HDD, New Zealand, News, Water Utilities

Powerful partnership delivers water main project in Auckland

All Drill NZ (ADNZ) is a long-time supply partner of the New Zealand drilling industry. Providing everything from onsite and technical support, training, mud schools, fluid designs, drilling fluids and tooling, ADNZ is supporting the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) sector across the country.

Founded by John Familton, ADNZ was built on the pillars of honesty, quality and reliability. And if you ask J&R Contracting Project Supervisor Ben Noakes about it, he’ll tell you that ADNZ embodies these principles.

“ADNZ supplies us whatever we need in terms of HDD, whether that’s reamers, drill heads, drill mud, or more,” Noakes said.

“The service is primo – John has so much experience in the industry and is extremely handy.”

J&R recently tapped into John’s resourcefulness to help deliver the Richardson Road water main project in Mt Roskill, Auckland.

Utilising ADNZ HDD reamers and drill fluid, J&R recently completed a single 210m drill shot to install a 500mm water main at depths of up to 6.5m.

Noakes said the project presented a number of technical challenges, such as variable ground conditions.

“Ground conditions were a challenge. We entered in solid, stable ground and then as we got down to 4m , we’re working in mud.

“We had to utilise a larger D100 drill rig and went through about 150 cubic metres of drill fluid.

“In the end we removed almost 200 cubic metres of slurry, which is quite a lot.”

The project’s location also posed challenges of its own. As the work took place along a residential street, space was limited.

Due to site constraints, a drill fluid recycling plant was established in the middle of the drill shot, where fluid was mixed before being pumped 150m to the delivery tank.

“Another challenge was that the project took place outside of a primary school,” Noakes said.

“The good thing was, we were able to align the timeframe of the project with school holidays. We got in and out before school went back.”

The Richardson Road project required a single 210m drill shot. Image: J&R Contracting

The Richardson Road project was a success, delivered on budget, within a tight timeframe, and without issue from pilot to pullback.

“The highlight for me was that, from pilot to pullback, everything went according to plan,” Noakes said.

This project is far from the first that ADNZ and J&R have collaborated on. Indeed, the two companies have more than a decade of partnership.

“ADNZ is a very reliable supply partner,” Noakes said. “Often, John and the team are able to get equipment to site on the same day you call them.

“Sometimes with other suppliers based outside of Auckland, delivery can take a couple of days. But by this time, you’ve just made do with the tools available and finished the job.

“The valuable thing about ADNZ is that service is fast and reliable.”

With the successful execution of the Richardson Road project, ADNZ and J&R Contracting have deepened their working relationship. Together, the two companies will continue to deliver critical infrastructure projects to New Zealand.

For more information, visit alldrill.co.nz

This article featured in the October edition of Trenchless Australasia.

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