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Cox Peninsula Remediation – Design & Construct Water Supply with Automatic Bore Pump, Booster Pumps with Auto Start Generator.
The Australian Government holds 4,750 hectares of land on Cox Peninsula, Northern Territory, which has been used for various maritime, communications, and defence activities for over 70 years. This land is also the focus of a long-standing Indigenous land claim by the Kenbi Aboriginal people. Due to its past uses, the land faced challenges such as outdated infrastructure and contamination in certain areas.
The Ventia construction site at Tapa Bay was grappling with a critical water supply challenge. The nearest water source was a distant 2.5 kilometres away, severely hindering the Ventia team’s ability to carry out their project duties. A reliable, continuous water supply was not just a convenience but an absolute necessity for their daily operations. With 20,000-litre water tanker trucks needing to be filled every 20-30 minutes it was essential the water system was reliable and consistent.
This logistical hurdle demanded a complex and efficient water delivery system. To ensure uninterrupted water access, a seamless, automated system was required. This meant synchronising the bore pump, and generator, to the tank filling process, and booster pump, all triggered by water level transducers in the tank and pressure sensors at the discharge point. The project faced additional complexity due to environmental constraints on the pipeline route, restricting pipe size options and making the installation more challenging.
Without a solution, the Ventia team faced the very real prospect of project delays, operational inefficiencies, and potential safety risks associated with an unreliable water supply.
Think Water Darwin was entrusted with the design and construction of an automated water supply system. This system, comprising an automatic bore pump, booster pumps, and an auto-start generator, would enable the efficient transfer of large volumes of water from a remote source to the construction and rehabilitation site.
The Think Water Darwin team meticulously planned a high-quality design, incorporating robust hydraulic and control philosophies to ensure the system’s reliable operation in a remote location where water was critical for the construction project.
A key challenge addressed in the design was the synchronisation process between the bore pump and generator located 2.5 kilometres away, and the pipeline connecting the water source to the site.
Due to the area’s dense vegetation and environmental considerations, the pipeline could not follow a straight path. Instead, it had to navigate around trees and native shrubs, limiting the size of the poly pipe. The Think Water Darwin team carefully planned a pipeline route that would be both efficient and environmentally sensitive.
A crucial aspect of the project involved the installation and configuration of a booster pump equipped with pressure sensing capabilities. This allowed the system to detect when either a tanker needed to be filled or the storage tanks at the end of the line were nearing empty, automatically switching the bore pump on or off as needed.
The Think Water Darwin team successfully delivered an on-demand water supply system capable of providing 13 litres per second at the construction site. This ensured that the 20,000-litre water tanker trucks could be filled within a 20-minute timeframe, critical for maintaining operations during the 12-14 hour continuous operating periods.
To guarantee the system’s reliability and efficiency, rigorous stress testing and simulations were conducted, culminating in third-party sign-off on the system’s functionality and hydraulic performance. This meticulous approach validated the system’s capacity to meet the demanding operational requirements.
Through collaboration with trusted suppliers such as Davey, Grundfos, Vinidex, and Terracorp Tanks, Think Water Darwin completed this complex project within a tight eight-week timeframe, showcasing their expertise and commitment to delivering solutions efficiently and on time.
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