2023 Tender outcome
Outcome of the 2023 QWMN Research, Development and Innovation Tender
The QWMN is pleased to announce the following projects have been funded under the 2023 QWMN RDI Tender:
Githabul First Nations Water Modelling Project
Project delivered on Githabul Country
The outcomes from this project will build upon work undertaken in the First Nations funded projects from the QWMN RDI funding 2022 with the aim of improving QLD’s ability to practically and purposefully integrate First Nations’ cultural knowledge and values, as well as land and water management skill, into scientific water modelling and management practices.
Delivery Partners – NGH Pty Ltd, BMT Commercial Australia, Border Rangers Contractors.
Incorporating First Nations Knowledge in Water Modelling: A Case Study on the Application of Outcomes
Project delivered on Mandandanji Country
This project will apply outcomes from ‘Incorporating First Nations Land Management into Technical Approaches to Water Modelling’ project (funded by QWMN in 2022) project to create a methodology of collaborative project work between First Nations knowledge holders and technical specialists for an applied landscape restoration project focused on Munga Lake and its catchment (Condamine and Balonne).
Delivery Partners: Relative Creative, Aboriginal Rangers – Queensland Murray Darling Catchment Ltd, Aunty Kay Blades, Traditional Owner, St George, Water Technology.
Water modelling in an uncertain but data rich world – ensuring water modelling outputs are used by decision makers to improve climate resilience
Country to be confirmed once pilots selected
The complexity of decision making under future climate uncertainty continues to increase. Sophisticated water resource models that incorporate aspects of climate change exist, however the gap between climate science and decision making continues to increase as more modelling is conducted and more data is produced. Decision makers are often overwhelmed by the number of different approaches used, the inconsistency of model outputs and the lack of practically useful guidance for how to deal with inherent uncertainties. This project will identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches for incorporating climate variability and change into water resource models and determine if/how water security decisions would differ when different approaches are used. This will assist decision makers to make the most informed water security decisions possible, irrespective of which plausible future eventuates.
Delivery Partners: Alluvium Consulting, Centre for Water, Climate and Land, University of Newcastle, University of Tasmania.
Riparian Bayesian Network and Visualization Tool
Project delivered on Jagera and Turrbal Country
This project seeks to revolutionise the way we prioritise, invest in and manage riparian zones, to ensure investments are evidence-based and provide maximum benefit for environment and people. The project will build a Bayesian Network model (BN) with a climate module and create an accompanying Interactive Visualisation Interface (Visualisation Tool).
Delivery Partners: Healthy Land and Water, Griffith University, Mirror Analytics, Queensland University of Technology.
Multi-model assessment of drinking water security under climate change
Project primarily carried out on Turrabal Country delivered on Jinibara and Jagera Country with workshops on Djabugay and Torres Strait Islander Country
This project will develop an innovative sequence of water models (including climate, hydrological, water quality, and decision support models) to assess climate change impacts on drinking water security. The model outputs will inform Seqwater in optimizing climate adaptation plans and also be communicated to regional stakeholders in North Queensland..
Delivery Partners: Griffith University, Cairns City Council, Healthy Land and Water, Seqwater, Torres Strait Island Council.
A modelling framework for nutrient offsets
Project delivered on Jagera and Turrbal Country
Nutrient offsetting has grown in popularity as a mechanism to offset nutrient loads from point-sources. However, estimating the effectiveness of offsetting has been limited by information on delivery ratios. This project aims to develop a model of delivery ratios based on incorporation of research outputs to augment existing models.
Delivery Partners: Griffith University, Alluvium Consulting, Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Healthy Land and Water, Sydney Water, The University of Queensland, Urban Utilities.
Floodplain deposition modelling review and opportunities
Project acknowledges all 17 of the First Nations Traditional Owner lands that are connected by Tunuba, the Fitzroy River basin
This project builds on QWMN initiatives which assessed issues associated with sediment modelling in GBR catchments (i.e. Prosser (2018) and Alluvium (2022) ). The project will provide a framework to support water modellers make better decisions regarding modelled sediment export rates.
Delivery Partners: Alluvium Consulting, ENEA Consulting, Fitzroy Basin Assoc.