Council invests $5.3 million to strengthen suburban water security
Date published: 2 August 2021
Townsville City Council will further enhance suburban water security by upgrading a key pipeline that supplies water to Rasmussen and Condon at a cost of $5.3 million.
Local business CivilPlus Constructions has been awarded the contract to design and install the pipeline, which will be about 360m in length and 900mm in diameter and will connect the Douglas Water Treatment Plant to Condon under the Ross River.
Mayor Jenny Hill said Council was committed to ensuring all of Townsville continued to have a safe, reliable, secure and healthy water supply now and into the future.
“Council’s 2021/22 Budget included a $177 million investment in water infrastructure and services, continuing our strong focus on the city’s water security,” Cr Hill said.
“This $5.3 million investment will secure Rasmussen and Condon’s water supply for decades to come and support future development of the city.”
Townsville Water and Waste Committee chairperson Russ Cook said the replacement of the water pipeline would improve Council’s ability to service the growing suburbs in the area.
“This pipeline was initially damaged beyond repair by the monsoon in 2019, however Council staff were able to isolate it and continue servicing Rasmussen and Condon thanks to our extensive water network,” Cr Cook said.
“This meant we were able to prioritise funding and resources for repair works at the time. With to the ongoing growth of the city and these suburbs, we’ve allocated funding in this year’s budget to replace the pipeline, ensuring our capability to provide services to the community matches the demand.”
Cr Cook said it was great to see locals benefiting from big contracts throughout the city.
“These works will be completed by CivilPlus Constructions and support about 12 jobs throughout the project’s duration,” Cr Cook said.
“Most of the works will be unseen, with contractors using a massive drilling rig to bore under the Ross River to install the pipeline, which will be fed from our Douglas Water Treatment Plant, just adjacent to the river.
“The project is currently in design phase, but the works are expected to begin later in the year.”
