Sustainability Report 2006/07Case Study: An innovative partnership
Reconnection of the Tarago Reservoir to the Melbourne and Westernport water supply systems is three months ahead of schedule, thanks to a cooperative and innovative approach by a collaborative partnership building the treatment plant at Drouin West.
The Tarago Reservoir is expected to deliver 15,000 million litres of water a year, and a water treatment plant is necessary to ensure high quality, reliable supplies.
Our construction partners in the project – Baulderstone Hornibrook and United Group Joint Venture, GHD Pty Ltd, and Sinclair Knight Merz – began earthworks and roadworks in October, and began work on the treatment plant in January.
Project Manager Andrew Ackerman, of Baulderstone Hornibrook, said the partnership approach allowed rapid response and valuable sharing of ideas.
“Bringing the ideas and experience from four organisations working together as one team on one job gives us the ability to move quickly and introduce new ideas and innovative ways of working,” Andrew said.
By the end of June 2008 the construction program had achieved a major milestone – completion of the base and walls of the 72-metre diameter concrete tank for holding 20 million litres of treated water.
The benefits of sharing knowledge and expertise with our alliance partners were demonstrated through an innovative method of constructing the tank walls.
Steel cables were fitted in pre-stressed concrete panels, which were tightened after concrete pours, to create watertight seals. This proved to be fast and cost effective compared with traditional steel tank construction. The panels were manufactured offsite, increasing safety by reducing working hours and plant movements onsite and minimising the risk of weather delays.
A critical element of the construction program has been keeping the community and neighbours well informed about construction activities such as night works and noise .