Fountain Valley, California as the deputy programme manager for the Groundwater Water Replenishment System; a $US 350M indirect potable water reuse project. His involvement in this water reuse project spanned seven years and included work on the project conceptualization, pilot and demonstration plant studies, environmental review process, water quality evaluation and health risk assessment studies, regulatory approval and preliminary design studies. He was also involved in efforts to gain acceptance of indirect potable water reuse with the community, the Department of Health and elected officials. He was a contributing author on the Orange County Water District 2020 Master Plan and was involved in the development of the wastewater treatment and water reuse options for the Orange County Sanitation District Strategic Plan.
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Dr Stuart Khan
Dr Stuart Khan is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Water and Waste Technology, University of New South Wales (June 2005 - present). Dr Khan is a leading Australian researcher on trace organic chemical contaminants in water. He has extensive advanced analytical instrumentation training and experience in organic analysis.
Dr Khan also has experience with modelling chemical contaminants in aqueous systems and an undertaking risk assessment for chemical contaminants in water, wastewater and recycled water systems.
Current research projects include characterisation and optimisation of advanced water treatment processes for trace contaminant removal, chemical fate modeling, analytical method development and chemical risk assessment.
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Mr Chris Davis
Mr Davis is currently Sustainability Business Development Manager at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and is also Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology at UTS.
Mr Davis was CEO of the Australian Water Association from 1992 to 2007. He has had significant technical and consulting experience in water quality and wastewater treatment.
He is currently Chairperson for the South-East Queensland Urban Water Security Research Alliance, has served as a board member for Water Quality Research Australia Limited, and is a member of the NHMRC Water Quality Advisory Committee and the Australian Water Resources Information System Advisory Committee.
Mr Davis holds a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, and a Master's Degree in Civil Engineering, University of Texas.
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Jan Bowman
Jan is the Assistant Director, Environmental Health in the Victorian Department of Human Services. She has made substantial contributions to the fields health risk management and population health activities including regulation and the provision of statutory and policy functions, risk assessment and research, emergency and incident response and raising community and stakeholder awareness and knowledge across a range of areas including water policy and water regulation, Legionella, environmental sustainability and climate change, air quality, soil contamination and radiation safety.
She has also been involved with the development and implementation of State and National strategies to increase awareness of and facilitate adoption of measures to protect health and prevent illness.
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Terms of Reference
The Water Quality Advisory Committee will:
- Provide rapid scientific and technical advice to the CEO of the NHMRC, on health issues relating to water quality in Australia with a particular focus on:
- Human health implications of the potable use of recycled water (priority task),
- Emerging water related health issues such as water fluoridation and drinking water security, and
- The need for contribution to community debate on these issues;
- Identify gaps in knowledge and public policy relating to health issues of water quality and advise on ways of filling those gaps;
- Identify and advise on key health related research requirements on water quality;
- Provide advice on the translation of research findings into national health related water quality policy and practice initiatives;
- Advise on health related ethical issues relating to water quality in Australia, in particular the potable use of recycled water;
- Advise on how to effectively engage relevant stakeholders.
The Water Quality Advisory Committee commenced on 1 March 2007 and will finish on 31 December 2009.
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