$500m Broken Hill water pipeline given construction go-ahead
The New South Wales Government has announced that a 270-kilometre pipeline will be built as part of a $500 million investment in the 2016-17 Budget. The pipeline from the Murray river will secure Broken Hill and surrounding communities’ long term water supply - and represents the largest infrastructure project on record to secure a town's water supply in NSW.
Being in one of the nation's harshest environments, Broken Hill and surrounding communities have lived with water shortages for decades and until now, these communities have been at the mercy of the unreliable Darling River and Menindee Lakes for water.
The pipeline solution was chosen from 19 project options after months of rigorous assessment by water, financial, engineering and infrastructure experts.
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p to 240 jobs created directly for the construction activity; the majority will be located permanently in either Broken Hill or Wentworth. The remainder will visit from other locations and require infrequent accommodation in Broken Hill and or Wentworth.
The $500 million water security package consists of a range of short term water projects – addressing the record low inflows into Menindee Lakes – and supported by long term projects to secure water for decades to come.
The target date for the completion of the pipeline is the end of 2018.
Work will start immediately on pre-construction activities, gaining environmental and planning approvals, selecting a proponent and undertaking procurement.
Until this time, a series of short term water projects will secure Broken Hill’s water supply.
This solution helps NSW meet its targets under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, reducing the state's need to take further productive water to meet recovery targets and helps northern and southern NSW irrigation industries.
It is also the centerpiece of the NSW Government’s $1 billion Regional Water Security and Supply Fund.
If you're interested in bidding for any of these water projects, learn more about what key decision makers want to see in a tender submission. Check out our free eBook below.
Source: NSW Government
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