: News Article

NQ Water considers dam design tenders

20/02/2004

NQ Water has received expressions of interest from five leading engineering companies and consortiums for the design of the Ross River Dam Upgrade.

The project is expected to cost between $70m and $90m and will run more than three years.

Submissions have been received from:

• GHD;
• Sunwater;
• Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation;
• Evans and Peck and URS Complementary Partners; and
• The Ross River Engineering Group (including Goffey Geosciences/ Maunsell Australia/ The Department of Commerce, Dams and Civil Unit NSW/Hydro Tasmania).

NQ Water Chief Executive Officer Ken Diehm said the submissions were of a high standard.

“This is a big project in national terms and one of the largest, if not the largest, public works ever undertaken by a local authority in Townsville and Thuringowa,” Mr Diehm said.

“It has attracted a superior standard of submissions. They read like a Who’s Who of dam design, construction, safety and hydrology.

“Frankly, that’s all NQ Water would accept considering the importance of the project.

“The State Government, which oversaw the design and construction of the dam, quickly recognised its responsibilities to announce a two-thirds funding commitment towards the upgrade. This has given us the ability move decisively on the construction.”

A review panel made up of representatives from NQ Water and Townsville and Thuringowa City Councils aims to shortlist a panel of design providers by April, who will be invited to submit detailed tenders. NQ Water will then call tenders for construction.

NQ Water expects the successful design and construction companies to work closely together and look for innovation and efficiencies, said Mr Diehm.

“The funding approval from the State government allows us to have the project completed by 30 June 2008 but we hope to have it completed twelve months earlier,” he said.

The upgrade is detailed in a report delivered by an expert panel mid last year which recommended significant works to bring the dam into line with new international standards.

© 2004 NQ Water