The Regional

Water Supply

StrategySecuring water supply for the townships of Quirindi, Werris Creek and Willow Tree

The Current Situation

Liverpool Plains Shire Council LGA Within the Namoi Valley, 470 kms NW of

Sydney Services townships of Quirindi, Werris

Creek, Wallabadah, Willow Tree, Spring Ridge, Premer, Blackville and Caroona

Area of 5005 square kms and a combined population of 8,000

Business and employment is dominated by agriculture and mining.

Current Water Supply Quirindi and Willow Tree supplied from

Upper Namoi Alluvial Groundwater Aquifer via a simple treatment plant.

Werris Creek is supplied from Quipolly Dam via a water treatment plant in the town.

Each township has a single source of water only

Water consumption in 2012: Quirindi – 580 ML/annum Werris Creek – 250 ML/annum Willow Tree – 55 ML/annum

The Current Situation

Constraints of Current Water Supply – a dichotomy

Single source = no backup in the event of contamination, scarcity. Aquifers are dependent on short term stream flows and favourable climate. Aquifer groundwater levels in long term decline – not sustainable (McNeilage, 2006) In 2006-07, township of Willow Tree almost ran dry (Level 7 restrictions were

imposed). Water supply in Wallabadah failed requiring emergency cartage. In 2009, Werris Creek Lvl 4 restrictions – insufficient WTP capacity.

The Current Situation

Quipolly Dam has enough capacity to supply all townships,

but is only connected to Werris Creek.

Predicted Impact on Water Security Water availability is predicted to decrease

by 5% by 2030 (CSIRO Sustainable Yields Report for the Namoi Valley )

Average annual temperature will go up by 3o C by 2050

Rainfall to become more variable (longer droughts, more intense periods of rainfall)

Average runoff predicted to decrease by 7% by 2030. Likely to intensify after 2030.

Climate Change

Risks Assessed

High to extreme risks associated with short and long term water supply security during dry periods

High to extreme risks associated with capacity of water treatment and storage infrastructure. Pressures from growth being realised already.

High to extreme risk to supply security caused by reliance on a single water source. No options if source is contaminated or depleted.

High to extreme risk associated with reliability of water supply infrastructure. External impacts such as electricity supply interruptions expected to increase.

High risk of climate change impacts Significant structural pressures – particularly in the next 5 years Infrastructure funding constraints. Revenue base insufficient to meet

immediate funding requirements. Low adaptive capacity to water security risks.

Mining related growth – indirect impacts Independent social impact reviews determine 1450 -

1730 new jobs in the Liverpool Plains and Gunnedah LGAs

BHP Billiton estimates 400-500 new employees in Caroona Mine. Shenhua Watermark mine similar at Breeza.

Even more during construction phase. Multiplier effect from supporting industries.

MAC Worker Village – DA approved for miners village -equivalent to 525 dwellings (1500 miners) in Werris Creek, effectively doubling the population of the township

Opportunity to Grow & Improve

Issues with water supply in the future WSAA specifies that to minimise risk of loss of supply, a minimum of 24

hours water storage should exist. Ratios are relative to this standard.

Water – Essential to Growth

Table 1 Reservoir and WTP capacity constraints in LPSC, 2015 and 2030, mining step change population growth

2014/15 forecast 2030 forecast

Town Existing Storage

(kL)

WTP capacity (kL/day)

Peak Day Demand

(kL)

Storage days ratio

WTP capacity

ratio

Peak Day demand

(kL)

Storage days ratio

WTP capacity

ratio

Quirindi 9,250 5,057 1.83 5,993 1.54

Werris Creek 5,500 1,360 2,199 2.50 0.62 2,548 2.16 0.53

Werris Creek WTP will not have sufficient capacity in 2015/16 and will be able to supply only half the demand in 2030

Issues with water supply to 2030 Willow Tree has less than 1 day’s storage at 2014/15 and will have

15 hours of storage at 2030. No room for system failure or power outage.

System lacks the capacity to deal with water source contamination events

System lacks capacity to deal with a growing incidence of extreme weather events: Insufficient water treatment capacity No diversification of supply No redundancy of supply Inadequate storage capacity in the system

Water – Essential to Growth

The Regional Water Supply Strategy

Works completed New 5ML reservoir in Quirindi , Safety

upgrade and storage augmentation of Quipolly Dam

Component 1 New 10 ML/day Water Treatment Plant,

raw water pump station and treated water pump station 150kW, new pipeline to Werris Creek

New main from WTP to Quirindi, alterations to pump equipment Quirindi

Component 2 New main supplying Willow Tree from

Quirindi, pump station for water transfers regionally and a new balance tank at Willow Tree

The Regional Water Supply Strategy

Benefits of the Regional Water Supply Strategy An integrated water supply will provide 2 sources

of water (surface water and groundwater) to all townships.

A new water treatment plant will provide adequate supply to facilitate growth in Werris Creek to 2050. Expandable beyond 2050.

A new water treatment plant will include capability to manage water quality events from Quipolly Dam, improving water supply security.

Address water security issues and reservoir capacity issues to 2050 at Willow Tree.

Provide more redundancy for system failures and extreme weather events.

Expandable to other supplies if required

The Regional Water Supply Strategy

Strategic Roadmap - Development

We are here

The Regional Water Supply Strategy

Capital CostStage No. Activity Capital cost

($million)

Completed 5 ML reservoir in Quirindi, safety upgrade and augmentation of Quipolly Dam (5.2GL to 8GL)

$7.3mComplete

Component 1 New 10 ML/day WTP raw water pump station augmentation and treated water pump station 150kW, new main to Werris Creek, New main from WTP to Quirindi, pump station alterations in Qdi

$24.8m

Component 2 New main supplying Willow Tree from Quirindi, pump station for water transfers regionally and a new balance tank at Willow Tree

$2.4m

RWSS Capital Cost

Components 1 and 2 (remaining stages) $27.2m

Cost estimates include allowance for contingencies and engineering ( in 2013/14 dollars)

Regional Water Supply Strategy – Merit Criteria

Assessed

Value for money. Levelised cost $0.32/kL (based on whole of life Capex and

Opex in 2013/14 $’s @ 7% discount rate) Significant contribution to water security. Technically feasible and low risk operation. No negative environmental or social impacts. Fosters regional growth & prosperity. Improved level of service to consumers.

Project delivery timeline

Work Package Task DurationServicing Strategies 6 weeks (complete)

Concept Design 22 weeks (complete)

Procurement Strategy 4 weeks

Design and Construct 78 weeks

Total 110 weeks (25% completed already)