What to expect during construction

Impacts experienced through the construction period will be temporary and limited to the duration of construction. Implementation of the Construction Environmental Management Plan and the Community Information Plan will assist in minimising these impacts. Potential impacts during construction will include:

  • Use of land for construction – land required for construction activities will be occupied for the duration of the construction period. This may also generate potential access issues (for residents, farm management and stock), and will vary with the size, dimensions, land use and topography of the land and the corridor requirements. 
  • Disturbance to stock and animals – construction on or adjacent to properties has the potential to disturb feeding, parenting and watering habits of animals unfamiliar with noise, vibration or an unknown presence. 
  • Recreational amenity – construction of the intake/low lift pump station will impact on users of the Angle Crossing area (Murrumbidgee River). As a result of concerns about public safety, Angle Crossing beach and parking area will be temporarily closed for the duration of construction – a period of approximately 15–18 months until mid 2012. Tharwa Sandwash, located downstream, approximately 9km by road, has been upgraded to ensure it is a suitable alternative site for recreational area users. 
  • Noise and vibration – residents are likely to be concerned about the potential for noise impacts during construction. Noise and vibration issues relate to privacy and stock disturbance and require careful management during the construction period. Similarly, it is possible that there may be concerns about dust resulting from construction activities. Dust suppression activities will be implemented on site.

Constructing the pipeline

To accommodate construction equipment and vehicles, a construction corridor of up to 40 metres wide will be required. In areas of highly sensitive vegetation or threatened species habitat, the construction width will be narrowed in some cases to 15–20 metres. Site accommodation and storage areas will also be required at various locations along the pipeline. The proposed location of these facilities has been selected to occupy existing cleared areas and to minimise disruption. We anticipate that the pipeline will be laid by two construction crews along the length of the pipeline working within the approved construction corridor.

Hours of work

Construction works will be undertaken from Monday to Friday, 7am–6pm and Saturday from 8am–1pm. There may be infrequent occasions where work outside these hours will occur in order to shorten the construction period, or to reduce the potential for traffic impacts. Local residents will be notified well in advance of scheduled construction works and any traffic delays or temporary road closures.

Machinery and vehicles

A number of machinery and vehicles will be utilised during construction. They include excavators equipped with compaction plates, buckets and jackhammers. Graders, trenchers and bulldozers may also be used. Tipper trucks will remove excess soil, and small rollers will be used to compact the earth following laying of the pipeline. Water trucks will be used for dust suppression.

Workforce

It is anticipated that approximately 150 project personnel will be required at the peak of construction. The main site office is located on the corner of Monaro Highway and Angle Crossing Road. Other smaller site offices are located at Angle Crossing to construct the low lift and the high lift pumping stations and near the junction of Williamsdale and Burra Roads to build the mini-hydro power generation facility and the discharge structure. Pipeline crews will be located along the length of the construction corridor undertaking excavation of the trench and pipe laying activities. All these activities are located within the designated and fenced construction corridor. However increased traffic resulting from deliveries, and project personnel driving to and from site will occur.

Noise, vibration and air quality

The majority of construction activities along the pipeline will not produce perceptible levels of noise or vibration disturbance due to the distance from most residences. However, some activities such as excavation, rock breaking, rolling and compacting may produce levels of noise or vibration that are audible when construction activities are located within 50 metres of residences. Blasting during construction may also be required due to the presence of hard rock within the construction corridor. These impacts will be closely monitored to ensure they remain within acceptable levels. Potential air quality impacts including dust, particulate emissions and fuel combustion emissions will be minimised through mitigation measures and controls and the implementation of a dust management plan.

To reduce the impact of construction, activities will be limited to standard construction industry hours, with construction not scheduled to occur on Sundays or public holidays. As outlined in the Community Information Plan, processes are in place for notification of affected residents and will ensure community members, landowners and other affected residents will be kept up to date and informed in order to minimise any disruption. The Noise and Vibration Management Plan (NVMP) will be overseen by the community engagement team and include the following reasonable and feasible noise mitigation measures: 

  • Ensure that all potentially affected noise receivers are informed of the project at all stages.
  • Letterbox drops – project updates provided in letterboxes of sensitive receivers. 
  • Reasonable and feasible noise mitigation measures – individual briefings – visit resident at least 48 hours ahead of potentially disturbing activities. 
  • Specific notifications – these notifications are letterbox dropped or hand delivered seven days ahead of particularly noisy activities. This supports other periodic notifications or to advertise unscheduled works.
  • Phone calls – directly notify residents ahead of upcoming noisy activities prior to and during noisy activities.

Traffic Management

Construction traffic will have temporary impacts on the traffic network of the area, generating increased traffic and the potential for traffic and transport impacts. Current road users including local residents, horse riders and those accessing the area for recreation, may be impacted by construction activities. To ensure public safety small sections of Williamsdale Road may need to be closed for short periods. Arrangements will be made with property owners to ensure access to their properties is possible at all times. All community members and stakeholders affected by traffic control measures will be kept informed of potential impacts and changing traffic conditions. In order to minimise impacts to the community, the community engagement team will: 

  • Consult with landowners, community members, local sporting and recreational groups, including equine owners, local businesses and other impacted stakeholders regarding the potential construction impacts. 
  • Document and inform the construction team of stakeholders and landowners’ access requirements on a daily basis. 
  • Implement procedures to inform the community of construction traffic routes and any potential disruptions to traffic flows and amenity impacts with adequate notice.
  • Implement procedures to consult with local landowners with regard to construction traffic to ensure the safety of livestock and to limit disruption to livestock movements.
  • Ensure adequate static and variable message and signage systems are updated to reflect changed traffic conditions. 
  • Manage and record complaints in accordance with the Complaints Management Procedure.

Property Interaction Plans

Prior to construction commencing on or near any property likely to be impacted, a Property Interaction Plan will be completed. Property Interaction Plans for individual landowners were developed in March and April 2011. The land and compliance manager together with the construction manager have: 

  • Met with landowners and residents who are impacted by construction and remediation works and made detailed notes on a range of issues such as access, future development plans, areas of significance; identified any health and safety concerns which may arise during construction, and any impact on stock, pets and children. 
  • Taken photos/video of significant objects and places. 
  • Facilitated dilapidation surveys of certain properties. 
  • Documented all details and provided a formal copy to the resident, which outlines the agreement reached and details of dates of construction.

Landscape Rehabilitation Management Plans

Specific consultation is ongoing through the Landscape Rehabilitation Plan both with the community and affected landowners. This ensures that they have input to the plans, are aware about activities to be undertaken and importantly, have an avenue of communication with the project team. Importantly ACTEW is committed to: 

  • High quality, long-term rehabilitation of affected land. ACTEW will work closely with landholders to ensure land is restored to original condition or better. 
  • Rehabilitation of the land for as long as it takes to get it right. 
  • Development of site specific rehabilitation plans in consultation with Council, landowners, state agencies as well as project ecologists, soil conservationists and key interest groups such as Friends of the Grassland (FOG) and LandCare Groups. 
  • Ongoing liaison with landowners and key stakeholders regarding progress of rehabilitation.

More information

Click here for more detail on how the pipeline will be built.

Further information can be obtained by contacting ACTEW Water Security Projects, PO Box 366, Canberra City 2601, by email at watersecurity@actew.com.au or by phoning the community information line (02) 6248 3563.

For urgent matters please call 1800 211 242 (24 hours). This number can also be used to register a complaint. Project information, including various construction and environmental management plans for the project as per agency and environmental requirements are available by clicking here.