The Company is pleased to announce the practical completion of the Western Sydney Recycled Water Initiative Project, with lines 2, 3 and 4 now fully connected. The existing sludge line (line 5) has also been upgraded to meet the higher pressures required for the current design.

This project is a joint venture between McConnell Dowell, United Group Infrastructure and General Electric (Deerubbin Water Futures).

McConnell Dowell’s scope of works consisted of the design and construction of the transfer system pipe work between Sydney’s sewerage treatment plants and the waste discharge pipe line to the Northern Suburbs Ocean Outfall Sewer (NSOOS). This will fulfil the NSW government’s commitment to provide environmental flows for the Hawkesbury Nepean River System.

In total the project consisted of a total length of pipeline of 52,663 meters, divided as follows:

• Line 2:              14,854m total    (dual line – DN450 & DN600)
• Line 3:              23,070m total    (dual line – DN300 & DN450)
• Line 4:              10,869m            (DN300)
• Line 5:              6,868m             Upgrading existing DN300 sludge line

Also, a total length of 3870m of horizontal directional drilling was required across the project.

The pipeline installation had some considerable challenges across the Western suburbs of Sydney. The team worked with the stakeholders to plan and agree the alignment. The project crossed three council areas, the M7 motorway, seven other 4 lane major highways, roads, community parks, private land, streams and indigenous and non-indigenous heritage sites.

At its peak the project had up to 16 construction work fronts installing pipe and trenchless crossings, 9 compounds and 3 site office set-ups, and had to contend with designing the pipe around 600 unknown major services.

The pipeline is now ready to take Water for the commissioning phase of the Advanced Water Treatment Plant during the first half of 2010. When that is concluded McConnell Dowell in a joint venture with United Group and GE will operate and maintain the plant for Sydney Water over the next 10 years.