Lake Tai Water Pollution Treatment Project

Nigel MurphyProject Director, Earth Systems

Lake Tai (or Taihu) Lake Tai (or Taihu), is the 3rd

largest freshwater lake in China, borders Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces (southern part of Yangtze River delta).

The total area of Lake Tai is about 2,338 square kilometers (about 902 square miles), with an average depth of 2 metres.

Lake Tai is connected to the renowned Grand Canal. The lake is also the origin for a number of rivers.

The lake provides water to 30 million residents.

In recent years, Lake Tai has been increasingly polluted due primarily to rapid economic growth and increased population in the basin area.

(Google Earth)

Wuxi City

Yixing City

Suzhou CityLake Tai

Water Crisis in Lake Tai

• Large algal bloom outbreaks in Lake Tai since 1990.

• The most significant algal bloom broke out in 2007 in Mei Liang Bay near the Wuxi City, and led to the " Wuxi City Water Crisis”.

Huzhou City

2007 Water Crisis in Lake Tai• Water quality worse than Class V of the Surface Water

Quality Standard (GB3838-2002).• Tap water supply in Wuxi City had to be temporarily

terminated due to the crisis.

The Lake Tai Project

Project Budget: $AU 2.6 million (Includes extensions)

Duration: 2009 – 2012Activity Objectives:• Contribute to successful environmental governance

mechanisms at Municipal, Province and Basin levels.• Assist greater use of science-based planning,

management and interventions to support lake and river basin management to improve lake conditions

• Contribute to a substantial decrease in the frequency and intensity of algae blooms as a result of specific and modern IRBM, science and management technologies.

The Lake Tai Project• Project (and ACEDP) Outcomes

– Policy influence– Enduring Partnerships– Capacity Building

• Project approach - Information sharing and capacity building to assist the Chinese partners in deciding their future assistance needs and activities.

• Extension approach – Collaborative demonstration exercises which if proven successful will be adopted / promoted in Government policy.

• Implementing Partners: National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and AUS Lake Tai Cluster

Aus Lake Tai Cluster

AUS Cluster Lake Tai Team include: Earth Systems Melbourne Water DSE Victoria EPA Victoria Hyder Consulting

Extension Activities:• Existing AUS partners +• DPI Victoria• eWater Cooperative Research Centre• Hunter Water Corporation

Some Key Achievements To Date• Algal bloom control and management knowledge sharing

between Australia and China.• Providing lessons (both positive and negative) regarding

the Australian experience in river basin management.• Sharing structures for cooperation between government,

community and industry.• Developing applied strategies and training for waste

water treatment plant optimization for nutrient removal.• Developing applied strategies and training for the

management and modelling of non point source pollutants.

• Building long term relationships between Australian and Chinese institutions in water and basin management.

Key partnerships and achievements

• Improving the Liquid Discharge Pollution Framework

Key partnerships and achievements

• Decision support systems for non-point source pollution

Key partnerships and achievements

• Policy and planning applications of wastewater treatment plant modelling

Chinese AgenciesLed by NDRC (ICC)• Suzhou & Huzhou City Governments

Development and Reform CommissionEnvironmental Protection BureauWater Resources BureauAgricultural Bureau

• Lake Tai Basin Authority (TBA)• Jiangsu Province, Lake Tai officeSupporting Technical partners:• Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology• Jiangsu Academy of Environmental Sciences

Australian Agencies• Led by Earth SystemsSupported by• Department of Sustainability and Environment (Victoria)• Department of Primary Industries (Victoria)• Melbourne Water & Hunter Water• eWater CRC• Victoria EPAwith technical support from:• University of Adelaide/University of Melbourne• City West Water/Barwon Water/Cairns Water

Lake Tai Project Learning• Lake Tai reflects a complex problem with no magic

solution!• Many of the issues are well understood, the difficulty is

coming up with solutions that are socially acceptable.• Good science is not enough, solutions need community

and political will.• Sharing information and transparency assists outcomes.• Many of the issues and difficulties are common across

countries.• Establishing governance structures and responsibility is

important. • By sharing experiences and identifying best practice

examples we help, support and assist each other.

A Learning Partnership一个实践中的合作伙伴关系