TasWater have commenced works at Triabunna to construct a 2 megalitre storage reservoir.
West Gate TBM reaches milestone
The TBM, named Bella, has reached the 1 km mark of her 4 km overall journey.
Bella remains the largest TBM currently operating in the southern hemisphere with a cutting diameter of 15.6 metres, requiring a crew of 20 to operate.
The Westgate Tunnel Project is constructing twin tunnels between the Maribyrnong River and the West Gate Freeway. Tunnelling began at the northern portal in Yarraville and construction of the tunnels is expected to be completed in just under four years’ time.
The stone and dirt being excavated during the tunnelling process requires specific safety guidelines due to the detection of low levels of PFAS chemicals in the soil.
The project is being funded by tolls on the existing West Gate Tunnel and contributions from the Victorian Government.
Combined with the tunnel being dug by a second TBM, Vida, the West Gate project will include a total of 6.8 km of new tunnel.
Once complete, the project will remove over 9000 trucks per day from streets in Melbourne’s inner west.
For more information visit the Big Build Victoria website.
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After the storm: what the floods have taught us
The feedback from water managers around recent flood events has been characterised by shock and awe.
City Rail Link’s TBM is full steam ahead under Auckland
City Rail Link’s (CRL) tunnel boring machine (TBM) is as busy as ever as it progresses upwards to 42 m below the surface of Auckland, travelling toward Mercury Lane as progress on the momentous project continues.
Vermeer HDD is a fab addition to Irrifab
Thompson’s Irrifab (TI) was started in 1985 by Ray and Greg Thompson, based out of Cowra, in the Central West of New South Wales.
The business started out as a farm irrigation service, providing local farms with support on pivot irrigation, stock water systems and turf watering. Then about 10 years ago, they decided to branch out and grow the business in the civil irrigation and pipeline space.
Doug Walker is one of the Civil Project Supervisors at TI and has been working with the business for about two years. He says the decision to expand into civil work was made because it offers a big opportunity for growth.
“There was a lot of work going in council pipeline projects, watermain replacements, and building out pump stations, so we have invested and grown that part of the business over the last few years,” Doug says.
Part of that growth has seen TI recently add a brand-new Vermeer D8x12 HDD to its fleet of excavators and skid steers, which will be put to work on the smaller jobs that would usually be contracted out.
“It’s been hard to contract out our small, local jobs lately, as the labour and appetite just isn’t there. So, we decided to invest in the business, bring in a machine, and train ourselves up so we could do the work ourselves,” he says.
The Vermeer D8x12 HDD offers the strength of a large drill with the compact body and enhanced performance of a small drill. The D8x12 comes with straightforward controls, a narrow footprint and enhanced power with less sound disruption, and is ideal for small service installation, such as gas distribution, power, water, and telecommunication networks. Walker says that before the D8x12 is put to work, he and the team will finish their training on the drill, provided by Vermeer Australia.
“We’ve organised five days of training on the new rig, to get us across how to best use it, and the safety features. Then we’ll be putting it to work first on under road boring work in the local area,” Walker says.
“The Vermeer Australia team has been great, and a special thanks to our rep Kevin and the Albury team here. They’ve really supported us in our first purchase, making sure the team is comfortable with the drill, and answering any questions we have. Once we put it to work and see how it performs, we may look at adding another one to our fleet in the future.”
For more information visit Vermeer Australia’s website.
This article featured in the June edition of Trenchless Australasia.
Quick-Lock systems: chemical-free and safe for all water rehab
The Quick-Lock system is a trenchless pipe repair solution that restores the integrity of pipes and seals out of groundwater.
Michels bringing trenchless solutions down under
Responding to the global need for improved energy and utility infrastructure, Michels has expanded its trenchless operations to Australia, establishing its inaugural office and yard in Wangaratta, Victoria.
Bakton, the new TBM machine for Rob Carr, Western Australia
The project includes one of the longest drives carried out in WA. This project involves the construction of a 1.9 km wastewater pipeline with a diameter of 2.2 metres (m) through a combination of micro tunnelling and open trench construction.
Market challenges fail to holt KAISER’s growth
Despite the significant challenges posed by the pandemic and global supply chain issues, 2022 will be KAISER Technology’s strongest year since setting up its Australian subsidiary.
Iplex Australia secures $51 million Townsville Haughton Pipeline contract
The announcement is the second major contract to be awarded to the leading Australian water industry supplier, Iplex Australia, as part of the project, which will provide water security to the growing city of Townsville.
View the latest trenchless technology tenders
Wastewater and Stormwater Infrastructure – Relining Recurrent Works
Issued by: Ballina Shire Council
Closing Date: 12/07/2022
Location: New South Wales
Description: Recurrent relining program of both wastewater and stormwater for a three year period.
Market Sounding for Young & Lawson Stormwater Pipe Jacking (Stages 2 & 3)
Issued by: City of Gold Coast
Closing Date: 21/07/2022
Location: Queensland
Description: The City of Gold Coast is conducting market sounding for the construction of an Underground Drainage Network (UDN), including pipe jacking of large diameter pipes (1500dia – 1800dia)_Young & Lawson Stage 2 & 3.
Irrigation Upgrade – Chinnery Oval
Issued by: Corporation of the City of Port Augusta
Closing Date: 21/07/2022
Location: South Australia
Description: The contractor must include allowances for all plant, tools, materials and labour, and shall include but not be limited to:
- Replace the existing irrigation system with new as indicated on the drawings.
- Connect to the existing pump station discharge pipe as indicated.
- Remove all redundant irrigation equipment (return sprinklers, valves and controllers to council).
- Compact and reinstate trenches, inside the inner fence with turf sods of a similar variety to existing. All other trenches require compacting, leveling and clean-up to match existing. Reinstatement of turf is not required outside the inner fence.
- Connect to existing SA Water supply as indicated.
- Supply and install a new Rain Bird “IVM-Pro” controller as indicated, including 4G modem and external antenna.
- Arrange for GPS sprinkler set out by Cameron Irrigation Consulting, as specified.
- Make arrangements for a Practical Completion inspection as specified.
- Liaise with Councils contractor to complete GPS surveys of the as-constructed installation and preparation of as-constructed drawings, as specified.
Capping of Cell 5a and 5b (Mitchell Landfill)
Issued by: Mitchell Shire Council
Closing Date: 25/07/2022
Location: Victoria
Description: Mitchell Shire Council is seeking tenders from suitably qualified contractors to undertake the construction of a landfill cap for Cells 5A and 5B of Mitchell Landfill to ensure the landfill cap achieves final approval by the Environment Protection Authority appointed auditor.
The cap will comprise a landfill gas collection system, geo-synthetic clay liner (GCL), 500 mm thick subsoil and 200 mm thick topsoil layer for the establishment of vegetation. The work is to be performed at the Mitchell Landfill which is located at 470 Seymour-Tooborac Road, Hilldene, Victoria, approximately 5km west of Seymour, Victoria.
Minor Civil Works
Issued by: Townsville City Council
Closing Date: 27/07/2022
Location: Queensland
Description: Townsville City Council (the Principal) is seeking to establish a register of pre-qualified suppliers (RPS) to provide minor civil works. The Principal requires that the successful suppliers be suitably qualified and experienced in civil construction activities. The RPS will have eight separable portions as follows:
- SP1 – Pipe Patching and Lining
- SP2 – Concrete Works
- SP3 – Structural Landscapes
- SP4 – Paving Works
- SP5 – Concrete Grinding
- SP6 – Shotcrete
- SP7 – Minor Road Works
- SP8 – Road Furniture.
Provision for sewer model development and calibration consultancy
Issued by: Yarra Valley Water
Closing Date: 15/08/2022
Location: Victoria
Description: Development and calibration of sewer network hydraulic models and undertake the system performance assessments , scenario assessment, and option assessments using the calibrated sewer network models undertake performance assessment, scenario assessment of sewer network hydraulic models.
Email support@australiantenders.com.au for more information.
For more tender information visit the Australian Tenders website.
50 m long mural dazzles Mannum to Adelaide pipeline
In collaboration with the Murray River, Lakes and Coorong Tourism Alliance, the Mid-Murray Council and Palmer’s Collier Park Community Association, South Australian artist Jack Fran has painted a mural on a 50 m section of the Mannum to Adelaide pipeline.
The 87 km long pipeline delivers raw River Murray water to SA Water’s drinking water treatment plant in Anstey Hill, before being distributed to thousands of customers across metropolitan Adelaide.
SA Water’s general manager of strategy, engagement and innovation Sandra Ricci said SA Water will continue to investigate ways to visually improve infrastructure for the benefit of the community.
“The Mannum to Adelaide Pipeline plays a critical role in delivering water to thousands of our customers, and we recognise the concrete exterior provides the perfect canvas for large-scale art projects for locals and passers-by through the region,” said Ricci.
“Taking just five days to paint, the artwork recognises the area’s amazing achievement of being recognised as the River Murray Dark Sky Reserve – one of only fifteen located around the world, and the only recognised dark sky reserve in Australia.
“This is an excellent example of people across the community working together to conceive yet another tourism attraction to the region, and to see the final product adorning the pipeline for everyone to enjoy is a credit to Jack and his talents.”
Tourism development manager with the Murray River, Lakes and Coorong Tourism Alliance, Bill Nehmy said the artwork would be a great benefit to the areas tourism sector.
“The River Murray area already has a diverse and popular range of silo artworks in Karoonda and Coonalpyn, and this piece provides yet another addition to this art trail,” said Nehmy.
“This will be a drawcard to bring tourists to our region for years to come, and we are excited for everyone to enjoy the end result.”
Click here to check out the expansive 50 m mural on SA Water’s socials.
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kwik-ZIP reflects on 2022 No-Dig
Reflecting on the 2022 conference, kwik-ZIP expressed that it was fantastic to be able to see so many current customers and connect with new contacts within the industry, particularly after the difficulties faced by all over the past few years with the lack of face to face opportunities.
“Thanks to our loyal customers for taking the time to stop by our booth to say hello. We look forward to working with you all in the new financial year ahead.”
Used and recommended by pipeline and civil contractors around the world, kwik-ZIP centraliser and spacer systems are solving production casing centralisation challenges throughout the pipeline industry.
kwik-ZIP maintains a focus on price effectiveness, simplicity, and rapid on-site assembly, to ensure that our systems deliver significant cost, time and operational advantages to our customers.
kwik-ZIP’s spacers and centralisers have a segmented design, meaning they can be fit to an extensive range of pipe diameters with the addition of multiple segments.
Available in various product series (including HDXT, HDX, HD, GT, 380, and 155), each series is also available with varying bow/runner heights, making these highly flexible products.
Kwik-ZIP spacers series HDX and HDXT are the only casing spacers on the market that have been approved as compliant by WSAA.
For any specific project requirements that kwik-ZIP can assist you with or if you have any questions regarding its products please contact the company at sales@kwikzip.com or www.kwikzip.com.
Government funding available for trenchless certificates
Running for 12-24 months, depending on experience, Certificate III Trenchless Technology is a unique apprenticeship, designed for individuals working within the civil construction industry, using forms of trenchless within their work environment.
Veolia: Leading the way in ecological transformation
Veolia controls all the stages of the water cycle and can meet the many challenges of local authorities and industrial customers.
Trenchless in Valencia: More than 500m of SAERTEX-LINER H2O potable water UV liner installed
With the successful installation of SAERTEX-LINER H2O, the potable water supply for over 1.6 million people in Valencia, Spain, was secured in the late summer of 2020.
Boremore Civil Group benefits from Ditch Witch’s JT60 drill
Featuring a two-speed thrust drive, the JT60 drill power provides operators with the performance needed to drill through a variety of soils on a diverse range of jobsites.
Wilmot Pipelining sees success in projects across NSW
The Hunter Water Sewer Relining project located in Newcastle, NSW, has made promising headway as of mid-May 2022. Wilmot Pipelining has completed several sewer relining projects for the water industry company.
Vacvator’s range of vacuum excavation trucks lead the way in NDD
Founded in 2006 by Director Andrew Rowlands, and technical founder Denis Walker, Vacvator has grown from its humble beginnings to specialise in the manufacturing of high-quality vacuum excavation trucks.
Software for conduit inspection: a buyer’s guide
Is it time to upgrade your conduit inspection software? Many asset owners and contractors are still using software that was released more than 10 years ago and are facing end-of-life notifications from their vendors.
Others are evaluating new software to meet the needs of the Water Services Association of Australia’s (WSAA) newly released 2020 v4.1 reporting code. This guide is intended to help you make the most of your software investment.
The good news is that there are now more choices than ever before, including the just-launched PipeTech Auscodes conduit inspection software. The software is the result of a collaborative effort between Peter Slingsby, an Australian water-industry veteran, and PipeTech Software, a company that has been creating inspection software for over 20 years.
Evaluating software can be a daunting task. In Australia, we have faced limited options and high prices for many years. Now that there are more choices available, what criteria should you consider when making a decision?
We surveyed experts who use conduit inspection software daily. And what follows are their top three recommendations.
Speed of data entry
Field crews have a demanding job, and time is money.
“Less time with a reporting program means less time in the pipe and more metres at the end of the day,” says Bruce Barrie of Deetect Pty Ltd in Canberra, who uses PipeTech Auscodes to compile reports in the WSA 2020 v4.1 format.
“Inputting the header and asset details are easy and the shortcuts, duplication and repetition of codes as the survey progresses are what makes this program a treat to use and an asset to my business,” he says.
Accurate coding and scoring
The WSA 2020 4.1 reporting codes have a revised scoring and grading system that is designed to better reflect the severity and impact of defects. Asset owners are adopting the new code system so that they can make better asset management decisions.
It’s critical that whatever software you select adheres to the WSA standard and is capable of producing accurate scoring reports. PipeTech Auscodes is the first fully compliant software to meet this standard, and the partnership behind this software is committed to staying up-to-date with future WSAA updates.
Data quality and format
A software program is only as good as the data it produces. When evaluating conduit inspection software, carefully consider what you, and your customers, need in terms of data output.
High-quality video and easy to interpret PDF reports are a must. Bruce Barrie says he uses this as a competitive advantage.
“My clients are very pleased with the reports and videos produced by PipeTech Auscodes,” he says.
It’s also necessary to consider the structure of the raw data itself.
For example, does the software you are evaluating allow custom folder and file names? Is there a flexible data export format that can be used in conjunction with other software platforms such as geographic information system (GIS)?
While the criteria above are universal to everyone who uses conduit inspection software, each buyer will ultimately have additional features that are important to them.
This is why it’s important to start a conversation with different software vendors early in your buying process and keep a list of which software products meet your specific needs.
For more information visit Auscodes.
This article featured in the June edition of Trenchless Australasia.
NZ’s City Rail Link produces innovative 3D model
New Zealand’s City Rail Link (CRL) has produced a 3D model of the midtown Auckland CRL station, which is currently under construction including the Te Wai Horotiu Station (Wellesley Street) building.
Auckland’s biggest water project finishes construction
With the connection of Watercare’s Hūnua 4 pipe to the Khyber Pass reservoir marking the colossal pipeline’s completion, it will now undergo a series of tests before the final stage is put into service.
L&D Tunnelling mark another project as job well done
The project had involved a rather challenging bore, with Geotech used to show mudstone and siltstone. Moreover, as the works progressed under the railing on the roadside clays with high-level plastics were prominently present.
Slow and steady won the race with this project, according to L&D Micro Tunnelling, and it was a great achievement for the team to see the drill-head poke through to the retrieval hole.
L&D Micro Tunnelling specialise in high accuracy trenchless laser guided boring. The tunnel bore machines use a vacuum extraction system where all spoil is extracted into interceptor tanks for easy disposal.
All of the heads are hydraulically driven and guided by a high accuracy laser to achieve precision over long distances.
L&D Micro Tunnelling was initially established in 2015 and its team has a combined 20 years of experience in the sewer and water industry. The company provides free boring, sleeve boring, pipe jacking, pilot auger boring and general machine hire.
The company has worked on a variety of other pipeline and rehabilitation projects including the Merri Creek sewer relief project, HMAS Cerberus, Mt Martha sewer duplication project, and Metro tunnel early works.
With this additional success on the Surrey Hills level crossing, L&D Micro Tunnelling have marked yet another job well done with more projects sure to come.
To learn more about the services L&D Micro Tunnelling provide, click here.
To see the images of the Surrey Hills level crossing being completed, click here.
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Are your pipe spacers compliant? kwik-ZIP’s are
Congratulations to the 2022 ASTT award winners
The 2022 Australasian Society for Trenchless Technology (ASTT) awards and gala dinner took place during the No-Dig Down Under conference on the 16 June and spotlighted the industry’s best.
