Queensland
The Queensland Water Commission is currently establishing a regional water grid to facilitate water sharing across the South East Queensland region. The water grid will provide a network of two-way pipelines to connect major bulk water sources in the region, allowing water from areas of water surplus to be moved to areas that face a shortfall.
The Western Corridor Recycled Water (WCRW) Project, which was officially launched in November 2006, is already well underway. In January 2007, then Queensland Premier Peter Beattie announced that purified recycled water will be a permanent and ongoing part of South East Queensland’s drinking supplies as part of a broader water security and supply plan.
Meanwhile, across the state, the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water is undertaking Regional Water Supply Strategies. Encompassing the far-north, southeast and central parts of the state, the strategies take a 50 year look into the future to see what infrastructure may be needed in a region, and when that infrastructure may be needed. The strategies also look at what programs can be put in place to drive down demand and make better use of existing water.
The only strategy completed to date is the Central Queensland Regional Water Supply Strategy, which was completed in December 2006. As part of the Central Strategy, mechanisms proposed to meet the region’s water supply challenges include new pipelines to link water infrastructure within and outside the region to areas of greatest need.
Key regional water infrastructure, which would form part of a statewide water grid, is located in the area covered by the Central Queensland Regional Water Supply Strategy. The Queensland Government has committed to projects including: pipelines to connect the new Connors River Dam with Broadsound and possibly Nebo and Belyando Shires; pipelines to connect Rockhampton to Gladstone; and, a pipeline for the Capricorn Coast connecting Rockhampton to Yeppoon. The completed Burdekin River to Moranbah pipeline was also part of the region’s strategy.
A draft of the Far North Queensland Regional Water Supply Strategy was released on 25 September 2007. The draft includes plans to implement demand management strategies, recycle water and install rainwater tanks.
A draft of the South East Queensland Regional Water Supply Strategy is due in the near future.
Regional planning activities have also been commenced by the Department of Natural Resources and Water for North Queensland, Mackay and the Whitsunday region, and the Wide Bay Burnett region.
New South Wales
In New South Wales, there are several exciting current developments that will be continuing over the near future.
Sydney Water is constructing a 250 ML/day seawater desalination plant at Kurnell, in Sydney’s south, with construction well underway. The plant will eventually meet up to 14 per cent of Sydney’s daily water needs.
Water from the desalination plant at Kurnell will be pumped into Sydney’s water distribution system through an 18 km steel pipeline from Kurnell, across Botany Bay to Kyeemagh. The proposed pipeline route from Kyeemagh connects to the main City Water Tunnel at Erskineville. From there the water will be distributed to up to 1.5 million people south of Sydney Harbour, to supplement their water supply. Water supplied from the desalination plant will also increase the total volume of water available to all customers across the whole Sydney Water area including the Blue Mountains, the Illawarra and Sydney.
In May 2007 Sydney Water awarded a construction contract to the Connect Alliance, consisting of Bovis Lend Lease, McConnell Dowell, Kellogg Brown & Root, Patterson Britten & Partners and Environmental Resources Management.
In October 2007, changes to the construction of the pipeline – including replacing trenches with tunnelling under areas of sensitive seagrass in Botany Bay and in residential areas – were approved to reduce the project’s impact on the environment and local residents.
NSW Planning Minister Frank Sartor granted approval for the pipeline construction incorporating the changes and requiring Sydney Water to prepare and adopt a number of new environmental management programs.
Sydney Water will prepare three new environmental management programs to manage potential construction impacts, in addition to plans that have been or will be prepared in relation to the overall desalination project.
The company will decide the final route following the completion of further investigations and consultations to ensure the chosen option results in the least impact on residents and the environment.
Water from the desalination plant is expected to be delivered to Sydney residents along the pipeline by the summer of 2009/10.
Meanwhile, Sydney Water is also investigating the $A100 million Rosehill/Camellia Recycled Water Scheme, with AquaNet Sydney, a joint venture between Singapore Power and Babcock & Brown together with Veolia Water, designated as preferred tenderer to design, build and operate the project.
The project was acquired by the joint venture under the Alinta takeover completed in August this year and will initially deliver 4.3 billion litres per year of safe, high quality recycled water to industrial and commercial customers in Rosehill and Smithfield by early 2011.
The 20 km of network design utilises a portion of a disused gas main network – which was owned by Alinta – minimising construction impact and providing significant economic and environmental benefits.
The recycled water system has been designed to allow for future expansion to supply an additional 3 billion litres per year to Westmead, Parramatta, Wetherill Park, Rairfield and Liverpool.
ACT
In July 2007, the ACT Government received ACTEW’s final report and recommendations on water security for the ACT region. The report recommends ways in which the ACT Government and ACTEW can provide a sustainable water source for the region, which is not totally dependant on rainfall within the ACT catchments.
The Murrumbidgee to Googong Raw Water Transfer (MGRWT) is one of the recommendations in the Water Security Program – Major Projects report and was endorsed by the ACT Government in October 2007.
The approximately $70 million MGRWT option involves accessing water from the Murrumbidgee River and transferring it to Googong Reservoir. The proposal includes the construction of a pipeline to Googong Reservoir, a pump station, and potentially a weir. The length of the pipeline required will depend on final route selection, but is expected to be approximately 13-20 km long.
This project is in the early planning stages. It is an expansion of what ACTEW has referred to as the Angle Crossing Option, where water is transferred from the Murrumbidgee at a location close to Angle Crossing. Recent recommendations and preliminary works have indicated that there are other corridor options in the ACT (such as near Point Hut Crossing) that may also be suitable.
Four corridor options are now the subject of preliminary studies, and the preferred corridor is due to be recommended in February 2008. A preliminary design of the weir, pump stations, pipeline and discharge is also being conducted.
Victoria
The state’s Department of Sustainability & Environment said that current and planned pipelines form a key part of the Victorian Water Grid – a series of pipelines, rivers and channels – making the Victorian system more flexible to cope with the effects of reduced rainfall that have been experienced.
In 2004, the Victorian Government put in place a long-term plan for water – “˜Our Water Our Future’. As a result, the state claims to have implemented the most successful water saving campaign in Australia.
As well as the already-progressing Wimmera Mallee Water Pipeline Project, the Victorian desalination project and associated 85 km pipeline, and the 70 km Sugarloaf pipeline project as part of the Food Bowl Modernisation Project, the State Government has planned other projects including the Geelong-Melbourne pipeline, and the Hamilton-Grampians Pipeline.
The 50 km Geelong-Melbourne pipeline is an estimated $80 million pipeline that will be built to connect Geelong to Melbourne’s water system by 2011. The Victorian Government will provide $20 million towards the project.
The pipeline will deliver 16 billion litres of water each year to Geelong – which is close to a 50 per cent boost for this important regional centre – allowing Geelong to share in the new water created from the 150 billion litre desalination plant in the Wonthaggi region.
Geelong is also expected to benefit from the Food Bowl Modernisation Project, an initiative announced in June 2007 that will capture up to 450 billion litres of water currently lost to irrigation inefficiencies in Victoria’s Food Bowl region and deliver an extra 75 billion litres to Melbourne each year.
The Hamilton-Grampians Pipeline will supply the Hamilton system with up to 2 billion litres of water each year by connecting Hamilton to the Grampians Wimmera Mallee water system.
Two pipeline routes are currently being assessed; a 47 km connection to Rocklands reservoir, and a 44 kilometre connection to Moora Moora reservoir.
The pipeline will be an important new link in the Victorian Water Grid and will allow Hamilton to share in the savings generated by the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline – a project that is currently in progress, replacing over 16,000 km of open channels with over 8,000 km of pipeline.
The Hamilton-Grampians Pipeline project is estimated to cost $30 million and the Victorian Government is contributing $10 million to the construction.
Tasmania
In Tasmania there has been movement made on several water pipeline projects, with the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water recently appointing consultants to carry out a socio-economic study into a proposal that could provide additional water resources for irrigators and towns in the northern midlands.
The Midlands Water Scheme consists of a pipeline to deliver approximately 50 GL per annum of irrigation water from the tailrace (a 4.5 km tunnel for spent water) of the Poatina Power Station to land suitable for irrigation in the catchment of the Macquarie River and for town water supplies.
Primary Industries and Water Minister David Llewellyn said Marsden Jacob Associates had been appointed to undertake the project.
“This is the next step in progressing the proposal that has identified the possibility of diverting water from the tailrace at the Poatina Power Station,” Mr Llewellyn said.
“A pre-feasibility report by consultants Agricultural Resource Management released in May concluded that the most feasible option is the construction of a pipeline from the Poatina tailrace to Tunbridge via Campbell Town and Ross. This distance is about 70 km, and costing of an extension of the proposed pipeline south to the Jordan River is also underway.
“No major environmental issues were identified along the proposed route.
“However, initial financial estimates indicated that the potential capital cost may be too high to make the scheme viable without some additional capital.”
A socio-economic study is currently underway to identify the direct costs and benefits associated with the project along with the flow on social and economic benefits. The final report is due by late January 2008.
Elsewhere in the state, DPIW is working with Hydro Tasmania and the Cradle Coast Water Authority on investigations into a Forth River (Mersey-Forth Water District) project, which would transport water by pipeline and waterways from Hydro Tasmania infrastructure (Lakes Parangana, Paloona, Barrington or Cethana) to areas with demand for additional water for irrigation.
The approximately $8-10 million project would transport 20 GL of water, for use in the dairy, cropping and horticulture industries.
Community consultation of consultancy findings and a feasibility study have yet to be undertaken, and project funding still needs to be secured before proceeding to tender.
As part of the Meander Dam Pipelines project, a potential project in the state’s central north region, water from the soon-to-be-completed dam will provide the foundation for new agricultural industries.
The Western Creek, Quamby Brook, Rubicon River and Hagley/Whitemore Farm areas offer significant opportunities for expansion of irrigated agriculture. In order for this to occur, construction of infrastructure to deliver irrigation water from the Meander Dam or River by up to four pipelines is required.
The Department of Primary Industries and Water is developing a consultancy brief in consultation with proponents and the Meander Valley Enterprise Centre to engage a consultancy to carry out an investigation of water delivery options.
The consultancy will look at demand for water, engineering feasibility, and costs associated with transfer of water from the Meander Dam to areas suitable for irrigation.
South Australia
The South Australian State Government recently committed $30 million to a new pipeline project that will deliver high quality recycled water to Adelaide’s CBD.
As part of the Glenelg Reuse Scheme, the Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant will be expanded and a 30 km pipeline network laid from the plant, past the Adelaide Airport, into the city centre and North Adelaide.
The pipeline network will deliver recycled water to the Adelaide parklands and will potentially enable environmental flows down the River Torrens, as well as making available reused water for 64 commercial development opportunities in the central business district.
Premier Mike Rann said the project would more than triple the annual water reuse at the Glenelg treatment plant.
“At the moment – and many people don’t realise this – Adelaide recycles 20 per cent of its water through our wastewater treatment plants which is the highest level of any major city in Australia.
“When all of our wastewater treatment plant upgrades are completed, at Christies Beach, Bolivar, Aldinga and Glenelg, we will be capable of recycling more than 40 per cent of Adelaide’s waste water.”
Also in South Australia, potential desalination plants destined for Whyalla (396 km northwest of the Adelaide CBD) and the Adelaide region are set to be decided shortly with construction in the next couple of years.
Water pipeline projects recently completed by SA Water include the 90 km Eyre Peninsula pipeline, the Jervois pipeline – which completed commissioning in November 2007 – and a new 4.8 km pipeline from the Mount Pleasant Water Filtration Plant to the existing water network in Tungkillo.
Other small regional pipelines are in planning as part of the government’s Country Water Quality Improvement Project, which will see many towns receiving filtered water in 2008.