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OBJECTIVES
WQRA will focus on collaborative research of national application with a focus on drinking water quality, recycled water and relevant areas of wastewater management. The primary aims of WQRA are to build on the achievements of the existing CRC to:

• Conduct and advocate for high quality research on the priority issues for the Australian Water Industry, including urban, peri-urban and regional water supplies relating to public health and acceptability aspects of water supply, water recycling and relevant areas of wastewater management.

• To adopt a risk-based approach to research in order to underpin the implementation and further development of relevant Australian guidelines for drinking water and recycled water.
• Facilitate knowledge transfer and the uptake of the outcomes of the research in the industry.

The main focus of the research program will be on urban water issues related to public health and acceptability aspects of water supply, water recycling and aspects of wastewater management. WQRA will also continue a Regional and Rural Water Supplies Program aimed at improving water quality and public health in rural areas.

Development of the WQRA Research Portfolio
Two workshops were held in September and October 2008 as part of the process to develop the WQRA research agenda - one covering Wastewater/Recycled Water, and one covering Drinking Water. Prior to the workshops, WQRA member organisations were invited to submit brief outlines of research issues and priorities.

At the workshops, research areas and topics were discussed and voted on by WQRA members. The voting oucomes from both workshops were then compiled into a single Priority List of Research Issues. WQRA members were invited to submit brief Project Concepts for research proposals based on this list by 31 October. These Project Concepts will be considered and voted on at the Annual General Meeting on Members in November 2008. Proponents of selected Project Concepts will then be invited to develop full Project Proposals.

CRC Research Projects
WQRA will manage the completion of several research projects commenced under the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment, and also take over responsibility for projects in the Wastewater Program of the CRC (which operated independently from the CRC Commonwealth Agreement)

WQRA Research Projects
With the project agreement for "A National Approach to Health Risk Assessment, Risk Communication and Management of Chemical Hazards from Recycled Water" signed in December 2007 on behalf of WQRA Limited, its first research project is formally under way.

With a budget of over $2 million, including $1,015,000 from the Australian Government Water Fund under the Raising National Water Standards programme, this project will develop a toolbox of biomonitoring techniques for recycled water. The project will establish linkages with two other Raising National Water Standards projects: "Development of an Ecotoxicity Toolbox to Evaluate Water Quality for Recycling" managed by the Western Australian Department of Water, and "Recycled Water Quality Standards", managed by the National Environment Protection Council.This new project will also establish linkages with those developing the National Guidelines for Water Recycling - Phase 2.