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Haughton Pipeline Project

Investment	$274 million for Stage 2, $225 million for Stage 1
Jobs	300 for Stage 2, 1,000 for Stage 1
Goal	4. A sustainable destination that embraces and participates in the arts, sports and events and recreational activities.
Strategic Purpose	A water security initiative supporting the city’s Ross River Dam water catchment by providing greater capacity to deliver raw water into the Dam to augment or “top up” water levels during periods of very low rainfall.
Status	Stage 2 in construction, Stage 1 complete

Haughton Pipeline Stage 2 Update

Published 20 August 2024

The Haughton pipeline is a Townsville City Council and Queensland Government funded initiative that will provide greater water security for Townsville, able to ‘top up’ the Ross River Dam by pumping water from the Burdekin River during periods of very low rainfall.

The completed pipeline will be a major piece of infrastructure that will serve the Townsville community for over 50 years. Stage 2 of the Haughton pipeline will connect and extend the existing Stage 1 pipeline, completed in 2019, from the Haughton River to the Burdekin River near Clare.

This second stage of the pipeline runs through greenfield terrain requiring Council to build around 6km of construction roads for access to the 28.5km-long site from existing public roads. The entire 40m-wide construction corridor where the pipeline will be installed has now been cleared.

Construction on stage 2 is underway, with the first new pipes laid in October 2023 – by May 2024, Council’s construction partners had installed more than 3km of pipe in a month, and by August 30% of the pipeline had been completed. Installation through greenfield terrain remains complex and challenging, and will continue throughout the 2024-25 financial year. Council is committed to finishing the pipeline installation work.

The Australian-made Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) pipes required for the project are currently being installed. The project also requires the construction of Australian made mild steel cement (MSCL) pipe, which is used in locations that are subject to increased loads from agricultural machinery and watercourses, or where access for repair is difficult, such as under roads or other infrastructure, or natural deep-water bodies (water holding creeks/lagoons). The installation of MSCL pipe takes longer and is more difficult than for GRP pipes.

To support Haughton Pipeline Stage 2:

Commonwealth Department of Environment and Climate Change Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) approval in place (Feb 2023).
Major contracts and agreements in place for construction and associated services.
Cultural Heritage Management Agreement negotiated and signed with Bindal Traditional Owners (reviewed and recommitted Dec 2022).
Bore drilling, ground survey and environmental survey work complete.

Funded by Townsville City Council and the Queensland Government, the investment for Stage 2 is $274 million, with $195 million contributed by the Queensland Government. In response to forecasts that the project will exceed its approved budget, largely due to rising construction costs after the COVID pandemic, Council continues to work with State funding partners to explore options for low-cost secure water supply for the Townsville region.

Project Overview

A Townsville City Council and Queensland Government funded water security initiative for Townsville, the pipeline will support the city’s Ross River Dam water catchment. When complete, the water pipeline will provide greater capacity to provide raw water into the Ross River Dam to “top up” water levels for the Townsville community and industry during periods of very low rainfall.

The pipeline alignment, design and Commonwealth EPBC environmental approval are complete. The final stages of land tenure planning are being progressed for the greenfield Stage 2 project. The completed pipeline will be a major piece of infrastructure that will serve our community for over 50 years. Stage 2 of the Haughton pipeline will connect and extend the existing Stage 1 pipeline, completed in 2019, from the Haughton River to the Burdekin River near Clare.

Funded by Townsville City Council and the Queensland Government, the investment for Stage 2 is $274 million, with $195 million contributed by the Queensland Government.

Works to date include:

All the IPLEX-manufactured, Australian made Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) pipes have been shipped from Adelaide to the Port of Townsville in four shiploads between September 2022 and April 2023.
Securing Commonwealth Department of Environment and Climate Change Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) approval in February 2023.
Major contracts – construction, under bore drilling, design and engineering services, contract management services, and pipe supply and numerous professional service providers have been engaged.
Agreements have been established with major material and equipment suppliers and local construction contractors to assist with logistics of supply, selection of materials, constructability in design, risk identification, and programming of delivery.
A Cultural Heritage Management Agreement was negotiated and signed with Bindal Traditional Owners. The Agreement was reviewed and recommitted to in December 2022.
All bore drilling, ground survey and environmental survey work is complete.