Iplex’s experience in project delivery assisted in the success of meeting the customers’ requirements 218km of pipeline designed and constructed in less than 12 months.
Project Overview
The 218km pipeline covers a region of southern western NSW from the Menindee Lakes to the Murray River. The project’s objective is to provide significant water savings, improved water supply to landholders and enhance environmental outcomes.
The Darling Anabranch stock and domestic channel system supplies approximately 72 customers who have an annual demand of about 1.5GL of water. Due to extremely high seepage, leakage and evaporation losses, it was necessary to release 48.5GL per annum to supply the 1.5GL stock and domestic demand.
There were several challenges to this project, including the tight timeframe of 12 months to design and construct the pipeline. The project area was in a very remote part of NSW that was not easily accessible and required remote camps to be established. Aboriginal heritage monitors were employed, and all cultural heritage issues were successfully negotiated.
Iplex Apollo® PVC-O was considered due to the substantial capital cost savings to be realised as it was possible to reduce pipeline diameters yet maintain the same pump heads. Apollo® PVC-O allowed the lengths of the various pipe diameters to be reduced without compromising required levels of service (flow/pressure) at customer off take points.
Iplex’s significant production capacity meant supply of product could be kept up to all laying crews, which were laying up to 4km of pipe per day. The project was delivered 3 months ahead of program and under budget.
The piping of the entire system returned water savings of 47GL per annum to the ailing Darling and Anabranch rivers within the greater Murray Darling Basin.
