ACT

ACTEW has proposed the Murrumbidgee to Googong Water Transfer, a 1 m diameter pipeline that will pump 100 ML/d of water from the Murrumbidgee River to Burra Creek in New South Wales. The water will travel underground through a 12 km pipeline before travelling an additional 13 km along Burra Creek into the Googong Reservoir.

Environmental approval has been received from the Commonwealth, as well as the New South Wales and ACT governments, with preliminary work nearing completion. Construction is expected to begin in January 2011 and the project is expected to reach completion in June 2012. Design and construction of the pipeline has been awarded to the Bulk Water Alliance, which comprises John Holland, Abigroup and GHD.

New South Wales

Orange City Council has completed a feasibility study which has identified three possible routes for a pipeline between the Orange water treatment plant and the Macquarie River. The Orange Drought Relief Connection is a proposed 45 km pipeline with a 375–450 mm diameter, designed to deliver a maximum of 7 ML/d of additional water to Orange.

The project is still in its early stages, but the Council has now commenced a concept design process which will be completed in early 2011, with construction expected to commence in the second half of 2011.

The Bega Valley Shire is also set to benefit from a more secure water supply via the Bega to Yellow Pinch Dam water pipeline, which is being developed by the region’s council in collaboration with the New South Wales Public Works. Construction contractor Mitchell Water is continuing with construction. The project is expected to be completed by the end of June 2011. The 450 mm diameter PN35 ductile-iron cement-lined pipeline will have a final capacity of 20 ML/d.

In Tamworth, a feasibility study is underway for a 25 km, 200 mm diameter pipeline from Barraba to Split Rock Dam. This study is expected to be completed in May 2011. However, Tamworth Regional Council has said that the decision on whether to proceed with the pipeline will depend entirely on funding from the State and Federal governments.

As part of the Central Coast’s long-term water supply strategy, the Gosford and Wyong Councils are working together on the Mardi–Mangrove Link, which will link the Wyong River and Ourimbah Creek to Mangrove Creek Dam, and assist in securing water supply to the region.

The project involves two 1 m diameter pipelines. One will stretch for 2.1 km from the Wyong River to Mardi Dam through Mardi, and the second will extend 19 km from Mardi Dam to the existing Bunning Creek Tunnel at Mangrove Creek Dam via Yarramalong Valley. The longer pipeline will have a capacity of 120–160 ML/d while the shorter pipeline combined with the capacity of two existing rising mains will increase capacity to 320 ML/d.

At the time of writing, half of the pipeline has been laid by John Holland. The project is expected to be complete by June 2011.

The Cowra Shire Council is currently constructing a 33.8 km, 225 mm diameter emergency water supply pipeline between Cowra and the Central Tablelands Water system. The pipeline is expected to have a 3.5 ML/d capacity and will be complete in June 2011. The Council is undertaking project construction itself, but trenching works have been contracted to Toowoomba Trenching and Earthmoving. Construction works, which have been divided into five stages, have commenced with pipeline laid to Woodstock Reservoir.

In November 2010, the Goulburn Mulwaree Council received approval from the New South Wales Department of Planning for an 81 km water pipeline dubbed the Highlands Source Project. The pipeline will have a diameter of up to 375 mm and will have the capacity to pump 5 ML/d of water from the Wingecarribee Reservoir near Moss Vale to the Goulburn water supply system at the Rossi Weir rising main, which feeds the Goulburn Water Treatment Plant. The Council is now considering tenders for construction works with a preferred completion date of 30 June 2011.

Queensland

The Northern Network Alliance – comprising KBR, Abigroup, McConnell Dowell and LinkWater Projects – has laid over 50 per cent of the Northern Pipeline Interconnector (NPI) – Stage 2, a 48 km MSCL water pipeline with a 1,200 mm diameter which will connect the Noosa Water Treatment Plant near Cooroy to the NPI – Stage 1 at Eudlo. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2011 and both stages of the NPI will deliver a target of 65 ML/d of water. For more information on the NPI, see page 119.

SunWater has proposed the construction of the Connors River Dam and associated infrastructure in order to meet future water demands of the Bowen Basin region. The dam would be located on the Connors River, near Mount Bridget, and would involve a 133 km mild-steel cement-lined (MSCL) pipeline with varying diameters of up to 1,500 mm that would connect to the town of Moranbah.

Miners in the Bowen and Galilee basins have already committed to purchasing 80 per cent of the dam’s available 49.5 GL/a of water production, and SunWater is now finalising its project business case. Should the project be approved in early 2011, construction is expected to start in late 2011 and be complete in late 2013, with commissioning expected in early 2014. SunWater is currently involved in the tendering process for selecting a construction contractor.

SunWater has also proposed a second pipeline, which would extend from Moranbah to supply water to the Galilee Basin coal mines in Alpha. This 270 km pipeline would have a maximum diameter of 1,100 mm and a capacity of 24 GL/a. The project is still in its preliminary design phase, but an expected construction completion date has been scheduled for early 2014.

In July 2010, preparatory works for the 115 km Gladstone – Fitzroy Pipeline, which included pipeline route, site selection, land acquisition and a range of approvals – reached completion. The $345 million project will transfer up to 30 GL/a of water from the southern bank of the lower Fitzroy River, near Rockhampton, to Gladstone. However, in order to minimise costs, proponent Gladstone Area Water Board has announced construction of the pipeline will only commence upon either a demand or drought trigger.

South Australia

While construction is still underway on the Adelaide Desalination Plant, the associated transfer pipeline – which has an internal diameter of 1.5 m and is approximately 11.5 km long – has been installed and hydrostatically tested. The pipeline reached completion in August 2010 with construction work undertaken by a joint venture between McConnell Dowell and Built Environs. In conjunction with the pump station, the pipeline has the capacity to transfer 100 GL/a from the Adelaide Desalination Plant to the Happy Valley Water Filtration Plant.

In July 2009, proponent SA Water decided to upgrade the plant’s infrastructure to double its production capacity. The company is now currently assessing tender proposals for the supply of pipe and fittings for the $403 million upgrade, which has been named the North South Interconnection System Project (NSISP). The NSISP will secure water supply and provide a more flexible water distribution network. At present, the majority of the South Australian metropolitan area, including eastern Adelaide, is only linked to one water source.

The 32 km pipeline will vary in diameter between 750–1,000 mm. SAWater is currently working through the State Government approval process, but if approvals are granted, full project completion is targeted for the end of December 2013.

Meanwhile, BHP Billiton’s plans to expand its Olympic Dam mine in northern South Australia will require an additional 216 ML/d of water for operations, and the company is currently seeking government approval to build a coastal desalination plant at Point Lowly as well as an associated 320 km pipeline, which will pump water to Olympic Dam.

Tasmania

At the time of writing, project approval was imminent for the Tasmanian Irrigation Development Board’s (TIDB) Sassafras-Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme and a construction start date was being planned. The project will pump 35 ML/d of water from the Mersey River to the farming regions of Pardoe, Northdown, Thirlstane, Harford, Sassafras and Alderson via the former TasPaper mill supply line at Wesley Vale and six branch lines comprising a total length of 74 km.

Construction of the pipelines, which will have diameters ranging from 160–350 mm, has been awarded to a joint venture between VEC Civil Engineering and Leed Engineering and Construction. It is expected to reach completion in May 2011.

The TIDB is also in the design and approval phase for the Midlands Irrigation Scheme, which is being planned under the State Government’s water development strategy. The proposed $88 million project will transfer 38.5 GL/a of water from Arthurs Lake to the Midlands region through a 110 km pipeline, with a diameter ranging from 250–1,200 mm. Planning approvals are scheduled for mid-2011 with a two-year construction timeframe to commence in October 2011. Construction tenders will be issued early to mid-2011.

Gunns Limited has proposed a 40 km long MSCL pipeline as part of the development of its proposed pulp mill, which is to be located in Bell Bay. The 800 mm diameter pipeline would pump an average of 68 ML/d of water from Trevallyn Dam and is currently awaiting financial approval. The project is expected to be completed two years after receipt of notice to proceed.

Victoria

In April 2010 – six years ahead of schedule – one of Australia’s most significant water-saving projects reached completion. The 9,159 km Wimmera Mallee Pipeline Project was constructed to replace 17,000 km of inefficient open channels, saving around 103 BL/a. Proponent GWM Water contracted Mitchell Water to construct six of the seven stages of the $688 million project, and Nacap to construct the remaining stage.

GWM Water is currently in the design phase of an extension of this pipeline to the township of Nhill, with construction expected to commence in the 2011–12 financial year.

Construction of the 52 km Hamilton – Grampians Pipeline, located near Cavendish, Victoria was completed in July 2010. The 375 mm diameter pipeline will transfer up to 2 GL/a from Rocklands Reservoir in the Grampians to Hamilton’s water supply system. Work on the pipeline was undertaken by Padbury Amber Civil Contractors and the project was delivered on time and under budget.

The 70 km, 1.75 m diameter Sugarloaf Pipeline reached completion in February 2010 with John Holland handling construction as part of a contract alliance with Melbourne Water, Sinclair Knight Mertz and GHD.

The AquaSure Consortium – comprising Suez Environnement/Degrémont, Thiess and Macquarie Capital – has said that work on the Victorian Desalination Plant pipeline has remained on schedule, with project completion expected in December 2011. The Thiess Degrémont Nacap Joint Venture designed and is constructing the 84 km, 1.93 m diameter transfer pipeline, which will connect the desalination plant in Wonthaggi to Melbourne’s water supply system. Water from the plant will be transported to the Cardinia and Silvan Reservoirs, and water supplies will be augmented at Melbourne, Geelong, Westernport and South Gippsland, with further pipelines being built to give these areas access to water. The completed pipeline will be capable of transferring 200 GL/a of water.

Coliban Water is in the process of planning and designing a pipeline that will connect the Sandhurst Reservoir south of Bendigo to Barkers Creek Reservoir in Harcourt, then continue on to McCay Reservoir near Castlemaine. The Castlemaine Link Project, will involve a 36 km long pipeline, 19 km of which will be part of another Coliban Water project, the Harcourt Modernisation Project. The 500 mm diameter pipeline will have a 23 ML/d capacity.

Coliban Water is also proponent for the 22.4 km Raywood to Sebastian Pipeline, which is currently being constructed by JHL Civil. The 150 mm and 200 mm pipeline will connect the Raywood and Sebastian townships to the Bendigo water supply system, and is expected to reach completion in June 2011.

Abigroup is continuing construction on the 59 km, 800 mm diameter Melbourne to Geelong Pipeline with project completion expected in late 2011. The $137.9 million water pipeline, which is set to connect Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Surf Coast to the Victorian Government’s major water projects, will deliver up to 16 GL/a of water upon completion, which is expected at the end of 2011.

Western Australia

A proposed $7.4 million upgrade of the Gascoyne Irrigation Pipeline, which delivers water to Carnarvon horticulture plantations, will receive $7.4 million from the Western Australian Government as part of its Royalties for Regions program. This investment could potentially raise the value of the local area industries by up to $68 million.

The upgrade, led by proponent Gascoyne Water Co-operative, will involve using 36–40 km of 600 mm diameter high-density polyethylene pipeline to replace existing buried asbestos cement pipes of a similar length and diameter. The 69 ML/a pipeline is still in its planning stages and an expected construction completion date has not yet been determined. At the time of writing, Gascoyne Water said they were close to appointing a project engineer.

Reed Resources is also currently planning a pipeline, which will supply 2.5 GL/a of water to the company’s proposed Barrambie Vanadium Plant. The 20 km, 450 mm diameter pipeline will transfer water from a borefield located approximately 20 km to the northwest of the site to the plant, and is expected to be completed in mid-2012.

Completion is close for a 28 km, 1.4 m diameter pipeline that will feed water from the Water Corporation’s Southern Seawater Desalination Plant, located between Binningup and Mylaup, into the Integrated Water Supply Scheme near Harvey. Over 27 km of pipe has been laid and pressure testing has started. Design, construction and operation of the desalination plant and associated pipeline has been awarded to the Southern SeaWater Alliance, which includes Tecnicas Reunidas, Valoriza Agua, AJ Lucas, WorleyParsons and the Water Corporation. The desalination plant will begin operation in 2011.

A strong future

With all the exciting activity that has occurred in just the past year alone, the water pipeline sector is looking strong. And as Australia continues to brace itself for water restrictions and tight water demands, there are sure to be many more projects lined up for the future.