Published Wednesday, 07 May, 2008 at 02:46 PM
Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh
BRISBANE RIVER MILESTONE FOR WATER GRID
The $9 billion Water Grid has passed a major milestone with the first of two pipelines installed under the Brisbane River bed in a spectacular five-hour operation.
The pipes will connect the Luggage Point Advanced Water Treatment Plant near the mouth of the river into the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project.
Premier Anna Bligh joined the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong and Deputy Premier Paul Lucas on-site at Gibson Island today to view progress on the project.
Ms Bligh said she was thrilled that the new Federal Government was taking an interest in the South East Queensland Water Grid.
“Penny was keen to see the unique way in which we are tackling the drought and climate change in south east Queensland,” Ms Bligh said.
“We are using world class knowledge and technology but over the past few years, despite our best efforts, not one Howard Government Minister could even be bothered to look at the work we were doing.
“When it came to the issue of drought and climate change they simply buried their heads in the sand.”
Ms Bligh said the Rudd Government had committed $408 million to support the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme.
“This is the third largest water recycling project in the world and the largest in the southern hemisphere,” she said.
“It was important to show Penny first hand what their investment would deliver.”
Ms Bligh said environmental impacts on the connecting pipes at Luggage Point were being minimised by using a hi-tech method known as horizontal directional drilling, or HDD.
“This is a win – win situation for Australia’s first major purified recycled water project,” Ms Bligh said.
“It’s better for the river than traditional pipe laying and will deliver a secure water supply for South East Queensland.
“This is amazing work, a single 700-metre long piece of pipe is pulled through under the river in one go over a period of about five hours.
“It goes into a hole on Gibson Island on the south side of the river already bored out by a drill rig at Pinkenba on the north side using a remotely controlled drilling head.
“It is so accurate engineers drilling on one side of the river can guide the drill to pop out of the ground within 20cm of their target on the other side.
“Work is well underway on the second river crossing, with the pipeline ready to be pulled through the tunnel in the next couple of days.
Mr Lucas said the $2.4 billion Western Corridor project was now around 70% complete and would be ready to pump purified recycled water into Wivenhoe Dam at the end of the year.
“More than 150 km of the total 205 km of large-diameter pipeline has now been laid, the second stage of the Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant is all but complete and the advanced water treatment plants at Luggage Point and Gibson Island are both past half way.
“That’s a tremendous effort from the 1700 to 2000 workers who are working on the project at any one time, clocking up more than 4.5 million hours.”
Mr Lucas said drilling 20 metres below the river bed ensured minimal impact on the environment.
“Traditional trenching is inappropriate where waterways and environmentally sensitive areas are concerned so we looked to a trenchless technology solutions and HDD was the most cost-effective solution,” he said.
“HDD crossings of Aquarium Passage and Bulimba Creek have already been completed successfully, as part of the pipeline that will connect the Gibson Island treatment plant to the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project.
The Luggage Point and the Gibson Island treatment plants will come on line by the end of October.
7 May, 2008
Contact: Premier’s office 3224 4500
The pipes will connect the Luggage Point Advanced Water Treatment Plant near the mouth of the river into the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project.
Premier Anna Bligh joined the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong and Deputy Premier Paul Lucas on-site at Gibson Island today to view progress on the project.
Ms Bligh said she was thrilled that the new Federal Government was taking an interest in the South East Queensland Water Grid.
“Penny was keen to see the unique way in which we are tackling the drought and climate change in south east Queensland,” Ms Bligh said.
“We are using world class knowledge and technology but over the past few years, despite our best efforts, not one Howard Government Minister could even be bothered to look at the work we were doing.
“When it came to the issue of drought and climate change they simply buried their heads in the sand.”
Ms Bligh said the Rudd Government had committed $408 million to support the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme.
“This is the third largest water recycling project in the world and the largest in the southern hemisphere,” she said.
“It was important to show Penny first hand what their investment would deliver.”
Ms Bligh said environmental impacts on the connecting pipes at Luggage Point were being minimised by using a hi-tech method known as horizontal directional drilling, or HDD.
“This is a win – win situation for Australia’s first major purified recycled water project,” Ms Bligh said.
“It’s better for the river than traditional pipe laying and will deliver a secure water supply for South East Queensland.
“This is amazing work, a single 700-metre long piece of pipe is pulled through under the river in one go over a period of about five hours.
“It goes into a hole on Gibson Island on the south side of the river already bored out by a drill rig at Pinkenba on the north side using a remotely controlled drilling head.
“It is so accurate engineers drilling on one side of the river can guide the drill to pop out of the ground within 20cm of their target on the other side.
“Work is well underway on the second river crossing, with the pipeline ready to be pulled through the tunnel in the next couple of days.
Mr Lucas said the $2.4 billion Western Corridor project was now around 70% complete and would be ready to pump purified recycled water into Wivenhoe Dam at the end of the year.
“More than 150 km of the total 205 km of large-diameter pipeline has now been laid, the second stage of the Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant is all but complete and the advanced water treatment plants at Luggage Point and Gibson Island are both past half way.
“That’s a tremendous effort from the 1700 to 2000 workers who are working on the project at any one time, clocking up more than 4.5 million hours.”
Mr Lucas said drilling 20 metres below the river bed ensured minimal impact on the environment.
“Traditional trenching is inappropriate where waterways and environmentally sensitive areas are concerned so we looked to a trenchless technology solutions and HDD was the most cost-effective solution,” he said.
“HDD crossings of Aquarium Passage and Bulimba Creek have already been completed successfully, as part of the pipeline that will connect the Gibson Island treatment plant to the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project.
The Luggage Point and the Gibson Island treatment plants will come on line by the end of October.
7 May, 2008
Contact: Premier’s office 3224 4500