Associate Professor Ian Wright is an environmental scientist, researcher and educator at Western Sydney University with more than 30 years’ experience in water science. Before joining the University, he worked for approximately 20 years as a scientist in the urban water industry.
His teaching and research encompass water science and management, freshwater ecology, water chemistry, environmental planning and regulation, and the science and management of water pollution. He has supervised higher-degree researchers working on significant environmental pollution issues.
A major focus of Ian’s research has been the impact of mining on streams and rivers, particularly the effects of mine-water discharges and mining-related disturbance on water quality and aquatic ecosystems. His research in the Sydney Basin and the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area has documented contamination of waterways by salinity, metals and other pollutants, as well as associated impacts on freshwater ecology.
Research undertaken by Ian and his colleagues has contributed to changes in the regulation and management of mine-water pollution in NSW, including strengthened environmental licence conditions and improved treatment of mine wastewater.
Ian has a strong commitment to independent, evidence-based environmental science and to making scientific expertise accessible to communities. He has worked extensively with community organisations, government agencies, regulators and other stakeholders, and has provided independent expert scientific advice on complex and sometimes contested environmental issues.
More recently, his research has included investigation of contamination of roof-harvested rainwater used for drinking water in rural communities near mining operations. He has participated in community-based water sampling and helped communities develop the scientific capacity to investigate environmental problems, generate credible environmental data and engage more effectively with regulators and decision-makers.
Ian has also served as a member of the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s Independent Expert Panel examining environmental and community concerns associated with the Cadia mining region.
Ian Wright will present at the conference on the topic of: How communities in extractive industry zones investigate environmental quality through rainwater tank testing