Action in response to the Australia’s looming water crisis has sped up considerably in the last few months, with the most recent development occurring at a water crisis meeting held in early November. At the meeting, Prime Minister John Howard said that the federal government would accelerate the implementation of water proposals and the assessment of major water projects submitted by states and territories under the $2 billion Australian Government Water Fund (AGWF).

At the last meeting of the Council of Australian Governments, Mr Howard encouraged state and territory leaders to propose large scale projects for federal funding under the AGWF scheme.

Mr Howard also announced the creation of an Australian Government Office of Water Resources in September, a key role of which is to oversee the implementation of initiatives under the AGWF.

Water has also become a key issue in recent state elections, with Queensland Premier Peter Beattie announcing during his election campaign that his Government would invest $496 million in a $1.3 billion statewide water grid, which includes infrastructure such as the Southern Regional Water Pipeline, and the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme.

Water was also a critical issue for the state election in Victoria in November, with two major pipeline projects – the Goldfields Superpipe and Eastern Water Recycling Scheme – the focus of the incumbent Premier’s water policy.

Meanwhile, current water projects are continuing to gain momentum across the country. There has been a sharp focus on Queensland due to the looming water crisis and Mr Beattie’s declaration last year of a ‘state of emergency’ concerning water. At the time of writing, McConnell Dowell was scheduled to commence early works on the Southern Regional Water Pipeline shortly, and the company has reached completion on the Burdekin – Moranbah pipeline.

Furthermore, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has announced that a feasibility study will be conducted into a 1,200 km pipeline from Burdekin to Brisbane1– a proposal that had previously been dismissed.

In Victoria, Mitchell Water has commenced construction of the first stage of the massive Wimmera Mallee pipeline, and planning is well underway for a $60 million Coliban Water project to replace 300 km of open rural water channel with a new pipeline system. Works have reached completion on the Tungamah pipeline, a 360 km water pipeline which will save up to 5,000 ML/a in northeastern Victoria.

The Victorian Government is also supporting a $220 million plan to build the ‘Goldfields Superpipe’ which will connect Ballarat to the Goulburn system via the Bendigo pipeline, securing water supplies for Ballarat. The pipeline will measure 45 km connecting the Goulburn system to Bendigo and run for another 110 km to connect the system to Ballarat.

Water pipelines are also a focus in South Australia. BJ Jarrad and Leed Engineering have completed construction of the Eyre Peninsula Pipeline, which will initially deliver up to 1.4 GL/a of water to the region, which is struggling with declining water resources.

In western NSW, Mitchell Australasia has completed construction of the $28 million Darling-Anabranch pipeline, which involved laying 300 km of water supply pipeline and installing two main pump stations.

There are also several other types of water pipeline under construction or consideration. The increasing popularity of desalination as an option for securing long-term water supply is also providing opportunities for the pipeline industry.

BHP Billiton has said that it is prepared to spend $400 million to build a 330 km pipeline to Olympic Dam, from a proposed water desalination plant project at Whyalla. An environmental impact statement for the plant is being prepared, and BHP has applied for funding under the AGWF for the project.

Meanwhile, Queensland’s largest desalination facility, a reverse osmosis plant at Tugun, involves a 24 km integration pipeline. The early works program for this project is now underway, and includes detailed design for the desalination plant and pipelines, and another project, the Perth desalination plant, has been commissioned and involves the construction of a 10.25 km, 1,200 mm pipeline.

Recycled water has been a contentious issue in recent times, with a referendum being defeated 62-38 per cent in Toowoomba for a proposal that would have seen residents of the garden city have 25 per cent of their potable water supply come from treated effluent. However, recycled water is being used more and more across Australia; there are currently 580 different recycled water schemes in operation.

One of the most significant of these is the Queensland Government’s Western Corridor Recycled Water Project. The project will provide recycled water to Tarong and Swanbank power stations, other industry and possibly agricultural users, thereby potentially freeing up more than 200 MML/d of potable water for use in southeast Queensland. The project will be constructed under two alliances – pipelines constructed under the ‘western pipeline alliance’ will be constructed by McConnell Dowell and Abigroup, while AJ Lucas, Transfield Services and McCalls will construct those between Luggage Point and Bundamba. In total, approximately 200 km of pipelines will laid as part of the project. Construction work for both the eastern and western pipelines is expected to begin in early 2007.

Another recycled water pipeline being fast-tracked is the 12.5 km Epsom to Spring Gully Reservoir recycled water pipeline in Victoria, which will run from the Bendigo Water Reclamation Plant to Epsom. Works on the pipeline are due to commence late this year and be completed in the first half of 2007.

The Victorian Government is also supporting a the Eastern Water Recycling Project, which would involve recycled waste water being piped from Melbourne’s eastern treatment plant to the Latrobe Valley via a 115 km pipeline, with supplies of drinkable water saved from the Latrobe Valley being transferred to Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat and Eastern Victoria.

Through technological advancement, other water options previously considered unfeasible are looking more and more viable. One such option is the by-product of coal seam gas (CSG), groundwater. A project – the first of its kind in Australia1– is underway which will see the Queensland town of Dalby supplied with CSG water. The project has gained funding under the AGWF, and will see waste water from Arrow energy CSG projects transported through a new pipeline to a preliminary treatment plant and reverse osmosis plant in Dalby.

A range of innovative and ambitious projects are being undertaken across Australia to address problems of drought and reliable water supply. These projects are providing a raft of new challenges and opportunities for the pipeline industry, which will play a crucial role in ensuring Australia’s water future is secure.

A range of innovative and ambitious projects are being undertaken across Australia to address problems of drought and reliable water supply.