13 August 2008
One of TRC's biggest infrastructure projects will soon deliver water to the expanding new residential estates around Hills Plain in Tamworth's north.
An 18-month project is now in the home straight after a marathon dig from Victoria Park at the top of Brisbane St up Daruka Rd, cross-country and northwest to Flagstaff Rd in the Hills Plain area.
That dig by TRC construction crews has cut in a new water main, a pipeline 450mm in diameter and 3.6kilometres long that in places straddles gullies like a bridge and in other places is between a rock, more rock and some very hard places.
The project cost is $2.5million all up - with construction costs at $550,000, pipes and fittings at $900,000, and another $1million for the pump station to come that will push water from the Victoria Park reservoir up hill to feed into reticulation for Hills Plain at Flagstaff Rd.
The pump station will be built at Victoria Park and work to build it will start shortly.
According to Water Enterprises director Bruce Logan the existing Flagstaff reservoir will ultimately be a high zone reservoir and serve only the highest parts of Hills Plain so it is not large enough to cater for all the Hills Plain area.
Work crews actually met up at the rendezvous point a few weeks ago - spot on after their wilderness trek to the water works crew waiting to connect the 450 to the 375 line. Three stop valves at the connection point allow TRC to isolate each section of the main without closing down other bits as well.
At the moment the Hills Plain reservoir is filled by a small pump station at the entrance to the waste depot. This will be removed from service when the new, much larger $1million pump station is finished. It will cater for the ultimate demand when the Hills Plain area is fully developed.