Water
Informing sustainable water management for a resilient, water-secure future.
What we do
We provide socio-economic research and policy insights on sustainable water management. Our research helps inform decision-making on a range of topics, from reducing pollution and securing water supply to advancing water-sensitive urban design.
We aim to improve the management of water resources by providing:
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Evidence to inform practical policy advice
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Capacity building activities for stakeholders in the water sector
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Decision-making tools and frameworks
Our approach
Our Water research is based on using methods and tools such as:
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Choice modelling/ non-market valuation
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Benefit–cost analysis
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Stakeholder engagement
For a detailed overview of our capabilities and examples of applications, we invite you to visit our capabilities page.
We have long standing partnerships with government agencies, research organisations and industry bodies, including:
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WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER)
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Water Corporation of WA
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Australian Research Council
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Water Sensitive Cities Australia
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CSIRO
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Forest Research Foundation
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WALGA, City of Canning, City of Busselton (and many more local governments)
Key Researchers
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A/Prof Abbie Rogers
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Dr Ana Manero
Dr Curtis Rollins
A/Prof Abbie Rogers
Prof David Pannell
Industry Tools & Resources
INFFER
INFFER is a tool to apply economic analysis in environmental management. This tool was rated ‘High’ for impact and ‘High’ for approach to impact in the recent 2019 ARC assessment of research engagement and impact.
INFER enables environmental manages to undertake a process that results in the establishment of clear goals, identification of priorities and development of robust and appropriate activities and projects to protect assets.
INFFER was initially developed through the Future Farm Industries CRC funding.
Current Research
Waterwise greening for healthy communities: Benefits, costs, and equity
Details
Funding body: Australian Research Fellow (Early Career Research Fellowship
Dates: 3 years (2026 - 2029)
Partnerships: WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER), City of Canning and City of Busselton
Project Overview
This project aims to identify the environmental, social, and economic benefits and costs of waterwise greening to support planning of non-potable water supplies. Results will contribute to a set of guidelines to help governments build climate-resilient cities. The project is supported by a fulltime post-doctoral fellow and a PhD student.
CEEP Researchers
Dr Claire Doll, PhD candidate (coming soon)
Resilient Urban Centres and Surrounds (extension of the INFFEWS package)
Details
Funding body: Monash University, ex Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
Dates: 2 years (2022 - 2025)
Partnership: Monash University
Project Overview
INFFEWS an industry-driven, economic evaluation framework for business case development for investments in water and environment investments. It was designed by Prof David Pannell for CRC for Water Sensitive Cities during 2017 - 2020. Through this project, DFAT has commission the further development of INFFEWS for use in the Mekong countries. We are engaging with stakeholders in various Mekong countries to update guidelines, obtaining dollar values from locally relevant studies, advising on local case study applications, and giving feedback on their proposed strategies and pilot project scopes.
CEEP Researchers
Prof. David Pannell, Dr Emanuel Gomez
Featured Blogs
Body of research
We have a large body of work related to water. The following list is a selection of recently completed research projects, where you'll find a range of studies exploring various topics within our Water Theme. You are welcome to contact one of the authors to learn more.
Doll, C., Rollins, C., Burton, M., Pannell, D., Rehdanz, K., & Meyerhoff, J. (2024). Public preferences for water-conserving groundcovers on verges. Water Resources and Economics, 46, Article 100239.
Doll, C. A., Pannell, D. J., & Burton, M. P. (2024). Economic evaluation of alternative urban park designs that conserve irrigation water. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 68(4), 713-730.
Doll, C., Rollins, C., Burton, M., Pannell, D., Rehdanz, K., & Meyerhoff, J. (2023). Encouraging ecological landscape designs on underutilized urban lands: Homeowner preferences for verge conversion programs. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 87, Article 128049.
Doll, C. A., Burton, M. P., Pannell, D. J., & Rollins, C. L. (2023). Are greenspaces too green? Landscape preferences and water use in urban parks. Ecological Economics, 211, Article 107896.
Doll, C., Polyakov, M., Pannell, D. J., & Burton, M. P. (2022). Rethinking urban park irrigation under climate change. Journal of Environmental Management, 314, Article 115012.
Mennen, S., Fogarty, J., & Iftekhar, M. S. (2018). The most cost-effective ways to maintain public open space with less water: Perth case study. Urban Water Journal, 15(1), 92-96.
Community values for river ecology
Rogers, A.A., Burton, M.P., Cleland, J.A., Rolfe, J., Meeuwig, J.J. and Pannell, D.J. (2020). Expert judgements and community values: preference heterogeneity for protecting river ecology in Western Australia. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 64(2), 266-293.
Lan, L., Iftekhar, M. S., Schilizzi, S., & Fogarty, J. (2024). Estimating non-market values of protecting groundwater in a constrained environment. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 68(2), 288-314.
Iftekhar, M. S., & Fogarty, J. (2017). Impact of water allocation strategies to manage groundwater resources in Western Australia: Equity and efficiency considerations. Journal of Hydrology, 548, 145-156.
IIftekhar, S., Polyakov, M. and Rogers, A. (2022). Social preferences for water sensitive housing features in Australia, Ecological Economics, 195.
ftekhar, M. S., Zhang, F., Polyakov, M., Fogarty, J., & Burton, M. (2021). Non-market values of water sensitive urban designs: A case study on rain gardens. Water Resources and Economics, 34, Article 100178.
Pannell D.J. (2015). Ranking projects for water-sensitive cities: A practical guide. Melbourne, Australia: Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities.
Zhang, F., Fogarty, J. (2016). Nonmarket Valuation of Water Sensitive Cities: Current Knowledge and Issues. Melbourne, Australia: Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities
Polyakov, M., Fogarty, J. J., Zhang, F., Pandit, R., & Pannell, D. J. (2017). The value of restoring urban drains to living streams. Water Resources and Economics, 17, 42-55.
Iftekhar, M. S., Polyakov, M., & Rogers, A. (2022). Social preferences for water sensitive housing features in Australia. Ecological Economics, 195, Article 107386.
Iftekhar, M. S., Burton, M., Zhang, F., Kininmonth, I., & Fogarty, J. (2018). Understanding social preferences for land use in wastewater treatment plant buffer zones. Landscape and Urban Planning, 178, 208-216.
Akbari, S., Polyakov, M., & Iftekhar, M. S. (2023). Capitalised nonmarket benefits of multifunctional water-sensitive urban infrastructure: A case of living streams. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 67(4), 524-540.
Zhang, F., Polyakov, M., Fogarty, J., & Pannell, D. (2015). The capitalized value of rainwater tanks in the property market of Perth, Australia. Journal of Hydrology, 522, 317-325.
Polyakov, M, White, B. & Fan Zhang (2017). Cost-effective Strategies to Reduce Nitrogen and Phosphorus Emissions in an Urban River Catchment. Melbourne, Australia: Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities
