In a major milestone, Rous County Council’s (Rous) St Helena Pipeline has been completed. The timing for completion coincides with anticipated increased demand for water supply in the leadup to the summer holiday season.
Rous has led and funded the $27 million capital works project to replace the existing pipeline and increase its size – allowing more water to flow to coastal areas within Rous’s network.
“On behalf of Rous, I am proud to announce the St Helena Pipeline Project is complete,” said Cr Robert Mustow, Chair, Rous County Council. “’I congratulate everyone involved in bringing the project to fruition.”
The increased carrying capacity and vastly improved asset reliability enables Rous to keep up with higher demand in coastal areas during peak times and to meet the needs of the region’s population and tourism growth.
Critically, the new pipeline ensures sufficient volumes of water can continue to be accessed by the community during peak times experienced on the network, according to Helen McNeil, Acting General Manager, Rous County Council.
“This critical infrastructure allows Rous to meet the needs of the community we serve and facilitates the continual supply of high-quality drinking water during times of high demand,” said Helen McNeil.
“It was important that the pipeline opened before the summer holiday season when tourism typically increases in our region, particularly in the coastal areas, and Rous experiences higher demands for drinking water.”
Prior to the completion of the new St Helena Pipeline, Rous was required to connect to emergency reserve stores during peak times to ensure the continual supply of drinking water.
The St Helena Pipeline Project started in 2019 with construction works contracted to Ledonne Constructions P/L.
“We had anticipated completing the St Helena Pipeline Project earlier, however the significant natural disasters, persistent rainfall and COVID we have faced over the past few years understandably delayed construction works,” said Helen McNeil.
“We would like to sincerely thank the local community for their cooperation and support during the construction period – especially the 45 landholders located along the route.”
As part of the St Helena Pipeline Project, 13.2 kilometres of new pipeline has been installed from Dorroughby to Binna Burra. The pipeline width increased from 300mm to 660mm.
The St Helena Pipeline Project is part of Rous’s long term Capital Works Program.
Although the upgraded and wider pipeline will improve supply for our coastal regions, Rous encourages everyone in the community to be mindful of their water use to preserve our precious drinking water.
“The forecast for a drier-than-average spring combined with higher temperatures is expected to put more pressure on the region’s water sources,” said Helen McNeil.
“As a community it’s important we make every effort to conserve water now. While many in the Northern Rivers will be grateful for the spell of dry weather, without rain we will enter water restrictions.”
In addition to the St Helena Pipeline Project, Rous is actively working to ensure the Northern Rivers has a secure and resilient water supply that will meet the community’s needs through its Future Water Project 2060.
“We are taking immediate steps to secure water for the region now by developing new and enhanced groundwater schemes at Alstonville and Woodburn. To meet the challenge of a growing population and an increasingly variable climate, we are taking an ‘all options on the table’ approach to long-term planning. This involves also investigating a range of potential water supply options including new groundwater sources, purified recycled water for drinking, desalination and surface water,” said Helen McNeil.
“Each option presents a complex mix of social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts that need to be considered.
“An adaptable supply of water may involve a combination of different options.”
