Illicit drugs are a major contributor to the harm caused by serious and organised crime in Australia, with community harm rising alongside drug consumption. Since 2016, the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program has been at the forefront of national research and intelligence on both illicit and misused licit drugs, with a specific focus on methylamphetamine and other high-risk substances. The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) collaborates closely with The University of Queensland (UQ) and the University of South Australia (UniSA) to collect and analyse the data that supports this program.
The ACIC made a conscious decision to engage both universities, with each team bringing roughly 15 years’ experience in wastewater research to the table. The partnership between UQ and UniSA on this project is robust and synergistic, working together to enhance the capabilities of wastewater surveillance in Australia and globally.
UQ and UniSA have established relationships with water utilities and manage the wastewater collection across Australia.
Senior Research Fellow Dr Ben Tscharke completed his PhD with UniSA and later moved to Brisbane to join UQ. Dr Tscharke explains that the collaboration between the universities is further strengthened by the movement of team members between the 2 institutions, fostering a deeper integration of expertise and experience.
“On top of the university staff, wastewater operators at the utilities are essential to our research. Without their support it would not be feasible to deliver this project.
“We regularly communicate with staff at around 30 utilities across Australia, who provide the program with 1,500 samples per year.
“They provide us with samples and data necessary to perform the measurements and calculations involved to estimate drug consumption,” Dr Tscharke said.
Led by Associate Professor Cobus Gerber, UniSA has been conducting wastewater-based research since late 2011, initially focussing on South Australia and later expanding to Western Australia. UniSA excels in measuring trace chemicals in wastewater using optimised extraction techniques. The analysis of samples from the national sample-set is shared between the 2 institutions, providing quality assurance and spare capacity when needed.
The ACIC’s wastewater program is one of the largest, longest-running and most comprehensive wastewater drug monitoring programs in the world and many of its successes are built on the continuing support from the universities, wastewater treatment plants and their staff.
Both universities recognise the importance of being part of the program over the years and what it means to them.
“We deeply value the relationship we have with the ACIC. The program we have is the envy of many wastewater researchers and countries across the globe. The program collects samples which are quite unique, covering more than 50% of Australia’s population. The samples are also used for other research, which value-adds to the wastewater program – providing additional evidence for patterns in substance use,” Dr Tscharke said.
“The ongoing support of the ACIC has enabled us to develop a variety of new methods to measure drugs in wastewater. While the agreement with the ACIC implies the monitoring of a specific set of drugs, bespoke projects allow us to continuously expand the list of target substances and keep abreast of the changing drug landscape in Australia,” Associate Professor Gerber said.
Dr Tscharke also explained that wastewater samples are archived to enable retrospective analysis of samples and having this access to samples is kind of like a library looking into the past.
Since 2016, the program has continued to evolve by being responsive to changing trends in Australia’s drug markets and reflective of innovation by the universities. Tailored projects also create opportunities to work with experts from different fields and lay the foundation for collaboration across the scientific community and professional peers, such as forensic laboratories and health specialists. This is very important to gain early warning of emerging drug threats.
The ACIC is grateful for the valuable support and expertise provided by the universities in delivering the program and other bespoke wastewater work.
“Their innovative approach and commitment to the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program are very much appreciated and we enjoy working together,” Principal Drug Specialist Mr Shane Neilson said.
Wastewater analysis is one of the most cost-effective, least intrusive methods of measuring drug use at a population level. All wastewater reports can be found on our website.
