Groundwater Rising

Systems Thinking and Lessons Learnt in the Subsurface

Episode Summary

Rhiannon Marchi-Smith shares her expertise on subsurface water and how to break down silos to turn evidence into action

Episode Notes

Rhiannon Marchi-Smith is an independent hydrogeologist specialising in groundwater, mine water, and subsurface risk management. Her work focuses on connecting science, policy, and decision-making regarding underground water resources.

Rhiannon has learnt through experience what works when trying to communicate complex science to communities affected by groundwater flooding. She has hard-earned lessons to share in terms of turning evidence into action that makes a difference.

In this episode, Rhiannon and host Helen discuss topics including:

• The lessons that working with mining communities taught Rhiannon about communication between organisations and local people
• Why significant budget and time should be allocated to engaging with the community, particularly before a project starts
• How mining has left some parts of the country with a permanently changed groundwater context
• Why Rhiannon thinks narrative story-telling concepts can massively improve the impact of technical reports

This is an essential listen to anyone currently involved in a community-based project. The insights and advice in this episode could help you out a lot.