Stuart Khan
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stukhan.bsky.social
Stuart Khan
@stukhan.bsky.social

Professor and Head of School of Civil Engineering at University of Sydney. Mostly water-related stuff. Views expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.

Environmental science 70%
Geography 18%

Reposted by Stuart J. Khan

“That may the view of young people that’s not the view of our government”… Housing Minister Clare O’Neil on Triple J’s Hack. Doubt that went down well with the audience

Reposted by Stuart J. Khan

‘Heck of a light show’: spectacular bloom of bioluminescence returns to Tasmania’s coastline
‘Heck of a light show’: spectacular bloom of bioluminescence returns to Tasmania’s coastline
Phenomenon known as ‘sea sparkles’ or ‘red tide’ is caused by masses of noctiluca scintillans, a pink-coloured algae * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Masses of glittering algae have returned to Tasmania’s coastline in a…
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Stuart J. Khan

Here's my just published op-ed in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on the fires, #water, #climate, and scientific misinformation:

thebulletin.org/2025/01/spre...
Spreading like wildfire: How Trump’s misinformation about water and fire in Los Angeles inflames the situation
Problems with water supply for firefighters are the direct result of the massive demands for fire-fighting water, the destruction of pipes and pumps by the fires, and homeowners leaving hoses and spri...
thebulletin.org

Reposted by Stuart J. Khan

Trump: "I'm signing an executive order to open up the pumps and valves in the north. We want to get that water pouring down here as quickly as possible ... you're talking about unlimited water coming up from the Pacific Northwest, even coming from parts of Canada."

Absolutely outrageous. Industries using PFAS are causing serious harm to drinking water sources and walking away from all responsibility. The costs and impacts fall to the drinking water suppliers and their customers. Needs to stop.

Reposted by Stuart J. Khan

A gobsmacking story. Water companies let toxic waste disposers, for cash, dump their loads into sewage farms. The sewage sludge is then spread, untested, on farmland, potentially poisoning vast areas, entire ecosystems and the people (you and me) eating the food.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
What’s in the millions of tonnes of sludge sprayed on to farmland? The answer won’t make you happy | George Monbiot
Thanks to breathtaking negligence, the liquid fertiliser used to help grow our food bubbles with a lethal cocktail of toxins, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Stuart J. Khan

See you there this Wednesday!

Most people still think Nazis and fascists are bad, right? Is that still a reasonable assumption?

Loved your article last week, Josie!

Reposted by Stuart J. Khan

Sydney’s archaic sewerage system a ‘significant’ source of microplastic pollution, CSIRO finds
Sydney’s archaic sewerage system a ‘significant’ source of microplastic pollution, CSIRO finds
Malabar wastewater plant discharges 5.4bn to 120bn of microplastics each day, report says, prompting calls for more advanced treatment processes * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast It is not just human waste that is being…
www.theguardian.com

horrendous!

Parallel to hers.

Professor Khan’s historic walking tour of Sydney
atse.org.au

These poeple should join my walking tour of defunct historic public toilets (and other water & sewage related stuff) in the City of Sydney. Oxford Street was home to a grand underground public toilet (men only!), remains of which are still prominent at Taylor Square. www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...
‘Put it in Blacktown’: Paddington residents upset new public toilet doesn’t respect heritage
The City of Sydney has been on a decade-long mission to double the number of public toilets, but some residents are not happy.
www.smh.com.au

Reposted by Stuart J. Khan

Whoever forms government after the next federal election has a lot of important work to do! Our piece on the many failures to deliver environmental law reform and why it matters so much. theconversation.com/labors-dumpi...
Labor’s dumping of Australia’s new nature laws means the environment is shaping as a key 2025 election issue
Hopes for environmental law reform during the current term of federal government have been dashed, so what lies ahead for ‘nature positive’ next term?
theconversation.com

Anyone who has ever been on a board, or done any governance training, would recognise that that’s massive overreach.

Decentralised wastewater treatment works well and is important in lots of places. But there are lots of challenges in a high density city… lots of highly contaminated water to safely and reliably manage. “Dehydrate” sounds attractive, but to do that quickly and securely is highly energy intensive.

Reality is “some of the solids and none of the contaminants…”. Yes, clearly there are better uses for water than dumping it into the ocean.

Pumping sewage into the sea has long been a Sydney thing – and even $32bn won’t change that. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Pumping sewage into the sea has long been a Sydney thing – and even $32bn won’t change that
Sydney Water plans to build new facilities inland and expand a pilot scheme to recycle wastewater for drinking, but will need outfalls for foreseeable future
www.theguardian.com

This won’t end well.

Yep, agreed.

There seems a bit of confusion here. Anything could happen, but the current announcement doesn’t seem to be about drinking water regulation, but regulations on wastewater discharge. Related, for sure, but not the same thing. Another reason why we shouldn’t hitch our wagon to whatever the US does.

Congratulations to 2025 Young Australian of the Year, Dr Katrina Wruck. Dr Wruck develops innovative, green solutions for industrial and environmental challenges, focusing on emerging contaminants and sustainable practices. Great and very worthy selection! youtu.be/zj2o4lxNNJ4?...
2025 Young Australian of the Year: Katrina Wruck | Australian of the Year Awards | ABC Australia
YouTube video by ABC Australia
youtu.be

Who needs a television in Sydney, when you have a skylight in the hallway?

Californians are not this stupid. I’m sure of it.
Trump: "I'm signing an executive order to open up the pumps and valves in the north. We want to get that water pouring down here as quickly as possible ... you're talking about unlimited water coming up from the Pacific Northwest, even coming from parts of Canada."

Bernard Stewart, Scientific Advisor at Cancer Council Australia and Conjoint Professor at UNSW rather bravely telling ABC Radio that government inquiries and ‘common sense’ may not be the best tools to evaluate cancer causality with environ contaminants such as PFAS. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Forever chemical cancer cluster concerns - ABC listen
The health detriments of PFAS have been a focal point of a major parliamentary inquiry, with residents coming forward claiming cancer caused by the forever chemical. The inquiry raises further questi...
www.abc.net.au

Christo strikes at University of Sydney!? Can you guess what has been so nicely wrapped here? (you have to be familiar with the USyd engineering precinct to have a chance at this one).

Bastard things, they are.

Please tell me this article about “balloons” was authored by AI. Still, i quite like this sentence: “Nevertheless, many experts, including civil engineering expert Stuart Khan, blame wastewater treatment plants for everything”. australia.news-pravda.com/australia/20...
The Guardian: E. coli has been found in balloons appearing on Sydney beaches.
Australian scientists have studied mysterious balloons from the beaches of Sydney, Australia, and found bacteria in them that are found in feces. The Guardian writes about this.Local authorities had t...
australia.news-pravda.com