Pipeline project a challenging task for Council's water supply crews
Monday 31st August, 2009
The replacement of the main water supply pipeline, which transfers water from the Port Macquarie Dam to the Transit Hill reservoir, has been one of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council's water supply team's most challenging and complex pipework projects.
The 750mm diameter high-pressure pipeline built in the 1970s began leaking at a several points where protective coatings around the pipes had not been installed during the original construction works and this allowed corrosion to occur at number of joints.
Water Supply Manager Murray Thompson said that ongoing inspections, minor repairs and leakage monitoring over the past ten years, along a section of the pipeline between the Port Macquarie pump station and the hill overlooking the dam at Clearwater Crescent, had found areas of similar corrosion damage.
Council's water crews have been working to replace this 400-metre section of pipeline for several weeks and the project is now nearing completion.
"As a result of this work, we have been able to plan ahead for the future augmentation of the water operations centre site and made provision for the planned inclusion of a water treatment plant at this site within the next 15 to 20 years," Mr Thompson explained.
"It will also allow us to construct a future pipeline linkage directly to the Wauchope Water Treatment Plant and provide the flexibility to feed water into Port Macquarie from the Rosewood Road reservoir when needed.
"This complex and challenging construction project has been undertaken by Council's water supply construction team with the assistance of local specialist welding contractors."
