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Mount Beauty Raw Water Offtake Project

Mount Beauty Raw Water Offtake Project

We are working to build new water infrastructure to help secure Mount Beauty's water supply.

Project overview

Mt Beauty's existing raw water offtakes were built in the 1970s and have now reached the end of their operational lifespan. All three offtakes are located in remote sites with limited access, creating staff safety issues during high fire danger and bushfire events.

Recently, the primary offtake suffered irreparable damage from a landslip, prompting the activation of a temporary raw water line until the new offtake is completed in mid-late 2025.

Once completed, the new offtake will be relocated closer to the water treatment plant. This relocation aims to minimise the risk of the town's water supply being impacted by future rockslides and bushfires while creating a safer working environment for our staff.

It will also allow for increased capacity in line with projected population growth and remove the historic limitations currently presented by relying on AGL's hydro operations.

Current status

A recent Independent Project Assurance Review (by specialist engineering firm SMEC) for a new raw water offtake in Mount Beauty concluded that Embankment Drive (site 2) provides greater water security, has a lower bushfire risk, better operability and constructability, and was more cost effective.

Following the results of the review, North East Water and our design consultant, Stantec, have collaborated to address community concerns related to the previous design of the Embankment Drive site. This included addressing issues with the weir in the river and minimising the visual impact associated with the pump station building and other features.

Stantec has developed a number of alternative design configurations, which has been carefully refined into a shortlist. Throughout this process, SMEC served as the independent project assurance reviewer, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation. To date, SMEC has not identified any issues.

Shortlisted configurations:

  1. Maintaining the original proposed offtake location, without a weir and the construction of an aboveground pump station.
  2. Shifting the offtake location approximately 75 meters north of the original proposed site, without a weir and the construction of an aboveground pump station on the opposite side of Embankment Drive.
  3. Maintaining the original proposed offtake location, without a weir and the construction of an underground pump station.
  4. Similar to configuration 2 but including a facility to extract water from the AGL Pondage during periods of low river flow.

As the project progresses, Stantec will investigate the potential for combining elements of the different configurations to create the most effective and efficient design.

Next Steps

  • North East Water and Stantec will assess the alternative design configurations to determine the preferred option.
  • The preferred configuration will be presented to the Community and Key Stakeholder Reference Group tentatively in February 2024.
  • North East Water will engage with the wider community on the preferred configuration.
  • North East Water Board is tentatively scheduled to approve the preferred configuration in April 2024.
  • Offtake construction is expected to begin in mid-late 2025.

Community consultation

We believe that community involvement is essential to obtain the best outcome for this project. Community engagement will continue through the Community and Key Agency Reference Group and community drop-in sessions which will be advertised on the website, through social media and the email distribution list.

Detailed minutes of all our meetings, previous community newsletters, reports, concept plans/images, facts sheets and media releases can be found in the project documents section here.

 

Take our survey

Frequently asked questions

Why do we now have a temporary raw water line?

North East Water has activated a temporary raw water pipeline in Mount Beauty following another landslip that has permanently damaged the existing pipeline. The temporary pipeline will ensure a secure supply of water to Mount Beauty until a new raw water pipeline can be completed in mid-late 2025.

Read more here

What were the outcomes of the Independent Project Assurance Review?

The Independent Project Assurance Review, undertaken by specialist engineering firm SMEC, reviewed North East Water's technical assessments and projected costs for two sites - Embankment Drive (site 2) and Tailrace (site 9 multiple locations). The review concluded that Embankment Drive (site 2) provides greater water security for Mt Beauty, a lower bushfire risk, better operability and constructability, and was more cost effective.

It also concluded that adequate information was provided to perform the comprehensive review and that a reasonable process was followed to identify and shortlist site options. SMEC did, however, suggest the assessment of site 2 does not currently demonstrate that a weir is an essential element of the scope of site 2.

An alternative pump station building site could be considered on the other side of Embankment Drive further from the river, if a weir was not required. A review of the site constraints and hydraulics would be required to determine if these alternatives are feasible.

What is the Community and Key Stakeholder Reference Group?

The Community and Key Stakeholder Reference Group includes:

  • Mt Beauty Action Group representative/s
  • Upper Kiewa Valley Community Association representative/s
  • Other community group representative/s
  • Residential customer representative/s
  • Business customer representative/s
  • Local neighbourhood representative/s (streets, neighbours of recreation reserve)
  • Relevant Government Departments (Alpine Shire Council, Department of Health, Country Fire Authority, North East Catchment Management Authority, Goulburn Murray Water etc.)
  • AGL

What is the Community and Key Stakeholder Reference Group’s role?

The purpose of the Community and Key Stakeholder Reference Group is to provide a platform where community representatives provide information, advice and views to North East Water on matters relating to the Mt Beauty Raw Water offtake.

Can the community influence how the outside of the pump station building will look?

Yes. We are entirely open to suggestions from the community on how the pump station building will fit into the landscape. While it is required to operate as a pump station, it does not need to look like a typical pump station.

Is the offtake safe for river users?

Yes. The infrastructure will be designed to ensure the safety of swimmers and other recreational river users.

Does this pose a hazard for fish and other wildlife?

The offtake design will incorporate safety measures including approved mesh screening that is safe for both aquatic animals and humans.

Will the quality of the town’s drinking water be impacted by the location of the new pump station?

No. The town’s water treatment plant is more than equipped to safely manage the treatment of drinking water sourced from within this catchment. Regular water quality monitoring and sampling has been undertaken in the area to confirm this.

What improvements will be made in the surrounding area?

This will depend greatly on the final site of the raw water offtake. North East Water will engage with the community to seek their input into the improvements.

Will there be construction traffic impacts?

Nearby traffic and pedestrian routes may be disrupted during periods of the construction depending on the final location. Where needed, traffic management measures will be in place for the duration of the project. Where possible, we will minimise the impacts to community events or activities.

Will the new pump station be noisy during operation?

The pump station is not likely to emit noise greater than that of the natural surroundings. As an added measure, we will incorporate the provision of noise reducing pump enclosures into the design. If required, the enclosures would be contained completely within the pump station building.

Will there be an increase in the amount of large vehicles and other traffic once the offtake is completed?

While regular maintenance of the site will be required once the project is completed, it is not considered that trucks will be using this unloading bay on a regular basis.
More frequently, a few times a week, there will be light vehicles, such as utes and cars, visiting the site to monitor the operation of the facility.

Where are the current offtakes located?

There are currently three offtakes. The primary offtake is located at the end of the AGL West Kiewa Diversion Tunnel. It is no longer operational following a recent landslip in the area. The secondary offtake in located on the west branch of the Kiewa River above the beginning of the tail race. The third offtake is out of the Simmons River. The Simmons River is a seasonal river and does not flow all of the time, so water can only be sourced from this location during flows.

Will the existing offtakes be left in place?

The existing infrastructure will be left in place, but once the new offtake is complete, North East Water will not invest in maintaining this infrastructure. The offtakes will be run if needed until they are no longer operational and then decommissioned.