The Newry pipeline is fully operational, with over 1,000 megalitres of irrigation water ordered and carried by the new pipeline.
The focus now is the decommissioning of old irrigation assets. Assets within the construction corridor have already been decommissioned and Southern Rural Water’s construction partner, Jaydo, is turning its attention to legacy assets on customer properties.
In the weeks ahead, decommissioning work will include the removal and disposal of:
- 2,271 lineal metres of concrete channel
- 1,149 lineal metres of siphon
- 279 lineal metres of road crossing
- 175 detheridge wheels (and their concrete outlets)
- 131 regulators
- 85 culverts
- 32 bridges
Decommissioning is expected to be finished by mid-December.
The Newry pipeline project replaced open channels with 17.25 kilometres of new pipeline, and the construction of four kilometres of customer connection pipelines and 51 customer outlets.
Southern Rural Water Program Lead, Matt Weatherall, said the project is delivering long-lasting and tangible benefits to farmers, waterways and the environment.
“By transitioning to a piped supply, less water is lost to leakage and evaporation and there are opportunities to implement best-practice water use, invest in on-farm efficiencies and improve farm productivity,” he said.
The Newry Pipeline project has been delivered under Phase 2 of the Macalister Irrigation District 2030 project.
Modernisation in the Macalister Irrigation District has supported water savings, consistent and higher flow rates with new outlets, and supported environmental outcomes with reduced outfall into drains, meaning fewer nutrients entering waterways and the Gippsland Lakes.
The modernisation of the Macalister Irrigation District is jointly funded by Southern Rural Water, the Commonwealth Government through the National Water Grid Fund and the Victorian Government.