The Australian Capital Territory Electricity and Water
Corporation (ACTEW) and ActewAGL are using alliance contracting to
deliver four large-scale water supply projects to secure water
supply for the people of the Australian Capital Territory
(ACT).
ACTEW Corporation and ActewAGL have partnered with
GHD, Abigroup and John Holland Group to form the Bulk Water
Alliance and deliver these projects over the next three years
The Bulk Water Alliance will deliver an enlarged
Cotter Dam, the Murrumbidgee to Googong water transfer scheme,
upgrade works to the existing Googong Dam Spillway and new pumping
facilities at the Murrumbidgee River. Project costs are
anticipated to be in the order of AUD$300 milion.
GHD has extensive experience in alliance
contracting methodology, having partnered in more than 30 alliances
in Australia and around the world, and is providing a wide range of
multi-disciplinary services within the Alliance. These
services include engineering, environmental science, planning,
sustainability, architecture, landscape architecture, community
consultation and spatial modeling.
The enlarged Cotter Dam will expand the storage
capacity of the Cotter Reservoir from 4Gl to approximately 78Gl – a
twenty-fold increase – and will be sited downstream of the existing
dam. The new 80m high dam will be constructed of roller
compacted concrete, and will be the highest dam of its type in
Australia. GHD has undertaken studies into the technical,
geotechnical and architectural aspects of this larger
reservoir.
The Murrumbidgee to Googong water transfer project
involves pumping Murrumbidgee River water to Burra Creek.
From there it will run down Burra Creek some 10km into the Googong
Reservoir. The facility will have the potential to pump in
the order of 100Ml a day from the Murrumbidgee River, although
its actual pumping rate will depend on flows, extraction rules and
pumping protocols. GHD engineers are presently undertaking
design works for the pipeline and associated pumping
infrastructure, including innovative design responses to handle
water intake requirements.
GHD planners, architects and landscape architects
are integral to the project teams, ensuring that these significant
infrastructure works are sensitive to the natural and cultural
environment. Both the enlarged Cotter Dam and the
Murrumbidgee to Googong transfer scheme are situated in popular
recreational areas. With GHD’s assistance, ACTEW intends to
deliver community benefits above and beyond the scope of the water
infrastructure works.