The Association of Consulting Engineers Australia (ACEA) Awards for Excellence is an annual, national event recognising engineering excellence and innovation demonstrated by ACEA member firms.

The Southern Regional Water Pipeline Alliance (SRWPA) won the award for delivering a series of pipelines that form the South East Queensland Water Grid Interconnection.

Following the worst drought in South East Queensland in 100 years, the Queensland Government fast tracked and allocated $1.3 billion for vastly improved water distribution networks in the region.

The extensive pipeline network provided significant logistics and engineering challenges, with its route varying from densely populated urban areas to mountainous reserves.

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Covering the size of Tasmania, the project included 161 km of pipelines of up to 1,250 mm diameter, six pump stations, four reservoirs, four water quality facilities, 21 offtakes and associated infrastructure.

The network is capable of supplying up to 217 ML a day of potable water to drought proof the region and secure supply for over 2.5 million residents throughout the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and surrounds.

This engineering work will help to stabilise the threat of drought disruptions, cropping programs, reduction of breeding stock, and the permanent erosion of the capital and resource base of farming enterprises.

An ACEA representative said of the SRWPA’s win, “The project has clearly demonstrated the major benefits achieved by a highly integrated and successful alliance team.

“Quality and innovative engineering and management services played a key role in the successful delivery of a massive and complex project which is of critical benefit to communities in South East Queensland.”

The awards recognise these achievements before an audience of industry peers, as well as providing external exposure for ACEA members, their clients and awards sponsors through ACEA’s official publications.

Over 430 members, clients, sponsors and guests from across the country attended the awards ceremony in Brisbane.