Between 7–9 June 2023, the Water Operations for Uncertain Futures workshop was held at The Australian National University, supported by the One Basin CRC.

The interdisciplinary, futures-focused workshop brought together researchers, government employees, and industry professionals from Australia and overseas for 3 days of discussion and networking.

The first day consisted of a panel comprised of domestic and international members who pondered the question, ‘What water operations future could we build together?’ This was followed by an evening networking event.

The main workshop day centred around several concept pitches that were explored using the Open Space Workshop concept. Developed concepts were tested for practicality in a simulation session facilitated by an international guest. The workshop concluded with a debrief, ensuring that every participant left with knowledge about all the pitches.

On the final day of the workshop, participants visited the Snowy Hydro headquarters in Cooma. The morning was spent at the Discovery Centre, followed by a guided tour of the control room and a talk by a Snowy Hydro water operations employee.

The workshop was co-organised by the Institute for Water Futures at The Australian National University as part of the Water on the Horizon series and the One Basin CRC, in support of productive, resilient and sustainable irrigation regions. Support for the workshop was provided by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union as the third workshop of the Algorithmic Futures Policy Lab.

The European Commission support for the Algorithmic Futures Policy Lab does not constitute an endorsement of the contents of this post, which reflect the views only of the speakers or writers, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.