COMMENDATION
PROJECT MANAGEMENT Interconnection: The Transformation of Adelaide’s Water Network Submitted by: SA Water and Parsons Brinckerhoff
Interconnection is the most significant augmentation of Adelaide’s water supply system ever undertaken. The North South Interconnection System Project (NSISP) has completely transformed the way in which SA Water’s entire metropolitan water network functions and operates – a large, complex and incredibly challenging proposition. This $403 million project was delivered on time and to budget, despite timelines being pared back by 18 months. Adelaide’s water supply network primarily operated as two separate systems – north and south. Each had its own water storage facilities, separately augmented by pipelines from the River Murray. NSISP links these water sources to deliver a single integrated supply network, combining new and existing infrastructure and integrating bulk water transfer into the same water distribution network that delivers to homes and businesses across an entire city. SA Water’s core business of water delivery to the customer tap is given surety and security with NSISP. NSISP makes it possible – for the first time – to take advantage of water availability, wherever that happens to be. It delivers previously unheard of levels of flexibility and reliability of water supply essential to meeting existing and future demand through to 2050, while also ensuring water security during events such as prolonged drought. NSISP has achieved over 1.8 million hours worked with zero Lost Time Injury (LTI), an outstanding result. It has delivered a water industry first for Australia across multiple project components, attracting national and international acclaim and recognition for outstanding deliverables in stakeholder engagement, urban infrastructure design, technological innovation and the significant long-term performance of SA Water’s services to the public.
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