A significant project for Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) under the region's Water for the Future Strategy is in its final stages of construction. The 19km non-potable water main pipeline will take ground water from the city's established recreational bores to the John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant in times of severe drought. The dual pipeline will also allow treated recycled water from the Dubbo Sewage Treatment Plant to replace non-potable groundwater.
DRC CEO, Murray Wood said the project will be an invaluable piece of infrastructure during the next drought event experienced by the region. "Our region was hard hit by consecutive years' extreme drought; we saw a huge economic and social impact on our communities as a direct result. The cross city pipeline will ensure Council has the security and the confidence to provide water, an essential resource to our residents and businesses, in times of severe drought," said Mr Wood.
DRC's Director of Infrastructure, Julian Geddes said the final stages of the pipeline's construction and installation are extremely important part of the overall project to deliver water security during drought. "The pipeline is a key component of connecting new and existing bore infrastructure to the water treatment plant. The final stage of this part of the project involves a lot of infrastructure testing. The pipes are filled up with water and must maintain a consistent volume and pressure to ensure there are no leaks within the network. So far we have had no issues passing these milestone tests.
"The final stage of laying the pipeline will also involve resurfacing the patches of road that have been disturbed during the construction. We understand that there are certain areas of the local road network that need some further repair and we are working with contractors to get this underway sooner rather than later," said Mr Geddes.
Council recently installed five variable messaging boards along the pipeline route to notify the community that night works will soon commence to further repair and improve the road surface. In the meantime, the community is being asked to be mindful when driving along these roads. With the work nearing completion, Council thanks the community for their understanding during the construction and installation of this significant and long-term infrastructure project.
The pipeline has been fully funded under the NSW Government's $30 million-dollar grant to help future drought-proof the area. The substantial investment included the delivery of the pipeline, the establishment of new bores, and purchasing additional ground water entitlements.
