South Australian Environment and Conservation Minister Paul Caica said that the formerly 22 km network will now involve 9 km of pipelines, which will pump and discharge sand along busy sections of the coast to prevent beach erosion.
“The tendered sums for the project exceeded our initial expectations, due to factors such as the need for larger pump stations than anticipated, and the need to use horizontal directional drilling rather than excavation in some areas to avoid damaging sensitive areas,” Mr Caica said.
A spokesperson for Adelaide’s Living Beaches told The Australian Pipeliner that the diameter and capacity of the pipelines, as well as the overall cost of the project, were still being finalised because no preferred tenderer had yet been selected.
The project was originally slated to cost $A23 million.
Tenders for pipeline construction were evaluated by the State Government in early 2010, and discussions are now underway with the aim of finalising a tenderer by the end of 2010.
The 9 km system will be constructed as two separate pipelines – a longer section of 7.2 km from Glenelg to Kingston Park, and a shorter pipeline of 1.8 km from Torrens Outlet to the West Beach dunes.
“The pumps and pipelines will be concealed underground,” Mr Caica said. “Trucks will no longer operate [to cart sand] on the major beaches of Glenelg, Brighton, Kingston Park and West Beach.”
Construction of the pipeline system is expected to be complete by June 2012.
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