Hello, and welcome to our newsletter for October 2026.
Our Annual Forum 'From Insights to Action: Digital Water in Practice' takes place at the end of this month (Friday 30 October). Places are filling fast register now! 👇
Recently, the Water Directorate made a submission on Commonwealth DCCEEW's National Water Grid Funding Review, which you can access via Hydrohub, our source of knowledge-based resources. We collaborated with LGNSW, WSAA (their submission here), the AWA, ALGA and Qldwater with a very tight deadline.
Coming up, as a follow up to our Regional Water Action Plan: Securing Our Water Supply campaign launched in partnership with LGNSW, we will be writing to all General Managers of our member councils soon to support this advocacy through our Critical Projects Survey. Our aim is to continue to build a strong argument for continued government investment in water and sewerage infrastructure. Watch out for our email and let us know if you would like a copy of the survey. We will only need one survey per member council.
Your invitation to our Annual Forum 2026
Register today for the NSW Water Directorate's Annual Forum, From Insights to Action: Digital Water in Practice, on Friday 30 October in Sydney.
Tickets:
Water Directorate member? Access your special discount for members for this week onlyhere
Returning sponsors Beca HunterH2O (Principal), Arup (Networking), Atom Consulting (Lunch) and NSW Public Works (Afternoon Tea)
New sponsorsTonkin (Coffee) and Transient Detect (Supporting)
Program highlights:
Dr Greg Ryan (Water Services Association of Australia/WSAA) as keynote speaker
Case study and panel contributors including Nick Fisher (360 Engineering), Claire Cam (Mid-Western Regional Council), Andrew Todd (GTS Group), Andrew Francis and Graeme Bayliss (Parkes Shire Council), Hugh Chapman (Aqua Analytics), Stelios Trikoulis (Kallipr), Mudasser Iqbal (TeamSolve), Nathan Dick (Beca), Graham Gordon (Griffith City Council), with LWU representatives
Exhibitors:
Taggle; TeamSolve; Adasa; Vapar; Transient Detect; and Kallipr
Our 2025–26 Annual Review is now available. Read about the progress made under Strategy 2030, key advocacy outcomes, workforce and capability initiatives, and how the Water Directorate continues to support our member Local Water Utilities across regional NSW.
Exicting news! Updated Aqua Card and Brown Card courses are now available, along with our new Green Card course, developed with the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). The changes will make it easier to find, access, and complete relevant training aligned with the NSW Competency Benchmark for Water Operators.
A few important dates:
📅 30 September: new Aqua Card, Brown Card and Green Card courses launched. 📅 30 September: enrolments closed for existing Aqua Card and Brown Card courses. 📅 30 November: existing Aqua Card and Brown Card courses will be removed. If you are already enrolled in an existing Aqua Card or Brown Card course, you have until 30 November 2026 to complete it.
Please contact our team via email info@waterdirectorate.asn.au if you have any questions or need assistance, or check out our FAQs on our website.
National Water Week: Water Night 2026
Water Night is held every year on the Thursday of National Water Week to support stronger action on climate change and water awareness, with individuals and households turning off all taps and running water from 5-10pm.
There is still time to contribute to the Recycled Water Roadmap survey on wastewater, recycled water, stormwater harvesting and reuse schemes across NSW. Read about the Recycled Water Roadmap website and complete the survey before 22 October 2026.
DCCEEW NSW Water Group is seeking expressions of interest from regional NSW councils to present to staff regulating trade waste discharges to sewer during the online seminar on trade waste regulation on Wednesday 25 November from 9am-12.15pm.
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