Australian Water Management Review Vol. 1 2014 | Page 12

The WSAA Asset
Management
Program
Dr Jaimie Hicks, Member and Program Manager,
Water Services Association of Australia

T

he Water Services Association of Australia
(WSAA) is the peak body representing the
nation’s urban water industry. Business as
usual for WSAA includes influencing urban
water policy development, assessing and
reporting on the performance of the industry and
taking a leading role in advocating on behalf of
members for regulation that is fair, transparent and
evidence based.
Through WSAA members enjoy a high level of
facilitated collaboration and coordination as well
as access to leading national and international
research. In order to achieve a more specific
outcome that is prioritised by like-minded water
businesses facing the same challenges, WSAA
offer many subscription based projects. The
longest running and most successful in terms
of participation rates and industry uptake are the
portfolio of projects and associated activities that
make up the Asset Management (AM) Program.
The AM Program aims to collect and share AM
knowledge, significantly reduce the duplication of
effort by pooling resources and dollars as well as
effective networking. All of the projects contained
within the AM Program have been requested by
WSAA’s members and the scope and direction
determined by a representative team resourced from
participating utilities. Where a specialist within the
industry is required we also encourage volunteers
from private water businesses to get involved and
offer their expertise on a pro-bono basis.

6 | Australian water man age m e nt re v ie w

Since its inception in 2008 the AM Program has
delivered 12 projects comprising up to 3 stages
per project worth approximately $4.7 million.
Every dollar contributed to the AM Program goes
towards the successful completion of the projects
as well as funding for AM meetings, workshops,
teleconferences and networking events.
Subscription costs are based on membership fees
and thus worked out on the size of a utility and
number of its connections. Large members such
as Sydney Water, Water Corporation and SA Water
pay a significant proportion of a project fee enabling
smaller members such as Cradle Mountain Water,
Wannon Water and Mackay Regional Council to get
involved in the multi-million dollar AM Program for
a fraction of the cost. Sizeable members participate
not only to further their knowledge in a specific area
but also to pass on their learnings and raise the
level of understanding in the urban water industry
as a whole. Likewise smaller members have the
benefit of a subsidised subscription fee with all the
responsibility and influence their larger peers enjoy.
It is also true to say that as smaller members often
have to do more with less money and resources,
they can pass on many innovat ive solutions to
everyday AM challenges.
Participation rates have grown significantly since
2008 which initially saw eight utilities signing up

for project outcomes to an average of 20 utilities
per project in 2012. Over its five year duration 36
members have contributed both cash and in-kind to
the AM Program.
As the urban water industry has changed and
evolved within the last five years so too has the
focus of the AM Program. WSAA members initially
sought to fill their AM knowledge gaps with projects
geared towards pressure water pipes and gravity
sewers. Project deliverables came in the form of best
or current practice guidelines, process methods,
investigative reports or software tools. As a greater
level of understanding has been reached in those
areas our Members are now seeking outputs for
a broader range of classes including all civil,
mechanical, electrical and SCADA assets. Thus
future projects fall into those focus areas.
Although a large proportion of WSAA projects are
now complete, deliverables are still available and
we encourage new participants to get involved. As
long as they are a public or private agency/utility
providing water services and/or sewerage services,
or bulk water suppliers and sewage treatment
operators providing services to agencies /utilities
they will be accepted to join, after all, the success
of the program lies in its broad membership and
its mix of small, medium and large, regional and
metropolitan and new and established utilities.