Australian Water Association

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The Australian Water Association (AWA) has been operating since 1962. In 2006 its website stated that it was "Australia’s largest and most influential not for profit water resource focussed association with well over 4,000 members of which 750 are corporate or utility members... AWA has a strong working relationship with the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) in the areas of urban water reform and research."[1] Their net profit in 2007-2008 was $2,532 and their total retained earnings 3,266,827[2]

The pipe paradigm

"The urban water cycle consists of three main engineering paradigms: stormwater and wastewater disposal and water supply. All three paradigms are actually based on a centralised control and pipe transport paradigm (the pipe paradigm). Beder 1993 explains that the pipe paradigm is popular with authorities because it ensures that water supply and wastewater disposal is a relatively automatic process and is a public rather than individual responsibility. The centralised nature of pipe paradigm also provides significant control, power and revenue to central authorities such as water authorities, local and state governments. The perception of lost power and revenue is a major source of institutional resistance to the use of decentralised technologies such as rainwater tanks.
"Powerful institutional bodies such as the Institution of Engineers, Australia; and the Australian Water Association have perpetuated the pipe paradigm. These institutions perpetuate the pipe paradigm through education and practice that is specified in accordance with the paradigm. Beder 1993 states that this has resulted in the domination of the wastewater disposal and water supply industries by engineers who have discarded the search for better solutions because the consensus is that the pipe paradigm is adequate."[3]

Membership

As of June 2006, the AWA website listed members as including:

Sustaining Members

During 2004/2005 AWA had two sustaining members, the International Water Association in Australia (IWAA) and the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA), but IWAA is now a branch of AWA.

Platinum Members

Gold Members

Source

Staff

Source

Personnel

Board Members

Board members as of February 2009, are:[4]

Publications

Contact Details

655 Pacific Hwy,
St Leonards, NSW 2065

PO Box 222,
St Leonards, NSW 1590

Phone: 02 9436 0055
Fax Number: 02 9436 0155
Email: info AT awa.asn.au
Web: http://www.awa.asn.au

External links

References

  1. ↑ "What is AWA?", Australian Water Association website, archived in the Internet Archive from February 2006.
  2. ↑ Australian Water Association, 2007-2008 Annual Report", Australian Water Association, pages 56-57.
  3. ↑ P.J. Coombes, "Institutional Resistance to the Use of Rainwater Tanks" in Rainwater Tanks Revisited: new opportunities for urban water cycle management, Thesis submitted to University of Newcastle, N.S.W., Australia for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, January 2002.
  4. ↑ Australian Water Association, "AWA Board Members", Australian Water Association website, accessed February 2009.
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