Engineering for Public Works (EPW) - Issue 19 September 2020

ENGINEERING

FOR PUBLIC WORKS ISSN 2652-6050 (ONLINE)

19 AUSTRALIAN NATIVE AND ISSUE NUMBER

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Artificial Reef Transforms Sandy Substrate P 49

Engineered Road Crossings for Wildlife P 76

Mine Site Thrives Under Green Future P 59

www.ipweaq.com

T R U ST E D | R E S P E C T E D | A D M I R E D

CONTENTS

ISSN 2652-6050 (Online) Sep 2020 Issue no.19 Australian Native and Natural Environment

Cover: This photograph shows Palm Beach Artificial Reef, June 2020, part of the Palm Beach Shoreline project detailed by Zoe Elliott-Perkins, p.50.

From the Editor President’s Report CEO’s Report Community News RPEQ Update Member News IPWEA Queensland Foundation Street Design Manual Launch!

Conference Feature

4 8 10 12 14 17 19 32 34

Member Profiles Daryl Ross, Water Professional of the Year Xiao Hu, Emerging Professional Delia Atkinson, Emerging Leader The Gallagher’s, Next Generation

20 24 26 28

South East Queensland How SWIMlocal Became the Cornerstone of Integrated Water Quality Monitoring in Noosa Logan Enhancement Project – Strengthening Communities Through Transport LGIAsuper Invests in Your Community New Mix to Reduce Landfill Palm Beach Artificial Reef Transforms Sandy Substrate to Underwater Wonderland North Queensland Local Pandanus Leaves inspire Innovation in Townsville’s New Stadium Reef Rescue Central Queensland Mine Site Thrives Under Green Future Gladstone Regional Council Get Mobile with Online Works Program CEMP Production and Practice: My Insights Science & Research Wastewater Based Epidemiology & Public Health Management Floodways and Flood-Related Experiences: A Survey Of Industry Experts and Asset Owners Use And Effectiveness of Engineered Road Crossings For Wildlife

Events • 1 0-12 November 2020 2020 Annual Conference, Brisbane Professional Development •2 3 September 2020 Sprayed Bitumen, Brisbane •3 0 September 2020 QUDM Revisions and Additions, Brisbane •7 October 2020 Native Title and Cultural Heritage, Brisbane

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• 1 2 October 2020 Introduction to Asset Management, Online

42

• 1 3-15 October 2020 Bridge Inspection Workshop, Brisbane

46 48 49 55

• 1 3 October 2020 Erosion and Sediment Control - Level 2, Darwin • 1 4-16 October 2020 Erosion and Sediment Control - Level 3, Darwin

56

• 1 6 October 2020 Type A, B & D Basin Design, Darwin

59 60

•2 1 October 2020 Stakeholder Engagement, Brisbane

61

•2 6 October 2020 Asset Management – Levels of Service, Online

68 69 76

Reports QAO Reports 2018-19 improvements 79 In Local Government Financials Covid-19 Economic Recovery Targets Staged Partnerships 80 Stem Changes Increase Tertiary Pressures 81 IPWEAQ Updates CQ Branch President’s Report NQ Branch President’s Report SEQ Branch President’s Report SWQ Branch President’s Report qldwater Report Interns Craft New Engineering Histories Ambassador Report IPWEAQ Library #Shapetheworld Virtual Lunch New Team Members Meet the Teams Partners Subscribers

COMING UP THIS QUARTER

85 86 87 88 89 91 92 94 96 97 99 101 103

•2 8 October 2020 Stakeholder Engagement, Mackay •2 November 2020 Linking Asset Management to the Long Term Financial Plan, Online • 1 0-12 November 2020 Erosion and Sediment Control - Level 3, Brisbane • 1 2 November 2020 Type A, B & D Basin Design, Brisbane • 1 8 November 2020 Managing Risk on Lower Order Roads, Brisbane • 1 9 November 2020 Native Title and Cultural Heritage, Maroochydore •2 5-26 November 2020 Road Safety Audit Workshop, Brisbane

Register Online

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

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FROM THE EDITOR

Louise Martin-Chew Editor

In this issue of EPW, we discuss the engineering of our native and natural environment.

The Palm Beach Shoreline project profiled on our cover and on p 50 was intended to prevent coastal erosion but, as Gold Coast engineer Zoe ElliottPerkins reports, has also created improvements for local marine ecology and surf amenity. In Bundaberg, Matthew Caughley details his journey through the Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP)

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required to protect wildlife and vegetation before the integration of a gravel 4WD track through an existing forested road reserve and the installation of a major culvert in Cherry Creek, both of which are part of a ten year action plan for Flood Risk Mitigation (p 56). And in Logan, Andrew Richardson describes the approach to new major road infrastructure which embedded measures to protect wildlife and sustainability achievements front and centre.

The Logan Enhancement Project was awarded the first Leading rating in Queensland by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia for these measures (p 43).

With infrastructure spending at the heart of stimulus measures already rolled out in response to the COVID-19 downturn, the integration of environmental protection at local government level allows engineers to drive these changes forward

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

with innovation. Australian science is also visible in the identification of the virus in wastewater as outlined on p 77.

Increased walkability in local neighbourhoods is also central to the new IPWEAQ Street Design Manual which incorporates the Queensland Government’s Model Code for Neighbourhood Design and Planning Regulation 2017 (p 78), designed to make residential areas more amenable for connectivity of people and facilities.

Finally, we look forward to seeing you at our Annual Conference in Brisbane, 10-12 November, and to celebrate the achievements of our sector during an oddly affirming year for public works.

Our central role in serving our communities is more important than ever.

NEW PRINCIPAL PARTNER We are delighted to announce Wagners, an IPWEAQ Partner since 2011, is now a Principal Partner.

Wagners is an innovative Australian construction materials and services provider. From a foundation as an independently owned company over 30 years ago in Toowoomba, Wagners is now an ASX-listed operator in domestic and international markets and one of Queensland’s largest construction materials and mining services companies.

PUBLIC WORKS TV Public Works TV (PWTV) offers sector-wide engagement across three online channels - TechTalks, Emerging Professionals and Women in Engineering.

PW-TV viewing is complimentary for IPWEAQ members.

Non-member access fees $100 plus GST All-inclusive subscription to 30 June 2021 $30 plus GST - per episode Upcoming episodes TechTalks 7 October - Native Title – lessons from Timber Creek, Mark Lamont Emerging Professionals 21 October - Back to Basics: Contracts, McCullough Robertson Lawyers

TechTalks 4 November - Sustainable solutions for erosion and stabilisation, Australian Concrete Mats TechTalks 25 November - Temporary traffic management reforms, TMR Women in Engineering 2 December - How to Create your Networks, Janine Garner

Emerging Professionals 9 December - Oops, That Was Close!

Emerging Professionals 17 February - The Secret Job Market, Aaron Meehan, Sean Rice and The Pretengineers TechTalks 24 February – Managing Bridge Assets, Dr Neal Lake

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

IPWEAQ ANNUAL CONFERENCE BRISBANE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE | 10-12 NOVEMBER 2020

Please join us for the 2020 IPWEAQ Annual Conference to be held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, 10-12 November 2020.

4.6

Limited sponsorship and exhibition opportunities remain available. please contact Monica Robertson 3632 6802 or Monica.Robertson@ipweaq.com 3561

DELEGATE RATED 2019 -2020

The annual IPWEAQ conference has grown exponentially over the past five years and after many months of isolation, we expect our community to make the most of this opportunity post COVID-19 to gather once again. We look forward to welcoming you to #IPWEAQ20 on Brisbane’s South Bank this November!

https://ipweaq.eventsair.com/ipweaq20/



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PRESIDENT’S REPORT Craig Murrell

I am delighted to be able to announce the launch of the Street Design Manual: Walkable Neighbourhoods, the seminal publication for the design of our residential neighbourhoods.

In 2017, we conducted a survey of members regarding Complete Streets and Queensland Streets which resulted in an almost 50/50 divide of opinion regarding each publication’s strengths and weaknesses.

John Derbyshire, a member of the Steering Committee,

conducted a comprehensive review of both publications together with feedback from users and an analysis of other street design and planning guides across Australia and internationally. John’s report was adopted by the Steering Committee and John was later awarded the President’s award in 2018 by Seren McKenzie for his many contributions to the development of what is now the Street Design Manual.

John had also been involved on the Steering Committee for Queensland Streets in the early 1990s together with Steve Conner (Executive Director at Queensland Treasury’s Cities Transformation Taskforce

Planning Group) – it was certainly worthwhile having two members on the Committee with an historic connection to our street planning and design suite.

A key element of the development of the Manual was the collaboration with the State Government which contributed to the focus on delivering ‘walkable’ neighbourhoods which would connect residents with each other and the network of facilities essential for good living.

The Manual complements the Queensland Government’s Model Code for Neighbourhood Design, the Planning Regulation 2017, Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) guides and codes, and other policy initiatives

NEW STREET DESIGN MANUAL GUIDANCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF QUEENSLAND’S RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURHOODS

C omplements the Queensland Government’s Model Code for Neighbourhood Design and Planning Regulation 2017 D esigned for industry by industry D etailed practical guidance for local authorities, engineers, planners, designers, practitioners and decision makers E ssential reading for anyone involved with the planning and design of neighbourhoods A vailable for download at ipweaq.com C ontact IPWEAQ for courses on the implementation of the Manual

Phone 07 3632 6800 www.ipweaq.com

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ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

which deliver best practice guidelines and technical design criteria for walkable residential streets. It is a multi-faceted coordinated approach and a valuable resource for everyone involved in the planning and design of our neighbourhoods.

We were also keen to engage with other peak bodies which were represented on the Steering Committee including UDIAQ, the Planning Institute of Australia and the Property Council plus state and local government representatives. Brad Carey led the Working Group for Detailed Design & Standards while Paul Eagles led the Street Planning Working Group and three project managers oversaw the publication including Ross Guppy, Trevor Parminter and Craig Moss. The Committee was chaired by Ged Brennan, Seren McKenzie and in recent times, by me as your President.

I invite you to download IPWEAQ’s Street Design Manual: Walkable Neighbourhoods.

The Manual however is just part I in a series of design manuals. If you would like to contribute to developing contemporary best practice guidelines and codes of practices for any of the other nine precincts, please do not hesitate to contact Craig Moss, Director Professional Services.

Finally, and importantly, we are delighted to offer workshops on the implementation of the new Manual. Again, please contact Craig Moss for details to be sure you are able to maximise the benefits of industry expertise documented in the Manual.

I look forward to seeing you in Brisbane in November for the 2020 Annual Conference!

Congratulations BPEQ on 90 years protecting the public and setting the standard for engineering, not just in Queensland but as the leading authority for other states as they enact similar legislation.

1. Transit-oriented Activity Centres 2. Non-transit-oriented Commercial Centres such as District Centres) 3. Main Streets 4. Multi-use Precincts 5. Business Parks 6. Industrial Precincts 7. Rural Villages 8. Rural Residential Neighbourhoods 9. Lower-density Private Residential (where the internal roads are common property)

WELCOME NEW ENTERPRISE PARTNER, LEADING ROLES! We are delighted to welcome Leading Roles as an IPWEAQ Partner!

Leading Roles specialises in local government recruitment transforming the performance and culture of councils through high performing people. Services include retention, engagement and partnerships with a focus on recruiting the best professional for every role helping councils and their people deliver value for our communities.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

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CEO’S REPORT Leigh Cunningham

I note that this time last year in my report for the September journal, I commented on the pace and intensity of 2019 with extreme weather events challenging us throughout those first nine months. At the time of writing, 82 fires blazed across Queensland.

And now to 2020 … but I think enough has been said about this year.

However, we are focussing on the positives at IPWEAQ including the launch of the Street Design Manual which will deliver exceptional outcomes for our residential neighbourhoods.

This is a seminal publication developed by experts across our industry for our industry. A huge thanks to everyone on the two Working Groups and the Steering Committee who contributed to many robust discussions over a four year period. I recall those earlier discussions and the direction we thought the Street Design Manual would take and thanks to the experts who knew best, it evolved in the best possible way.

And with each launch of an IPWEAQ publication, it is timely

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to remember that panels of our people, expert in their area have contributed to many other seminal IPWEAQ publications.

Contributors are listed in the front of each publication including the Lower Order Road Design Guidelines and the Queensland Urban Drainage Manual. And similarly,panels of experts contribute to the ongoing development of Standard Drawings and the ADAC scheme which continue to maintain their influence across our sector.

On another positive note, registrations are now open for #IPWEAQ20 to be held in Brisbane again this year. We have maximum space allocated at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre which provides for our COVID-19 plan. Obviously, there are changes to format as a result but these have presented us with unique opportunities and a different way of viewing the event.

For example, on Day 2 of the conference, Wednesday 11 November is State of Origin Game II so this will be incorporated into the program with the excellence awards now on the first night, Tuesday 10 November. The awards night will also be somewhat different to previous years as we incorporate elements of the usual Welcome Function.

There are limits for the Tech Tours this year, so I encourage you to register early to secure a place on one of four tours including the Cross River Rail and Queens Wharf development and an historic Brisbane walking tour.

After such a year as 2020, it is even more important for us to gather together for the annual IPWEAQ pilgrimage. There’s a lot

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

to talk about, a lot of experiences and lessons to share, and a lot to celebrate with 76 incredible people and projects nominated for the 2020 excellence awards program. We also need to celebrate just making it through the year.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (BPEQ) on 90 years overseeing the registration of Queensland engineers. For 90 years, Queensland has been ahead of the game appreciating the critical role that engineers play in keeping us safe, and still, we are the only state or territory with a comprehensive, mandatory registration scheme. Thank you to all our RPEQs for your many contributions to our sector.

I look forward to seeing you at the Annual Conference in just a few weeks! Don’t miss what will be a very unusual yet memorable, and somewhat historical event.

WELCOME NEW ENTERPRISE PARTNER, WATER MODELLING SOLUTIONS! We are delighted to welcome Water Modelling Solutions (WMS) as an IPWEAQ Enterprise Partner!

WMS is a specialist engineering consultancy providing highquality solutions to hydraulic design, water resources and floodplain management problems.

Since 2012, WMS has provided tailored, sustainable and practical solutions to government and

private sector clients across Australia and overseas, striving

to achieve solutions that make a genuine difference.

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS. Up to 5 CPD hours

$275 + GST for IPWEAQ members $375 + GST for non-members

LEARNING HUB SIMPLE •T en-week development programs delivered through weekly online modules.

EFFECTIVE •T raining that is designed specifically for public works professionals.

•U nderpinned by science and delivered by industry experts.

• F ocussed on outcomes rather than overloading on content.

•P ractical tools, tactics and strategies to set you up for ongoing success.

CONVENIENT •D esigned to fit into YOUR life.

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Career pathways designed to provide breadth of knowledge relevant to any stage of your career:

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www.ipweaq.com

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

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COMMUNITY NEWS

NEW APPOINTMENTS Michael Pattinson, formerly of Logan City Council, is the new Service Manager within Civil & Traffic Infrastructure Asset Management at Redland City Council. Congratulations Michael!

Natasha Murray told EPW: “After 13 years with Cairns Regional Council, I joined the team at Douglas Shire Council on 31 August as Manager Infrastructure.

I am very much looking forward to the new role and in particular, working in a beautiful and diverse region. Most importantly I am looking forward to being a part of the Douglas Shire team with the opportunity to serve the community by contributing to the future successes of the region.”

NEW ARRIVALS Welcome to the world, Delta Lee! And our warmest congratulations to Les Edmistone (Shepherd) on the birth of his first grandchild. Les is one very proud grandfather.

Congratulations Dwayne and Merinda Honor on the arrival of Patrick James.

Born 3 August 2020 weighing 4.28kgs, Patrick is a brother for William aged 2.5 years.

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WELCOME TO OUR LATEST RPEQS •D elia Atkinson Department of Transport and Main Roads •M ohd Deen Demex Constructions •L alji Rathod Southern Downs Regional Council •M atthew Yin Toowoomba Regional Council

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

COMMUNITY NEWS

NEW NOOSA MAYOR, CLARE STEWART Clare Stewart was elected the first female mayor of Noosa Council on a platform to create a healthy, dynamic Noosa Council. Her agenda listed environment, economy, community, governance and tourism, together with a 10-point plan including a Proposed Disaster Management Plan for Noosa Shire. Mayor Stewart has promised to listen, consult, focus, respect and deliver for the people of Noosa Shire.

A catchy election slogan, ‘Clare for Mayor’ delivered her the top job but behind this slogan is a background that indicates significant resilience

and determination. A selfdescribed “trauma survivor”, her election pitch noted that, before becoming a Noosa local, business owner, barrister and mother of three, she suffered an accident with a garbage truck in Sydney.

She was 23 at the time and required six months in hospital and 37 operations over ten years.

In the context of her mayoralty she writes, “That’s my story but my real aim is to hear yours. I am a passionate advocate for Noosa.

I believe this community deserves a council with a vision for the future that offers a true voice to Noosa residents and business.”

Clare visited the headquarters of the McDermott Aviation Group on 2 June. The Group was involved assisting efforts to fight the Peregian Beach fires in 2019. She writes, “This family-

Photo courtesy Clare Stewart Noosa Mayor Facebook page. Clare with Simon and John McDermott, McDermott Aviation, 2 June 2020.

owned company based in Cooroy are leading the way in aviation engineering providing courses and employment for aviation engineers.”

Noosa Council has had 18 female councillors since inception in 1910 and this year, Clare is joined on Council by Amelia Lorentson and Karen Finzel. Congratulations to all new Noosa councillors.

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RPEQ FEATURE

REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER QUEENSLAND (RPEQ) * EXPERIENCE * INTEGRITY * KNOWLEDGE * RESPECT * COMMUNITY Under the Professional Engineers Act 2002 (PE Act), professional engineering services must be carried out by an RPEQ (in that particular area of engineering) or under the direct supervision of an RPEQ (in that particular area of engineering) who takes full responsibility for the services.

Under the PE Act, it is an offence for a practicing RPEQ to carry out professional engineering services in an area of engineering for which they are not registered.

The seriousness of the offence is reflected in the maximum penalty of $133,450 which may be awarded but that could be the least of your concerns.

The Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) considers the provision of engineering services without the appropriate registration, ‘corrupt conduct’ under the Crime and Corruption Act 2001.

The CCC is aware that this is occurring across our sector and all councils are being asked to review their practices ensuring they are compliant with the PE Act and if not, to take appropriate action to remedy immediately.

The Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (BPEQ) regularly initiates prosecutions under s115 of the Act. Please take a moment to view recent outcomes on the BPEQ website as these are a good guide on what is not considered compliant with the PE Act.

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Please note that in addition to being registered in a particular area of engineering, an RPEQ must be competent in that specific area when undertaking the professional engineering service. The requirement for specific competence is a disciplinary requirement.

As a supervising RPEQ, please ensure you: • have direct contact with the person carrying out the professional engineering services, not through a third person.

•a ctively direct the unregistered person from beginning to end without fail •e nsure the services are being carried out as if the unregistered person was an RPEQ • t ake full professional responsibility for the services delivered For more information on supervision, please visit the BPEQ website.

Continuing Professional Development Whether you are an RPEQ or wish to attain RPEQ, you need to undertake 150 hours of CPD within every three year period.

This should not be treated as a mechanical tick-the-box process but with the understanding of the role that you play in our society protecting all of us from harm. We need you to be the best engineer you can be, up to date on the latest developments, technologies and industry standards.

To learn more about available,

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

tailored, relevant CPD offerings for you, please contact our Professional Development Manager, Kate O’Riordan.

If you would like to become an RPEQ, please also contact Kate.

Think Engineer, Think RPEQ BPEQ has launched a new campaign – Think Engineer, Think RPEQ to increase the awareness of the PE Act and RPEQ system. It can be a challenge to explain the PE Act, areas of engineering and specific competencies to employers and clients and the campaign hopes to address these issues.

A part of the campaign is to create the materials that will help educate the public and your employer and clients. RPEQs are invited to complete a survey offering thoughts and ideas on target audiences and strategies for engaging with audiences to deliver this important messaging.

Please take a moment to complete the online survey.

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

JUST LAUNCHED

IPWEAQ CPD SCHEME Are you an RPEQ? Sign up to the IPWEAQ CPD Scheme and we will track and audit your CPD hours.

RPEQ renewals commence 30 March.

When you renew your RPEQ, check the box to declare you are a part of an assessment entity’s CPD scheme. We will provide BPEQ with a list of participants and confirm they have complied with the IPWEAQ CPD scheme.

Put simply, if a registrant is registered with the assessment scheme for CPD, then they must comply with the CPD requirements of that scheme.

These will be obtainable from the relevant assessment entity.

The IPWEAQ assessment scheme includes (150 hours over three years):

1

attendance at IPWEAQ courses and conferences (unlimited hours)

2

contributions to IPWEAQ Working Groups (max 50 hours)

3

formal post-graduate study (unlimited)

4

private study eg reading Engineering for Public Works (max 18 hours)

5

on-the-job learning (max 75 hours)

6

preparation of articles for publication in the journal or papers for delivery at IPWEAQ conferences (max 45 hours per paper).

BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS QUEENSLAND (BPEQ)

3492

SIGN-UP TODAY FOR IPWEAQ’S CPD SCHEME!

Contact Manager, Professional Development Kate.O’Riordan@ipweaq.com 3632 6807

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www.ipweaq.com

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MEMBERSHIP NEWS

YEARS

MEMBERSHIP MILESTONES Y EARS

(July-September)

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YEARS

Y EARS

Y EARS

•P aul Martin GHD Pty Ltd

•A nthony Lipsys Banana Shire Council

•T homas Bradshaw BBD Water Engineering

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•M ark Windress Y EARS & Associates Mark Windress

•J ohn Cumming Mackay Regional Council

•A ndrew Johnson Somerset Regional Council

•N icole Bichel SLR Consulting

•J effrey Bunt Project Services NQ Pty Ltd

•R oss McPherson Retired •G ary Murphy Isaac Regional Council •P aul Quinlan Toowoomba Regional Council •W arren Traves GHD Pty Ltd

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•M ichael Borg Rockhampton Regional Council •R ichard Corbett AECOM Australia Pty Ltd •W illiam Winton Independent Contractor

•C arla Featherstone Gladstone Regional Council

Y EARS

•J ames D’Arcy South Burnett Regional Council YEARS •K ym Downey Central Highlands Regional Council •D ion Jones YEARS Goondiwindi Regional Council •G han Poudel Rockhampton Regional Council •J ames Stewart Hinchinbrook Shire Council •G eoffrey Tweddell Engage Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd •A ndrew Volpato Toowoomba Regional Council

•S teven Forbes Shepherd Services Pty Ltd •J acinta Giles Gladstone Regional Council •L uke Hart Haro Designs •J ason Hemingway Cassowary Coast Regional Council •A shlee Jesshope Possington Consulting Ltd •P eter Manning Central Highlands Regional Council •S cott McDonald Gladstone Regional Council •M ark Ricketts Burchills Engineering Solutions •A dam Rogers Haro Civil Engineering •M ark Samblebe MBS Water Pty Ltd •A lton Twine City of Gold Coast •B rad White Logan City Council

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

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MEMBERSHIP NEWS

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS COMPETITION WINNERS Members who renewed their IPWEAQ membership prior to 30 June were in the draw for three great prizes valued up to $1,800 plus GST. The winners are ...

1st PRIZE

2nd PRIZE

Sean Robinson, Isaac Regional Council. Sean has won a registration to the 2020 IPWEAQ Annual Conference valued at $1,800 plus GST.

Suzanne Brown, Bundaberg Regional Council.

Congratulations Suzanne on winning a registration to your next branch conference valued at $350 plus GST.

3rd PRIZE

Allan Hull (Noosa Council), Daryl Walker (Civilwalker Consulting Engineers) and John Craik (WDRC). Alan, Daryl and John each take home an IPWEAQ ‘Every Community Needs an Engineer’ polo.

Congratulations to all of our competition winners!

SIGNIFICANT BIRTHDAYS (July-September)

•A ndrew Heit Banana Shire Council

•R ohan O’shea TAFE Queensland

•B en Anderson Innovyze

•S haron Kawale Griffith University

•P aul Rickert Sunshine Coast Council

•J effrey Bunt Project Services NQ Pty Ltd

•R obert Keogh Robert Keogh & Partners Pty Ltd

•S ean Robinson Isaac Regional Council

•S helley Burchett Proterra Group Pty Ltd •C orrie Claassen Rockhampton Regional Council

•M ichael Lancini Torres Strait Island Regional Council

•H annah Connors Sunshine Coast Council

•Z accheus Leong Consultant

•H isham El Taier Griffith University

•M ichael Luna Juncal Griffith University

•S amuel Fitzgerald Western Downs Regional Council

•D anny Lynch Townsville City Council

•A irah Flores University of the Sunshine Coast •J acinta Giles Gladstone Regional Council

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•K eith Merry Redd Zebra Pty Ltd •R oss Milton Toowoomba Regional Council

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

•M ichael Shave Noosa Council •A ndrew Sterritt Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service •S tephen Strachan Engineers Queensland •G raham Sweetlove Maranoa Regional Council •S am Wakeford Mareeba Shire Council •Y ulu Wang University of Queensland •N ilushani Weerasekera Logan City Council

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

THANK YOU IPWEA QUEENSLAND FOUNDATION TRUSTEES In June this year, the IPWEA Queensland Foundation was wound up after serving the Institute and its members for 36 years.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Trustees since 1984 who contributed their time and energy towards fulfilling the eight objectives of the Foundation.

IPWEA Queensland Foundation Trustees (in date order from most recent) included: Seren McKenzie (Chair), Craig Murrell, Andrew Johnson, David

Seren McKenzie (Chair) with Trustee, Patrick Murphy

Peter Way (Chair) with Trustee Ian Woodyward

Wiskar, Dawson Wilkie (Chair), Ian Woodyard, Patrick Murphy, John Hawkes, Peter Way (Chair), Kevin Bickhoff, Gil Holmes, Bill Reilly, Derek Stringfellow, Ray Moore, TJ Abbiss (Chair), Barry Stanton and Graeme Haussman.

Dawson Wilkie (Chair) with Trustee David Wiskar

Thank you again for serving the Foundation and the Institute as a Trustee delivering LOGOV and providing opportunities for study tours and scholarships which advanced the knowledge and skills of our sector.

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ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

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MEMBER PROFILES

DARYL ROSS: WATER PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR Daryl Ross, Logan City Council’s Acting Director of Roads and Water, has been named Water Professional of the Year at the Australian Water Awards.

Daryl Ross

Congratulations to Daryl Ross on a career marked by his strategic ability to negotiate solutions for growing communities that are sustainable, technically innovative and delivered in a team environment. He is a founding member of the Queensland Water Directorate, and qldwater’s Rob Fearon described Daryl as a sector leader, particularly in water security and water quality.

Can you summarize your career to date?

I received a scholarship following completion of senior high school in 1972 to study civil engineering, sponsored by Queensland’s Local Government Department. It was with the water and sewerage section, so I have been connected with the local government water sector since 1973! I was fortunate to be supported by the scholarship to get my degree and then I worked for the Department for four years in the Design Section. It gave me a solid technical foundation.

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After that I went consulting for a few years to get some experience in the private sector. In the mid1980s I had the opportunity to go overseas and work for the Fijian government under an Australian aid scheme. The work was in the water and sewerage field. It was a unique opportunity for a relatively young engineer, working in a senior engineering role in the Fijian government. I was leading the implementation of sewerage schemes in a developing country.

It was that experience that started the innovation theme.

There wasn’t an excess of funds in Fiji, so we learnt to do things suited to the environment, to work smarter. I then did a year in the Northern Territory as a consultant, working mainly on Indigenous community projects. In Darwin, with Federal government rules and regulations, it was a very different environment to Fiji.

To some extent, being in the Northern Territory particularly straight after the experience in Fiji highlighted the differences.

Fijians had small budgets and communities had to be selfsufficient. In the NT, gold-plated budgets produced gold-plated infrastructure solutions. The infrastructure was not used efficiently and that was part of the frustration.

After that I moved back to south-east Queensland and rejoined the Local Government Department supporting local governments in planning water and sewerage schemes across the state. In 1993, I joined Ipswich City Council as the Infrastructure Planning Engineer.

It was my first stint within local

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

government. I spent 12 years with Ipswich. During that time, we amalgamated with Moreton Shire Council and my task as the Water and Sewerage Manager was to bring the two water and sewerage teams together. Soon after the amalgamation, the National Competition Policy reforms were introduced into Local Government. My role was to lead the team through the commercialization process, establishing Ipswich Water as a commercial water business.

I think we did a good job with that, achieving effective business transformation as well as managing the strong growth in Ipswich in that period.

In 2005 I left Ipswich and took on the role of Project Manager for the Regional Drought Strategy for SEQ Water during the Millennium Drought.

This role transferred to the Queensland Water Commission at its inception in 2006. As one of their first employees it was a pretty intense period.

We had to bring all the local governments together and develop a water conservation regime that had never been seen before. We developed industry leading industrial commercial water efficiency programs.

This required fast tracking the rewriting of the legislation and out of that legislation came the power to implement all of the drought infrastructure projects that emerged during that period including the Western Corridor Purified Recycled Water Scheme, the Gold Coast Desalination Plant and the connecting Water Grid. It was an exciting time.

I moved to Logan in 2007, initially going there to manage their

MEMBER PROFILES

Daryl Ross (right), with Glenn Ziernik, Executive Director, Technical Services at Economic Development Queensland.

water business during the latter stages of the Millenium Drought.

Within a month of starting this role, the SEQ Water Reforms were announced and then, two months later, it was followed by the local government boundary reforms (amalgamations). Logan inherited the future growth areas of Beaudesert, with two new regional cities to be developed.

The northern area of the Gold Coast (Beenleigh) was also transferred into Logan.

We were involved in the most significant water reform agenda ever seen in south-east Queensland, the establishment of the Water Grid, the Regional Bulk Entities, a region-wide distribution entity, three retail entities which ultimately morphed into three distribution / retail entities and subsequently a return to local government at the breakup of the Allconnex Water Distribution / retail entity.

Simultaneously we were involved in the planning and development of infrastructure to support new regional cities.

This was the environment that prompted the establishment of the public-private partnership, the Logan Water Alliance, to build

the capacity to deal with what was coming. We needed to bring private sector partners in to help us to do the planning and deliver the required infrastructure. This was all happening while we were going through the reform process. They were busy times.

Can you describe recent projects that have contributed to this award as Water Professional of the Year?

I don’t believe that there was one specific project but the award, rather, reflects a combination of the projects completed in recent times and the relatively unique partnership approach through the Alliance from planning through to delivery. We have won a number of engineering awards for these projects.

One of these iconic projects was the first chlorination process developed using solar power and salt water: sun and salt, two readily available natural resources. This initiative was developed out of necessity because the Round Mountain Reservoir is in a remote location and there was no power source.

We developed a solar powered salt water chlorination system which was the first time this

was done in Australia. Then we commissioned the largest solar battery in the country (at that time) to run that system.

The major project has just been commissioned, but has been a long time in the planning. Given that we inherited these large future cities with no wastewater infrastructure plan, we had to come up with an industryleading solution.

Basically, we had to provide wastewater capacity for cities in the upper catchment of a major river system that caused no environmental harm. The solution that we developed achieves low nutrients using state of the art technology, combined with wetlands and riparian restoration work to stabilize river banks and prevent sediment erosion. This was the first wastewater treatment licence in Queensland that included riparian improvements to offset 150 per cent of the nutrients discharged to the river system. This was the first application of this policy in the State so we had to work closely with the environmental regulator to build the trust to grant this environmental approval.

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MEMBER PROFILES Our team is doing some groundbreaking work and I am very proud to have a leadership role in these exciting projects.

What interests and continues to engage you in the water industry?

The heart of it is providing solutions for the community.

This work benefits the community by overcoming the technical challenges, finding the right balance to get good environmental outcomes.

We are doing work that will improve the overall environment and in particular our catchments and waterways. While we are faced with the challenge to dispose of community wastewater, we can take the opportunity to actually improve the environment at the same time. These are the sorts of initiatives that keep you motivated. We are also at the beginning of an era of new digital technologies, we can work smarter than ever before. Using new technologies to community benefit is an area I have been interested in for a long time.

Specialization now plays a large role in the delivery of public works. Can you describe how this may be evidenced in your own career and the award of Water Professional of the Year?

At the same time, we had a community that didn’t want us to be there. They didn’t want a wastewater facility in their area.

What is gratifying is that the community now advocates for the work we’ve done because we have given them an environmental asset that the community is proud of. Part of this work provided community facilities and access to the Logan River that they have never had before. We have also planted 57,000 trees on the site! The Cedar Grove Environmental Centre includes a major wetlands which attracts birdlife to the area. It has been turned from an unwanted nuisance to become a community icon.

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The most recent innovative project is leading edge as well. We are implementing a bio-solids gasifier. Currently there are 34,000 tonnes of bio-solids produced per year at our Loganholme Wastewater Treatment Plant, which are currently transported by truck to the Darling Downs. The gasifier will reduce that volume to very small proportion. And instead of being a wet solid it will be a drychar inert substance that can be used safely as a soil conditioner.

It also eliminates the persistent chemicals such as PFAS which are getting a lot of publicity at the moment. We received a federal government grant for this project which is the first of its type in the country.

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I’ve been in a leadership role in the industry for the past 30 years.

So from my perspective, it is more about being able to create an environment that brings the specialists together, to work collaboratively to achieve holistic outcomes. I like to encourage people to develop and utilize their skills.

I have been fortunate to be able to lead and build teams with the capability to take on these projects. It is one of the real strengths of our partnership approach. At the Logan Water Infrastructure Alliance, we have access to partners with worldwide consultancies. We don’t have to have specialists internally.

We have the mechanism to access those skills to apply them

MEMBER PROFILES

Aerial view of the Cedar Grove Environmental Centre

to the projects we have and compliment and supplement them as we need.

Is there anything else we haven’t covered above that you believe is important to your professional activity in water?

I think for us it is important to have a big picture plan, a holistic view of the water cycle from catchment to tap and then return to the environment.

Sustainability is a key objective in terms of both the environment

and commercial perspective.

Our industry needs to keep these objectives at front of mind while we continue to deliver the essential community water and wastewater services to our customers on a 24/7 basis. Water is continually innovating and evolving as an industry. This is integral to what we do, growing and evolving with the changing community circumstances.

What does the future hold?

along the journey. We have the technology to use purified recycled water as a major source.

Desalination requires efficient energy sources to make best use of this technology. Recycled water is the next major challenge, to get the community to accept that waste water/sewage, once treated, is perfectly safe to add to our drinking water. That is probably our most immediate industry challenge.

We have to bring the community

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MEMBER PROFILES

EMERGING PROFESSIONAL

Xiao Hu Graduate Civil Engineer George Bourne & Associates Barcaldine, Queensland

I came to Australia to study civil engineering in 2016 and graduated from the University of Queensland on December 2019. Before coming to Australia, I spent most of my life in China and Singapore where I received my primary and secondary education. I have only been living in coastal cities before coming to Barcaldine, so it is an exciting experience to live in an inland town for the first time.

What inspired you to study engineering, and civil in particular?

It started through a documentary I saw called Air Crash Investigation which was introduced to me right after the disappearance of the Malaysian Airline Flight MH370. After that I became fascinated by the principles of engineering behind aircraft and aerodynamics.

Another factor that inspired me is that one of my favourite mystery authors studied electrical engineering during his university years. This convinced me that studying engineering could develop one’s logical reasoning ability. I finally decided to study civil engineering as it involves lots of field work which is a bonus to people who don’t like deskbound jobs.

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Xiao grew up in coastal places in China and Singapore.

What projects have you been involved with to date?

The projects I have been involved with at GBA so far include predominantly flood damage assessment of the local shire roads, designing of a water reticulation system for an industrial estate, designing of a pump sized for a water tank, contract administration of a solar power project, as well as budget estimates of various projects.

Have there been any experiences, negative or positive that offered learnings which you will pass on to others?

The most important thing I have learnt so far is to always pay attention to detail, right from the project brief reading to the conclusion of the project.

Omissions such as not reading the code carefully could result in having to start the work afresh and, based on my experience, it can be frustrating. Too many trivial mistakes would also render your work unreliable from the client’s perspective. It’s always a good practice to double-check your calculations and proofread the final report/contract document before turning it in.

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What do you enjoy most about working as an engineer in public works?

As an engineer in public works I’m able to see how the works we carry out could impact the daily life of the local community, and it’s even more fulfilling to engage in and be part of these works.

The university courses didn’t touch on road maintenance too much but working in public works makes me realise the significance of a trafficable road, right after an extreme weather event in Australia, especially in the regional areas.

How has your membership of IPWEAQ been of benefit to you to date and what do you enjoy most about the community?

I was honoured to be invited to attend the IPWEAQ Annual Conference as a student last October for one day. The event genuinely broadened my horizons in terms of the latest projects the councils across the state of Queensland had been working on, as well as the state-of-the-art technology that had been applied in bridge construction.

My membership of IPWEAQ continued to benefit me

MEMBER PROFILES even after I started working.

The online courses such as Sprayed Bitumen, Managing Lower Order Roads and Roles & Responsibilities Series have helped me fill in the knowledge gap required to carry out my work. What I enjoy the most is being given the opportunity to upskill myself with the courses offered by IPWEAQ that are relevant to my current job.

What has been your biggest challenge as you begin your career and how did you overcome this?

The biggest challenge is probably the lack of experience as a graduate. This became apparent when I was assessing the flood damage photos. I found it difficult to identify the damage and spent too much time on the job. I then consulted the senior engineers who are rich with experience and they gladly provided me with explicit guidance in undertaking the task. Similar projects done in the past also became handy as a reference to start with. I believe the challenges can be overcome by continuous learning and experience.

Any other comments you would like to make that will help others developing their careers?

Don’t be afraid to ask and never stop learning. Real-world engineering is so different to the theoretical knowledge we have acquired from university, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the first few months, or even the first year of your career, turns out to be a bit of a struggle. Learning is an interactive process. I tend to learn more by asking questions.

Furthermore, upskilling yourself constantly does not only add to your CPD hours but also equips you with essential industry knowledge. Make sure to put in genuine efforts to digest the new information rather than just doing it for the sake of gaining CPD hours. I believe it will be worthwhile in the long term.

Xiao at the construction site for Barcaldine Ski Park, 2020.

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MEMBER PROFILES

EMERGING LEADER

Delia Atkinson Senior Traffic Engineer, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Brisbane, Queensland

I have worked predominantly in the road safety and traffic engineering field and have engineering experience in both local and state governments as well as the private sector.

I recently returned to full-time employment after spending 15 years balancing ‘mum responsibilities’ with multiple part-time jobs.

1. Can you summarise the particular features of your career to date?

After graduating with a Civil Engineering degree from University of Queensland in 1996, I joined Redland Shire Council as part of a formal graduate program. After working in the wastewater, traffic and design sections, I landed a permanent position as Council’s Traffic Engineer.

In 2000, I moved to Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) in the position of Engineer (Road Environment Safety) where initially my work was predominantly associated with the conduct of road safety audits. Our team carried out road safety audits (at various audit stages such as design, postconstruction and existing road) for infrastructure projects such as Houghton Highway Duplication, Inner Northern Busway, and Ipswich Motorway Upgrade. I

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Delia on site – conducting a post-construction road safety audit.

became a Senior Engineer in TMR in 2002, and was involved in developing policies, standards and guidelines for improving road network safety and traffic engineering practice. Technology transfer was a large part of our team’s responsibility, and I have delivered technical training relating to roadside barriers, traffic control devices and road safety audit to local/state government officers, consultants and also international practitioners.

I resigned from TMR in 2010 to be a stay-at-home mum with our children then aged five and four.

During this time, I volunteered at kindy and primary school, helped out with swimming lessons, reading practice, excursions and sports days. These years are very special to me because of the time I could spend with the children.

In 2013, I gained a part-time Analyst role with the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General. It was a jobshare position in the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation, where I was able to work over three days during school hours.

Even though it was quite different to my previous work, I think my engineering skills really translated to the role, particularly in identifying and investigating data trends.

In 2015 I was approached to do some contract engineering

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

work for QTraffic Engineering Consultants – a Brisbane-based firm. My work for QTraffic was extremely flexible, allowing me to work around my analyst work, our household (my husband is a shiftworker with irregular rosters), and I was able to work remotely. So, for the next four years I worked two part-time jobs – as an Analyst based in Brisbane CBD, and as a traffic engineer, working from home.

In 2019 with our children in grade eight and grade nine, I started to rethink my ‘career’. Since returning to the workforce, my focus had been on obtaining work (rather than on where I wanted to be placed in ten or so years). So I decided to consolidate my work into one full-time engineering job – which brings me to the present. I have now re-joined TMR as a Senior Traffic Engineer in the Engineering and Technology Branch, back working alongside many of the fantastic people I was with decades ago, as well as new colleagues. And, I couldn’t be happier.

2. Are there unique challenges for women in engineering?

How have you negotiated these in your own career?

This is something I’ve been asked often over the course of my engineering career. Personally, I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve truly felt supported by the

MEMBER PROFILES organizations and managers I’ve worked for, and definitely by my colleagues. In saying that, a recurring ‘challenge’ for me is when people assume I’m not a technical practitioner, and this has happened countless times in many different environments – at regional community forums, training workshops in Brisbane, construction sites and also in the office environment. I’ve learnt that by introducing myself and briefly explaining my role at the start of these interactions really helps. On the flip side, I remember attending a site meeting more than 20 years ago where a local resident couldn’t stop beaming when he met me – saying how proud he was “to actually meet a female engineer”.

I felt a bit like a rock star that day!

3, What stimulated your entry to local government/public works engineering?

After completing my degree, I joined Redland Shire Council’s graduate program. It was a fantastic opportunity where engineering graduates were exposed to a variety of technical work by rotating each six-months through work units, such as maintenance and construction, water and wastewater, traffic/ transportation and design. This gave me a really good knowledge base about providing, operating and maintaining infrastructure for the community. I had always a keen interest in the traffic and transportation field and was fortunate to land a permanent position as Council’s Traffic Engineer, working on projects such as south-east Queensland’s implementation of the 50km/h Local Street Speed Limit, as well as a diverse range of traffic investigations from speeding and heavy vehicles to parking capacity. An example of something a bit ‘outside of the engineering box’ was where, as Council’s Traffic Engineer, I personally delivered road safety education talks to over 1,000 primary school students, as part of council’s Young Citizen’s Program. I think what I love most about engineering in the public

sector is the breadth of issues that you deal with (both technical and non-technical), being part of a multi-disciplinary team, and serving the community.

Actually, I come from a long line of Queensland public works employees. My great-grandfather worked for Queensland Rail, my grandfather was a health surveyor for shires in western Queensland, and my father spent more than 30 years as a local government civil engineer….. perhaps it’s just in my blood!

4. Professional associations promote ethical behavior to underpin professional activities such as public works engineering. What are your views on ethics in local government? And why do you believe that is important?

I think my experience liaising with a variety of stakeholders across a range of industries has been invaluable. When working for TMR, my clients have included internal engineering/ design practitioners, researchers, behavioral scientists, and external clients from local government and other state road authorities.

As a local government engineer, I often communicated directly with elected representatives, residents, Queensland Police and school/community groups about a broad range of concerns relating to road safety and traffic management. At times however, communications were more challenging due to the complexity of road safety concerns (and expectations), balanced with the need for sound solutions that met technical requirements. In dealing with members of the community on issues, it often assists a favourable outcome if you can “place yourself in their shoes”.

In my experience, successful communication includes presenting an honest, calm and understanding demeanour as well as being able to professionally and ethically represent the organization (for

me, council, TMR, QTraffic, OLGR). I’ve always tried to not only display technical competence during interactions, but to also demonstrate integrity, respect and professionalism as well as being a supportive, active and collaborative team member.

Specifically, regarding ethics in public works engineering, it is not only imperative to be ethical in your behavior, but also important to be perceived as ethical.

5. Have you also been involved in community activities throughout your career?

What are these and why do you believe they are worthwhile?

Like many people, I have been involved in a number of community clubs in a formal sense. I held the secretary position at my children’s kindergarten for two years, and was the parent representative for our primary school’s active travel committee for six years, and was also committee secretary for a local sports club for a couple of years. Even though these roles often had their own challenges, especially with the amount of time they required, I felt it was really important to contribute to the organizations that supported my children, and the community. I also met many fabulous children, parents and educators and forged some great friendships.

Delia and her children in 2011 when Byron started Year 1 and Zali started Prep.

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MEMBER PROFILES

NEXT GENERATION Tony Gallagher started as a cadet designer in Main Roads in 1982 when he was aged only 17 and, decades later, has created a career, company and involved his two adult children in the business, predicated around his interest in road design. Ultimately he worked with Transport and Main Roads for 27 years, completing his civil engineering degree during that period. After that, in 2008, he and four others perceived an opportunity to start their own company, which they called the Highland Infrastructure Group. Offices were developed over the years in Toowoomba, Bundaberg, Rockhampton and Brisbane. Nearly six years ago, in 2014, HIG merged with the Harrison Group (established 1996) to become Harrison Infrastructure Group (still known as HIG).

Tony is currently Design Manager for HIG and sits on IPWEAQ’s Lower Order Roads Committee, where he was involved in authoring the Lower Order Roads Design Guide. EPW spoke to Tony, son Jack Gallagher and daughter Amy Gallagher about the influence of their father and the lure of public works engineering.

For Tony, it has always been about roads. While the way roads look has been subject to only gradual adjustment, the means of engineering roads has been dramatically reinvented over the years. “When I started there were no computers. I spent the

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first few weeks learning how to print with ink. The advent of computers into the design area began with old terminals in Main Roads, linked to a main frame.

You might input your data and come back after half an hour for the result. Even before that, we had to fill out the coding and send it to Brisbane. After a few weeks wait, someone would send you back a drawing, which progressed to individual terminals, work stations, UNIX and all the different design packages, from MX, AutoCAD, Civil 3D and 12D. That has been really good to watch.”

Technology, for Tony, assists the redefinition of a design quickly, and is liberating for the designer.

Speed is of great assistance, particularly while an increase in the work available is coupled with skills shortages.

“At the moment, road designers are like hen’s teeth. Mainly because people don’t have time to train in this environment.”

It also follows industry changes. “Main Roads trained road designers for years but disbanded their centre a few years ago. Now we see people

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

who are skilled in road design going into management.”

Increases in road funding due to the Queensland Government’s infrastructure led recovery (in response to COVID-19) have increased activity in the sector.

For HIG, the long term need for more road designers have led to another partnership with IPWEAQ. “We are talking with Craig Moss about being involved in a new road design training centre at IPWEAQ to alleviate the massive shortage of skilled people in road design at the moment.” This HIG specialty has seen them involved with recent projects from the Pacific Motorway Varsity Lakes Interchange (Exit 85), Lakes Creek Road, Rockhampton, to the detailed design of a 12 km stretch known as Gentle Annie (Bruce Highway, south of Rockhampton).

Other industry involvement that draws on HIG’s expertise has seen the Toowoomba office produce the draft Lower Order Roads Design Guide for IPWEAQ. Infrastructural business is booming in regional Queensland.

Tony said, “We are working on inland rail, as well as numerous

MEMBER PROFILES

local authority and TMR road upgrades. There is lots of planning and we keep very busy servicing our region. It is similarly busy in our other offices in Bundaberg, Rockhampton and Brisbane.” Luckily, COVID-19 lockdowns have not interrupted the work flow. “The work from home was pretty seamless, with

staff able to link back into the company’s computer systems remotely.”

Tony’s palpable interest in his chosen profession has also been influential at home.

Jack Gallagher (now 25) was encouraged, from early on, to pursue engineering. He told

EPW: “I’ve always enjoyed maths, and it was my Dad’s dream for me to follow in his footsteps. At an early age, every car trip Dad would point out roads/features that he has worked on.” As this includes infrastructure all over south-east Queensland, those trips were busy. Jack began working with HIG during his

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

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MEMBER PROFILES

studies at University of Southern Queensland—he graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor in Engineering (Civil).

As an undergraduate Jack assisted the HIG design team with AutoCAD drafting. Then

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during the university holidays, “HIG contracted me to assist the surveyor they use for their designs. I also assisted Dad with Road Safety Audits, undertaking the safety assessments using the RISC program.”

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

For Jack, public works offers variety and stimulation. He said, “I enjoy the new challenges that I face on a daily basis. It keeps the job exciting and I am constantly learning.” A career highlight is working, since July 2019, as part of the Darling Downs District

MEMBER PROFILES Transport and Main Roads (TMR) Routine Maintenance Team.

“In this role I am the project manager for the Goondiwindi Regional Council, Southern Downs Regional Council & RoadTek Southern Downs areas. This allows me to provide direct input to engineering and technical solutions across these regions.”

Amongst the challenges of the job is travel. He said, “I’m lucky to have the opportunity with HIG that Dad obtained for me when leaving high school. Since graduating, a lot of my career has forced me to travel for the job.

This isn’t necessarily a struggle, but more a personal challenge to face at the beginning of each role. At the moment, I am lucky to be extended in my current role at TMR which allows me to stay in my hometown of Toowoomba.”

The advice from Tony that has guided Jack’s development is “be a sponge, as in, learn as much as you can from as many people as you can”.

Amy Gallagher (age 27) has also been given opportunities by her father Tony and HIG, albeit from a different professional standpoint. “I started working with HIG in January 2011, part-time in the Toowoomba office (as receptionist) while I completed a Bachelor of Business at the University of Southern Queensland. In 2014 I graduated, and then started full-time in an administration and HR role before getting involved in tendering. I have now been with HIG nearly 10 years, and my primary role is to coordinate our tender submissions.”

While she didn’t seek public works out at the beginning, she enjoys the team spirit and the diversity of the work. “Over the last 10 years I have learnt a lot about the industry, and continue to learn every day. I enjoy tendering as it is an area that is always evolving—we are looking at ways to improve our submissions. Each tender is different and challenging in its own way. It is great to work

with a team of experienced professionals who bring different points of view and creative ideas.”

All three of the Gallaghers have been involved with IPWEAQ as the peak industry body. Amy attests, “It is a great organisation for networking, and career growth and development. I advise everyone to take the time to learn as much as you can from senior people. The knowledge you can glean from those who have been in the industry for a long time is invaluable.” And in Tony’s view, “It is very important that bodies like IPWEAQ set standards for local authorities to adhere to.”

A personal record as an engineer, creating infrastructure to benefit many communities is significant enough. The ability to build a business and inspire your family to follow in your footsteps is even more remarkable.

Congratulations Tony Gallagher!

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ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

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PRODUCT LAUNCH

NEW STREET DESIGN MANUAL LAUNCHED

The new Street Design Manual has been an intense focus for IPWEAQ Planning and Detailed Design Working Groups for over twelve months.

EPW spoke to Peter Smith, who was involved in coordinating and editing the content in the final weeks of its preparation for publication.

EPW: Peter, why was a new iteration of the Street Design Manual necessary?

PS: The Street Design Manual builds on two previous IPWEAQ publications, Queensland Streets was first released in 1993, updated in 1995 and then a later version was released in 2010 and retitled Complete Streets.

IPWEAQ recognized the need for an updated Street Design Manual and established a Steering Committee to oversee its production. Not long after the Steering Committee for the Manual was established, Steve Conner of Planning Group – Development Assessment

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(DSDMIP) suggested that Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) be involved.

As Executive Director – Technical Services at the time, I was very keen. EDQ had their own guidelines concerning street design and was the Planning Authority for a number of significant greenfield residential developments in south-east Queensland. I was aware that aligning those guidelines with state and local municipal engineers would be of great benefit. I have been a steering committee member and a member of the Planning and Design Working Group, chaired

by Paul Eagles.

Why is it important for all levels of government to work together in the area of street design?

The SDM complements the Queensland Government’s Model Code for Neighbourhood Design and Planning Regulation 2017, and other policy initiatives that offer leading practice guidance and technical design criteria for walkable residential streets.

From an industry point of view, for planners, engineers and developers of land for residential communities, the SDM provides a more coordinated approach

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

to neighbourhood planning and design. It is very confusing and wasteful of resources if you need to refer to different guidelines and codes depending who you are dealing with.

Why is a new iteration of SDM important now?

The first iteration was in 1993, called Queensland Streets. I was involved a couple of years later in its review and the subsequent update in 1995. In August 2010, Complete Streets was released.

Complete Streets was more academic and less focused on the detail which the industry needs, that Queensland Streets had provided. It is fair to say, that until the publication of the SDM, many consultants, council planners and engineers had still been referring to Queensland Streets which is now 25 years old.

And of course, there have been some significant changes over that period.

What are the most important shifts in recent decades?

Most significant is the densities of new residential developments.

Back in the 1990s, typical densities were around 10 dwellings per hectare. Now they are commonly 15-20 per hectare, mainly as a result of reduced lot

PRODUCT LAUNCH sizes and frontages. As a result, attention to detail in designing streets, services and verges becomes much more critical.

Another is a societal change in attitude more towards walkability and away from such a great reliance on cars.

With the adoption of several important policy documents, namely the State Planning Policy and the Model Code for Neighbourhood Design, the State Government is strongly promoting walkable residential streets. Complementing these initiatives, a key driver of SDM is to provide practical guidance for the creation of walkable neighbourhoods. That is a big shift in SDM, from Queensland Streets, with the most vulnerable users now prioritorised, ie pedestrians and active transport ahead of public transport, then motor vehicles. In contrast, Queensland Streets started with vehicles. It referred to pedestrians and cyclists later in its structure and priorities.

Grid-like street patterns with high connectivity, paths on both sides of most streets and increasing the frequency of street trees from around 20 metres spacing (on either side of the road) to an average of 15 metres, all contribute to enhanced walkability. The SDM promotes safer and attractive streets to encourage pedestrians and users of active transport to use the streets for commuting or pleasure, whether it be walking or riding to school, the shops, to friends or just a leisurely walk around the neighbourhood.

Are vehicles less necessary in 2020?

Current guidelines aim to make walking and active transport journeys as pleasant as possible.

Motor vehicles are still catered for, but at a street level, more vulnerable users are prioritised.

What are SDM’s major achievements?

It combines and expands on aspects that are contained in both Queensland Streets and

Complete Streets. The new Street Design Manual combines the two but is not a textbook on urban design. It provides guidance at concept stage, for designers, engineers and all those involved to be aware of key drivers to design highly connected, attractive, safe and walkable neighbourhoods, but also provides practical guidance for the detailed design of residential streets and associated infrastructure.

What is critical about the timing of the Street Design Manual’s release?

The release of SDM coincides with the State Government’s release of the new Model Code for Neighbourhood Design, which includes some mandatory requirements. In providing a coordinated approach to and detailed practical guidance for neighbourhood planning and design, the SDM supports state initiatives by providing practitioners with the tools and tips to design and deliver quality neighbourhoods.

Now that it is published, what is the future for the SDM? There is an intention that the document is reviewed in 12-18 months’ time. Practitioners are invited to provide their feedback.

All stakeholders want this to be the best document it can be, and the reality is that you don’t find out how good it is until people start using it. Walkable Neighbourhoods in the first of

a total of ten precincts that will make up the suite of documents that will make up the SDM. How do you describe this version?

It has been developed for industry by industry and written by practitioners for practitioners.

These were the fundamental drivers. IPWEAQ assembled a great team of experienced professionals who could provide practical workable detail to support the Street Design Manual. It is our hope that when it is used by a multitude of practitioners across the state that it is a highly useful and practical document.

Peter Smith is a civil engineer. In addition to working as a Project Manager for Civil Engineering Contractors and a Consulting Engineer, Peter worked for Logan City Council for nearly ten years, for developers including Delfin, Lendlease, Stockland and Multiplex for a combined 12 years, and spent ten years with Economic Development Queensland. He said, “I am one of those generalist engineers who has been around a bit and never specialized. This has given me a rare insight into not just the workings of but the interactions between those different organisations. He was involved in the review of Queensland Streets in 1995.” Recently retired, he worked with IPWEAQ to assist with the compilation of the final edit of the Street Design Manual in July and August 2020.

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CONFERENCE FEATURE

#IPWEAQ20 We invite you to join us for the 2020 IPWEAQ Annual Conference to be held at the Brisbane Exhibition & Convention Centre, South Brisbane, 10-12 November 2020.

We are delighted to announce our three keynote speakers:

prison. In February the following year, after 400 days behind bars, and intense international campaign, he was deported under a presidential decree. As a result of the letters he wrote from prison in the defence of freedom of the press, he won a Walkley Award in Australia in 2014, and Royal Television Society and Tribeca Disruptive Innovator’s Awards in 2015.

perspective to the challenges both sporting and non-sporting organisations.

Noel Whittaker

Peter Greste Professor Peter Greste is an Australian-born journalist, author, media freedom activist and academic. He is a founding member of the advocacy group, the Alliance for Journalists Freedom, and the UNESCO Chair in Journalism and Communication at the University of Queensland. He is also a regular contributor to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Conversation, and The Guardian.

Before joining the university in January 2018, he spent 25 years as a foreign correspondent, starting with the civil war in Yugoslavia and elections in South Africa as a freelance reporter in the early 90’s, before joining the BBC as its Afghanistan correspondent in 1995. He went on to cover Latin America, the Middle East and Africa for the BBC. In 2011 he won a Peabody Award for a BBC documentary on Somalia before joining Al Jazeera as its East Africa correspondent later that year. In December 2013 he was covering Egypt on a short three-week assignment when he was arrested on terrorism charges.

After a trial widely dismissed as a sham, he was convicted and sentenced to seven years in

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Michael Kasprowicz Michael Kasprowicz has uniquely established himself as a leading business professional specialising in the business of sport. Following his 19 year career as a professional cricketer, Michael completed his MBA at the University of Queensland and developed Venture India, a consulting company specialising in business with India. He is also on the DFAT appointed Board of the Australia India Council.

Michael is the youngest Director on the independent, skill-based Board of Cricket Australia and has been active in the governance of the national body for the last 6 years. In 2016, Michael served as the interim Chief Executive Officer of Queensland Cricket before returning to the Cricket Australia Board.

Michael has also successfully completed a residential Australian Institute of Company Directors course and recently worked with a number of well known advisory firms in developing their sport advisory practices. Michael combines his experiences as an athlete, director and administrator of one of Australia’s largest sports to bring a truly unique

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International bestselling author, finance and investment expert, radio broadcaster, newspaper columnist and public speaker, Noel Whittaker is one of the world’s foremost authorities on personal finance. Noel reaches over four million readers each week through his columns in major Australian newspapers all over in Australia, is a regular contributor to magazines and websites, and appears on radio and television. He is one of Australia’s most successful authors, with 23 bestselling books achieving worldwide sales of more than two million copies.

His book, Making Money Made Simple, set Australian sales records and was named in the 100 Most Influential Books of the Twentieth Century.

In 2011, Noel was made a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the community in raising awareness of personal finance. He is also an executive producer of the film Think and Grow Rich – the Legacy which premiered in Los Angeles in 2016. He is an Adjunct Professor with the Faculty of Business at the Queensland University of Technology.

Additionally, we have an impressive line up of plenary speakers including: •B rendan Moon, Queensland Reconstruction Authority, Chief Executive Officer: Investing for resilient communities

CONFERENCE FEATURE • J ohn Tannock, EJ Tannock and associates, Principal Engineer (Pavements): Installation of the Oivi/Gorari Battle Monument •D avid Toma, Queensland Audit Office, Senior Director - Client Services: Managing cyber security risks •N eil Scales, Transport and Main Roads, Director General Department of Transport and Main Roads: TMR Update •D awson Wilkie, BPEQ, Chair: Setting the standard of engineering: a national scheme for the registration of engineers

Tech Tour 1: Cross River Rail & Queens Wharf.

•P aul Coughlan, Brisbane Airport Corporation, Project Director NPR: New Parallel Runway Project •A lton Twine, City of Gold Coast, Director Transport and Infrastructure: “Business as Unusual” - The challenges of changing our business for COVID-19 •C r Bob Fredman, Gympie Regional Council, Councillor: Life on the inside

Tech Tour 2 Historic Brisbane (Walking Tour).

Tech Tours Delegates are invited to participate in one of four Tech Tours. All Tech Tours take place on Tuesday 10 November from 1pm. Please note, there is limited availability on each tour.

Tech Tour 1: Cross River Rail & Queens Wharf Visit the Queens Wharf Brisbane visitor centre, overlooking the site in Brisbane’s CBD. Inside the visitor centre, delegates will view an impressive model, VR, drawings and videos. The tour will also visit the Cross River Rail Experience Centre, a community engagement and education hub developed in partnership with Queensland Museum. This centre provides detailed project information, digital engagement experiences and learning opportunities for delegates.

Both will include an on-site presentation.

Tech Tour 2: Historic Brisbane (Walking Tour)

Tech Tour 3 Holcim Pre-Cast Facilities Tour.

Looping from City Hall to the banks of the Brisbane River and back, this guided walk explores many facets of Brisbane’s history.

On your way to the river, you will stop at the historic Regent Theatre and Tattersall’s Club in the Queen Street Mall, before heading to MacArthur Chambers, used by General Douglas MacArthur as his headquarters during World War II. and on to

St Stephen’s Cathedral. You will also visit Brisbane’s heritagelisted City Hall, right in the heart of the city. Discover the secrets of this magnificent building which has been the setting for many cultural, social, and civic events in Brisbane. Known as the “People’s Place”, City Hall was built between 1920 and 1930 at a cost of almost 1 million pounds – at the time, the second largest

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CONFERENCE FEATURE construction project in Australia’s history, second only to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. *Delegates must wear walking shoes as the tour consists of a total of 3 hours of walking Tech Tour 3: Holcim Pre-Cast Facilities Tour Holcim is the premier precasting facility in the country, and the global leader in building materials and solutions and active in four business segments: Cement, Aggregates, ReadyMix Concrete and Solutions & Products. The tour will discuss and show three main areas: pipe manufacturing, pre-cast manufacturing, and quality processes and time frames.

The tour will also include the construction processes around different products, and discuss the “no crack” policy.

Tech Tour 4: NAMS-Q Workshop Our state and local governments make significant investments in the public infrastructure required to deliver public services.

Good asset management is critical to the long-term financial sustainability of these government sectors. The NAMS-Q Advisory Group is actively engaging with all people involved in infrastructure asset management to identify industry needs and identify solutions that leads to more informed decisions and better outcomes for Queensland communities.

This workshop provides a unique opportunity for asset management practitioners to come together as a Community of Practice to discuss and workshop through issues that they face on a day-to-day basis.

Tech Tour 4 NAMS-Q Workshop.

UPDATES TO THE 2020 SOCIAL PROGRAM 2020 Excellence Awards dinner/ceremony, Tuesday 10 November 2020 The Excellence Awards, ordinarily held on the second night of the conference, will now be held on Day 1 (Tuesday 10 November), the evening after the Tech Tours. This allows us to have more delegates attend owing to social distancing rules and venue availability. This year, as there is no band/dancing, we have a dinner speaker - Dan Crowley. Dan, as many of you will remember played in the front row for the Wallabies while working undercover (smashing a drug ring on the Gold Coast), ironically unrecognised by the criminals he pursued! They obviously were not sporting fans. We hope you can join us or a different kind of conference welcome.

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7 news and sports journalist, Bill McDonald. There will also be a fundraising event for our President’s Charity, Rural Aid. Join us for Game II, SOO to watch Queensland regain the trophy!

Conference Close, Thursday 12 November 2020 State of Origin II, Wednesday 11 November 2020 Thanks to COVID-19, State of Origin Game II will now be held during #IPWEAQ20 and we will be hosting a State of Origin game night dinner! Don your state colours and watch the game on the big screens. The Waves, City of Gold Coast’s band which entertained us at #IPWEAQ18, will provide the pre-game and half time entertainment. Our MC for the night will be Channel

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The conference will close this year at 4:30pm with drinks and canapes served from the Afternoon Tea break at 3:00pm and throughout the final session which includes the Great Debate (engineers are introverts and disconnected from the world around them). We will invite our exhibitors to join tables and share any information on any product updates. These arrangements respond to the BC&EC COVID-19 Plan regarding seating and movement around the facilities.

CONFERENCE FEATURE

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Wednesday 11 November, Day 2 of #IPWEAQ20 is Remembrance Day. At 11am, we will have an ANZAC Day commemoration (COVID-19 style) followed by a presentation from John Tannock on the Installation of the Oivi/Gorari Battle Monument. John delivered this presentation at the SWQ Branch Conference in Stanthorpe in February and was awarded Best Paper.

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CONFERENCE FEATURE

THE GREAT DEBATE 2020 “Engineers are introverts and disconnected from the world around them.”

Since 2016, the IPWEAQ Annual Conference has concluded with the Great Debate with arguments over various issues including: •w omen make better engineers than men

Team Affirmative

Team Negative

•J osh Flanders (Project Engineer, St George Project Services)

•S eren McKenzie (Director Infrastructure Services, Southern Downs Regional Council

• r ural (public works) engineers are more adaptable than their city counterparts • t radition has no place in a modern workplace • s mart cities are not that smart This year’s topic has been inspired by how quickly and easily our engineers adapted to working from home during COVID-19.

•M oira Zeilinga (Director, Clear Idea)

Votes are cast by delegates using the conference app in real time.

While The Great Debate offers a lighthearted and entertaining finale to the conference, the issues it raises for discussion offer a chance to challenge assumptions and to address potentially divisive issues.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2020 Great Debate!

•T revor Dean (Executive Manager Engineering & Technical Services, Fraser Coast Council)

•D r Rob Fearon (Director, Innovation Partnerships, qldwater) •M addy Stahlhut (Graduate Engineer, GHD)

THE GREAT DEBATE 3:30pm Thursday 12 November 2020 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Dr Rob Fearon, captain of the Affirmative team providing some guidance to Negative Team debater, Trevor Dean.

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CONFERENCE FEATURE

FUTURES CHALLENGE SHOWCASES THE NEXT GENERATION The IPWEAQ Futures Challenge offers an opportunity for final year/ Honours engineering students to present their theses to delegates.

we invite delegates to offer commentary and expertise on their submissions. The finalists will then present their theses on stage before lunch on Day 2, Wednesday 11 November 2020.

complimentary registration to #IPWEAQ21.

Past Futures Challenge participants have been offered jobs and other opportunities arising from their presentations.

Our best wishes to this year’s finalists.

The three finalists for 2020 will display poster boards in the trade exhibition and

All finalists will receive a complimentary year of membership with IPWEAQ and the winner will receive a

MARTIN LUNA

SALLY WILLIAMS

CRAIG S. VAN NEUREN

Griffith University - Gold Coast

University of Southern QueenslandToowoomba

University of Southern QueenslandToowoomba

Influence of Water to Grout Ratio and Curing Time on Pulling out Load of Rock Bolt Systems

How Building Information Modelling software (BIM) is being used in the Architectural and Engineering (AE) industry and how the use of this software is impacted by the AE industries own understanding of BIM - A South East Queensland (SEQ) Perspective

Application of Remote Optical Sensors for Real-Time Nitrate Monitoring and Decision-Making Systems.

PANEL DISCUSSION This year’s Panel Discussion (before lunch on Day 3 of the conference, Thursday 12 November) is on the topic The role of Public Works Professionals in Community Road Safety Achieving significant change in road safety requires government, industry and the community to work together. Everyone has a role to play, from planning and creating safer roads through to

making a choice to safely use the transport system.

disconnect between strategy and implementation.

While we have several road safety strategies, campaigns, and initiatives, those who are responsible for planning, building, maintaining and managing our transport networks often struggle to communicate how they can contribute to improving road safety in their everyday work activities. For a large percentage of our sector, there is a very real

This discussion aims to challenge the thinking of the audience (and the panel) so that when they arrive at work on Monday, they better understand how they can actively contribute to improved road safety as an individual.

Panelists are from TMR, Bicycle Queensland, RACQ and a local government engineer.

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SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

HOW SWIMLOCAL BECAME THE CORNERSTONE OF INTEGRATED WATER QUALITY MONITORING IN NOOSA

Calls for feedback to the State’s review of water quality objectives under the Environment Policy (Water) had staff at Noosa Council grappling with a conundrum – how to make sense of twenty plus years of water quality data collected by Council and local community groups, and stored in project files and Excel spreadsheets on individual computers.

Noosa Council, like other Council’s

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in SEQ, commission Healthy Land and Water (HLW) to monitor their waterways and produce an annual Report Card on the health of each major river catchment. HLW are the custodians of the Report Card data, and this important information contributed to the review.

However, Council also undertakes investigative and project-based water quality monitoring, and local groups monitor water quality through the community-based Waterwatch programs. Again important data to contribute, but

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not so easy to access and provide to the State’s review.

According to Environment Officer Jan Maddin, it was a little overwhelming.

“So we had a situational analysis performed on all the data collected, and the relevant data cleaned”, she said. “Next was how best to store this data and future data, easily and make sense of it.

The community groups had some horror stories about previous databases they had used - we then heard about swimlocal.”

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

NICA has carried out water quality tests in the Noosa River for almost 15 years, routinely measuring such parameters as acidity, salinity, turbidity, and oxygen dissolved in the water. The data helps to define the ongoing quality of the water and assist in developing management programs to maintain and improve the quality of the river. The swimlocal system will enable more sophisticated on-line recording and consequent analysis of the measurements obtained, allowing NICA’s work to be extended to more detailed studies of the whole river system including its tributary creeks where most pollution reaching the river originates, such as river bank erosion, agricultural chemicals, etc.

The swimlocal data management tool is now being used to manage the data from Noosa’s freshwater and estuarine water quality monitoring programs.

“This is great because data can be entered directly into tablets out in the field or into the software back in the office/home by volunteers. Lab data will be uploaded directly into the system without having to retype the results from PDF files.”

In addition, the HLW Report Card data for sites relevant to the region can also be uploaded into the system and all this data can be searched, summarised, extracted and reported on with a few clicks of the keyboard. swimlocal is simple to use and data is managed within one database, so there is one point of truth.

Data is stored safely and backed up remotely so it can’t be lost.

For Jan and her team, the system has been a great help.

“It is the cornerstone of our newly formed integrated water quality monitoring network” she says, “which links monitoring to management at the local scale in Noosa.”

This is the first time the swimlocal system is being used across a range of NRM groups with data being entered by volunteers, opening up further possibilities for the system to evolve.

The linkage was made by qldwater’s Communications Manager, Desiré Gralton who was invited to attend the first meeting of the Noosa integrated monitoring network to talk about qldwater. Desire is a passionate environmental advocate and

member of the Noosa Integrated Catchment Association – now a key user of swimlocal. qldwater’s SWIM Manager, Dr David Scheltinga is always thrilled to see a new happy customer but particularly keen to see the advantages of the system being exploited by a council’s environmental monitoring arm.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in past lives sampling in waterways and my time in the field would have been a whole lot easier with tools like swimlocal to manage data… I guess that experience has been in the back of my mind as I’ve been steering development of the tools for the last 10 years.

It’s great to see Noosa Council on board – hopefully we’ll get a few more councils with similar responsibilities and NRM groups taking on this efficient and costeffective solution.”

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SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

THE LOGAN ENHANCEMENT PROJECT – STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES THROUGH TRANSPORT Andrew Richardson Program Director – Projects Queensland Transurban

The Logan Enhancement Project is a $512 million transport infrastructure project that unlocked the economic potential of the greater Logan area by reducing congestion and improving safety – not just on the Logan and Gateway motorways, but also on surrounding streets used by local residents and businesses every day.

Transurban Queensland developed the proposal for the project back in 2015, in response to a compelling need for action.

Significant growth in traffic volumes and commercial vehicle road usage had led to severe congestion, delays, and safety concerns for motorists.

Gateway Motorway.

About the Logan Enhancement Project scope The project involved adding capacity to sections of the Logan and Gateway motorways, improving key congestion hot spots (Logan Motorway/Mount Lindesay Highway interchange, Logan Motorway/Gateway Motorway interchange and Logan Motorway/Wembley Road interchange) and constructing new southfacing on and off-ramps on the Gateway Motorway at Compton Road.

Transurban Queensland approached the Queensland Government about the proposal, and after an 11-month development period the project was approved to proceed to detailed design and construction, setting a new industry benchmark for the speed and development of major infrastructure projects in Queensland.

Giving our wildlife a helping hand

With works completed mid-2019 (undertaken 2017-2019), motorists are experiencing faster and more reliable travel times on the Logan and Gateway motorways.

The Logan Enhancement Project corridor is located within Queensland’s designated ecological and conservation corridor (or green belt) linking the

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Karawatha Forest to Flinders Peak (Ipswich). The Karawatha Forest, which is managed by Brisbane City Council, plays a significant role within this green belt.

The project’s urban design intent was to improve movement and connectivity within an ecologically significant region for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians – but also local fauna.

Several environmental groups are interested in the well-being of this conservation corridor and are keen to protect and enhance the ecosystems and waterways and improve fauna connectivity along the green belt.

With this in-mind, Transurban Queensland proactively engaged with six local environmental groups as part of the project development phase. Initial briefings with individual group representatives revealed

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND disparate views and solutions for the project to consider, with separate submissions provided by many of the groups. The primary focus of these submissions was requests to construct multiple new fauna overpasses, similar to the existing fauna overpass at Compton Road in Brisbane.

To consolidate views, Transurban Queensland formed an Environmental Reference Group (ERG), which included representatives from the local environmental groups. The ERG produced a consolidated response to Transurban Queensland on key values and potential ways to enhance environmental outcomes through the project. These were presented to the two shortlisted D&C tenderers in May 2016.

This process resulted in improved environmental and community outcomes: a final design that incorporated all 10 of the ERG recommended values providing significant environmental improvements, including: •a variety of fauna movement infrastructure at nine locations across the project, including several fauna underpasses,

glider poles and rope bridges, as well as a fauna specific overpass on Illaweena Street in Stretton •p lantings to encourage fauna movement at these locations • f auna-friendly fencing along various sections of the project • f auna refuge poles every 400 metres to allow fauna to safely exit the motorway corridor.

These fauna improvements have connected five separate areas of bushland, along a 7.5 kilometre corridor, via structures that enable the fauna to cross over and under the road network without ever interacting with traffic.

Spotlight on the new Illaweena Street animal bridge Local wildlife are now able to bypass oncoming cars and trucks over Illaweena Street, via a new land bridge built just for animals.

The new bridge is the second of its kind in Brisbane and connects two previously severed sections of the iconic Karawatha Forest via a twin-arch design. The bridge connects one of the largest areas of remnant bushland within the city which is home to over 200 species of animals. The bridge

is comprised of 36 precast arch panels, and each weighs about 19 tonnes. The bridge intent and design was modelled on the only other bridge of its kind in Brisbane – the twin-arch land bridge on Compton Road in Underwood.

A leader in sustainability The improvements in wildlife are but one reason which saw the Logan Enhancement Project awarded the first Leading rating in Queensland by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia.

Other key sustainability achievements of the project include: •u sing 220,000 tonnes of a more sustainable and environmentally friendly road asphalt – EME2 •a dding 30 kilometres of roadway lit with LED lights, delivering a 30 per cent reduction in energy • i nvesting over $340,000 and 15,000 hours’ worth of time in the local community – including providing work experience opportunities for local high school students

McCullough Rober tson and IP WEAQ

supporting Local Government in Queensland As a firm that began in the Barcaldine Shire Council chambers in 1926, McCullough Robertson has a rich history of supporting our Local Government clients in Queensland as they enhance the communities that they serve.

Our clients span across Queensland and we are proud to provide specialist advice that is tailored to the nuances of our clients’ organisations and the challenges that they face.

KEY CONTACTS Matt Bradbury Partner 07 3233 8972

Michael Rochester Partner 07 3233 8643

Sarah Hausler Partner (IPWEAQ Board Member) 07 3233 8563

Brittany Parker Special Counsel 07 3233 8711

J o sep h J o n es Senior Associate 07 3233 8652

project delivery contracts | probity and procurement | contract administration | infrastructure agreements | claims resolution | project funding agreements | work health and safety | governance | insurance | native title and cultural heritage | planning and environment | IT and data | commercial agreements | development and leasing

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SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

Logan Motorway at Wembley Road.

Logan Motorway at Beaudesert Road.

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SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

Fauna Crossing.

• i mplementing stringent recycling on site, including a state-first soft plastics recycling scheme (first for the construction industry) – all the recycling measures combined resulted in a 61 per cent diversion of office waste and 98 per cent diversion of construction and demolition waste from landfill.

About Transurban Queensland Transurban Queensland, operator of Linkt, financed the project at no cost to the Queensland Government.

Transurban Queensland is a leading provider to Queensland’s transport infrastructure sector, managing 81 kilometres of tolled roads, bridges and tunnels which are important transport corridors. They help Brisbane retain its status as one of the world’s most liveable and productive cities.

Gateway Motorway at Illaweena Street animal bridge.

South-east Queensland toll roads offer motorists travel-time savings, reliability and greater travel-time certainty.

Every work day, almost 470,000 trips are taken by motorists

on Linkt toll roads who are experiencing the benefits of faster, safer and more reliable journeys. Collectively, they save nearly 70,000 hours each work day.

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SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

LGIASUPER INVESTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY The story of LGIAsuper began in 1965, with a focus on assisting local government employees and their spouses with investment of their retirement savings.

Since then a 2011 merger between LGsuper and City Super allowed this service to be extended to local government throughout Queensland. In 2016 the organisation was rebranded LGIAsuper and in 2017 the fund was opened to all, without the joining requirement to be involved in local government.

Recent investment of LGIAsuper in infrastructure projects, specifically Sunshine Coast Airport and its new runway, was the subject of the IPWEAQ PWTV Tech Talk on 23 July 2020. This session outlined LGIAsuper’s interests in projects that benefit both their members and the wider community. This project speaks to LGIAsuper’s core business, described as “memberfocussed, boutique, and with a diverse portfolio”, and an ongoing interest in developing strong partnerships with local government.

The PW-TV session was hosted

by LGIAsuper’s Ben Moles and featured a presentation from Palisade Investment Partners investment director Mike Reynolds about the way in which Palisade and LGIAsuper led investment in the Sunshine Coast Airport. He was followed by Frank Mondello, GM of Operations and Assets, Sunshine Coast Airport who described the scope and construction challenges that the new runway comprised.

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ADVERTORIAL

New Runway, 2 March 2020, Sunshine Coast Airport. From presentation New runway, new horizons by Frank Mondello, PW-TV, July 2020.

Mike described the interests of Palisade and LGIAsuper (one of Palisade’s largest and most important clients) in infrastructure and airports specifically as a site of strong stable returns for investors.

Palisade are attracted by infrastructure because of its strong economic fundamentals, essential facilities and services and central importance to economies.

Mike noted at the outset that COVID-19 has impacted all airports yet asserted confidence in their long term investment prospects. Palisade specialises in infrastructure assets in Australia and New Zealand, particularly in regional areas. They seek out robust investments with stable cashflows and long term capital growth potential, and clearly take pride in their return track record. High yield investments with strong and defensive growth characteristics are at the heart of their business.

In backgrounding the Sunshine Coast Airport transaction, he noted Council’s objective to secure funding to facilitate the new 13/31 Runway, Palisade/ LGIAsuper’s objective to invest in mid-market infrastructure assets with strong growth

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potential, and the outcome which sees Palisade/LGIAsuper with a long term (99 year lease) over the airport. Investment terms included a small upfront payment and then a larger commitment to fund the new runway project once complete, with an additional annual rental payment. Council took on the risk of the construction, with input from Palisade/SCA. Council also receive an ongoing five per cent share of the Airport’s revenue, which provides ongoing alignment in driving the growth of the Airport.

Mike outlined the case for investment in Sunshine Coast Airport, noting its increased potential for growth, diversification and potential improvement from effective commercial management.

Airports are essential to the communities they serve and tend to have high margins and strong cashflows. He said that this project offered the “winwin outcomes we seek in all our investments”. An initiative already delivered includes the opening up of more frequent services and flight routes to destinations in Australia and New Zealand. In the future, flights to

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND selected international ports are also anticipated. There is also significant potential to grow and diversify the revenue from property assets at the Airport.

The case for proceeding with this partnership for Sunshine Coast Council included the ability to build a transformational greenfield infrastructure project, eliminating the need to raise long term debt, the partnership between SCC & Palisade to oversee the airport’s operation (with Palisade’s bid partially funded by LGIAsuper and therefore the involvement of council employees from Queensland), growth through private sector expertise, SCC’s ongoing share in the business of the airport, and Palisade’s continued investment in the airport facilities going forward.

To date, the project has seen a successful transition from Council to a standalone privately-owned business, with nine per cent (financial year 2017-19 figures) average annual passenger growth (since Palisade/LGIA’s investment, prior to COVID-19), completion of the new runway which was commissioned on 14 June 2020, successful delivery of Sunshine Coast Master Plan 2040, a strong health and safety track record and retention of the airport’s “carbon neutral” status (it is the only airport in Australia to have achieved this).

Other Palisade Investments, Gold Coast Light Rail. From presentation Palisade Investment Partners: Attractive Projects and Working with Local Councils, PWTV, July 2020.

Project Construction, Sunshine Coast Airport. From presentation New runway, new horizons by Frank Mondello, PW-TV, July 2020.

The project was delivered by John Holland and its significant engineering accomplishments included moving 1,330,000 square metres of dredged sand through pipelines some 72 km.

There are challenges involved in working through infrastructure deals such as this strongly positive outcome at the Sunshine Coast Airport. The due diligence process was performed by Palisade with the support of a multi-disciplinary advisor team, with the final bid put together over two to three months. A key focus of due diligence was to ensure that the financial forecasts for the Airport were

Regional Livestock Exchanges. From presentation Palisade Investment Partners: Attractive Projects and Working with Local Councils, PW-TV, July 2020.

as accurate as possible. The successful outcome is a great example of the way in which LGIAsuper assists regional communities in building crucial infrastructural assets.

Contact LGIAsuper if you wish to discuss any aspect of your retirement incomes. www.lgiasuper.com.au, info@lgiasuper.com.au, telephone 1800 444 396

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SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

NEW MIX TO REDUCE LANDFILL

Darrin McNeilage Executive Coordinator Transport Assets Gold Coast City Council

Recycled materials such as glass, rubber tyres and plastic car bumpers are being transformed into roads, reducing the amount of new materials required for road construction.

In a city first, City of Gold Coast have successfully trialled an innovative asphalt mix design in the reconstruction of a 410 metre section of KP McGrath Drive, in the southern Gold Coast suburb of Elanora.

The asphalt mix included 3.5 tonnes of recycled plastic, 200 tonnes of crushed glass and 300 tonnes of recycled asphalt pavement.

Working closely with our industry partner Fulton Hogan, the project aimed to maximize the amount of recycled material incorporated in the pavement, which included recycled glass and recycled plastic car bumpers, along with a high percentage of recycled asphalt pavement. The primary intent was to optimise end of life asset renewal, while maintaining a high level of service to the community.

The upper layers and wearing course consists of polymer modified asphalt (PMB) with the polymer sourced from recycled waste plastic. Unlike other asphalts modified with recycled plastics, this product uses a specially selected polymer which

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is found in the plastic bumpers and guards of modern motor vehicles. This is fully incorporated as a bitumen binder modifier to make a true PMB. The technology is capable of utilising up to 10 per cent recycled plastic in the binder.

Glass that is unsuitable for reuse in new glass products usually ends up in landfill. This glass is able to be reprocessed and used as a substitute for the smaller particle stone aggregates in the structural base layers.

Combining the plastic, glass and recycled asphalt in this project reduced the total volume of new materials by 25 per cent. The trial mixes were also designed with warm mix additive, allowing lower production and paving temperatures to that of traditional asphalt manufacturing, adding to the environmental benefits of the project. Ride quality of the surface is extremely good.

Road users would not know the difference!

The mix designs have been provided to the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) to

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facilitate the development of local and national specifications.

The recycled glass and plastic technology is part of City of Gold Coast’s ongoing drive towards sustainable practices in the manufacturing of road construction materials and complements previous trials of asphalt products incorporating rubber from recycled car tyres.

Data shared throughout the various stages of the project provided valuable information to support further research and development, with the potential to revolutionise road pavement construction.

The City will now work towards transitioning to the new product as part of business as usual. A working group has also been established to continue research on other new innovations and technologies.

By reducing the amount of raw materials used when reconstructing asphalt pavements and reducing asphalt temperature, the City is achieving increased sustainability as well as reducing the ongoing road maintenance costs.

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

PALM BEACH ARTIFICIAL REEF TRANSFORMS SANDY SUBSTRATE TO UNDERWATER WONDERLAND

Zoe Elliott-Perkins Senior Coastal Engineer Transport and Infrastructure City of Gold Coast

The Palm Beach Artificial Reef (PBAR) on the Gold Coast was constructed in 2019, as part of a two-phase project to protect Palm Beach from coastal erosion.

The PBAR is a submerged control structure, meticulously designed and constructed to provide coastal protection outcomes, with the added bonus of enhancing surf amenity. In just a year, the PBAR has also had a positive impact on the local marine ecology, transforming the site from a sandy substrate to an underwater wonderland alive with marine flora and fauna.

Background For decades, significant erosion events along Palm Beach have threatened beachfront infrastructure, exposing seawalls and jeopardising the lifestyles of locals through the temporary loss of beach amenity. While erosion events are part and parcel of coastal living, coastal data

monitoring had shown that Palm Beach, in particular, had the lowest volume of sand to buffer the beach against high energy storm events. This made it more vulnerable to erosion than other Gold Coast beaches.

To address this ongoing issue, the City of Gold Coast began the Palm Beach Shoreline Project in 2013. The project became a collaboration of a talented team of scientists, coastal management experts, engineers, environmental officers, and dredging experts to find a sustainable solution to protect Palm Beach. The project aims were to: • r educe vulnerability of the beach and beachfront development to storm damage, •p rotect, and if practical, enhance the beach amenity for the community, •p rovide a sustainable, cost effective and integrated solution, and •a void or mitigate adverse environmental social impacts of erosion.

Designing the solution The project went through a comprehensive design process spanning several years. An initial feasibility assessment developed and evaluated a total of 18 management options.

Each option was assessed and compared based on expected cost, coastal protection benefits,

and impacts on a range of aspects such as coastal processes, ecology, surfing, and beach amenity. Following this investigation three options were assessed during the concept design study, which included numerical modelling investigations.

After much investigation and consideration, the City followed a ‘design with nature approach’ and sand nourishment stabilised by an artificial reef was adopted as the best solution for Palm Beach. This option was favoured, largely due to its low visual impact and the long-term retention of nourished sand.

Final detailed design investigations of the preferred solution were led

by Royal HaskoningDHV and incorporated a ‘multiple lines of evidence’ approach including a combination of field data collection, numerical modelling and physical modelling. This method allowed for crosschecking between the results of the various design investigations and provided confidence in the unique design solution.

The artificial reef is designed to work by influencing the surrounding waves and currents to promote a long-term increase in sand along vulnerable sections of Palm Beach. The detailed design investigations predicted that a sustained increase of sand

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SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

Palm Beach Artificial Reef – June 2020

volume to Palm Beach would be in the range from 200,000 cubic metres to 450,000 cubic metres, with the area benefited extending from Nineteenth Avenue south to the Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club. Other predicted benefits included improved surfing amenity over and inshore of the artificial reef and reduced storm erosion inshore.

Project Delivery Delivery of the project took place in two phases, starting with sand nourishment in 2017. More than 470,000 cubic metres of sand was delivered along Palm Beach via a split hopper dredge, the Balder R, owned and operated by dredging specialists Rohde Nielsen. The sand was sourced from deposits outside the surf zone in deeper water and placed into shallower nearshore depths within the surf zone via bottom dumping and rainbowing. The sand nourishment was not delivered in a usual ‘Point A-Point B’ continuous progression and

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instead was delivered to different sections of Palm Beach at various times throughout a wider City nourishment campaign. This allowed for flexible sand delivery to minimise the impact to community use of the beach and the provided temporary enhancement of surf amenity.

The construction of the PBAR took place between May and September 2019; the second and final phase of the project. The complex marine construction works was undertaken by a joint venture between Hall Contracting and Heron Construction. The PBAR was built approximately 270 metres offshore from Nineteenth Avenue between the beach and the existing, much larger, Palm Beach natural reef. The artificial reef footprint is 160 metres long, 80 metres wide and is 1.5 metres below the average water level at its highest point.

The artificial reef was constructed using 60,000 tonnes of a combination of basalt and

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greenstone rock boulders sourced from quarries across south-east Queensland. The rocks were classed into four sizes at the quarry, with smaller rocks making up the core of the structure ranging between 300-1000 kilograms and armour rocks ranging between one to eight tonnes each. The rocks were loaded onto split hopper barges at the Port of Brisbane before being shipped to the construction site at Palm Beach.

Once on site, the barges were positioned and the rocks placed on the seafloor through the split-hopper hull of the barge.

A specialist marine backhoe dredger, the Machiavelli, then moved the rocks into position using GPS technology. The backhoe dredger was fitted with a sophisticated machine-controlled computer system that allowed the operator to visualise the seafloor level, the artificial reef design levels and the position of the backhoe dredger in real time. The rocks could then be accurately

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

Palm Beach Artificial Reef during construction in 2019. The artificial reef was constructed by a joint venture between Hall Contracting and Heron Construction

positioned according to the design of the reef.

Post-Construction Monitoring

Palm Beach Artificial Reef under construction. The artificial reef was constructed by a joint venture between Hall Contracting and Heron Construction

Construction of the artificial reef and engineering certification of the structure was finalised in September 2019. An ongoing Monitoring and Maintenance Plan is in place to check engineering aspects of the PBAR including movement of armour/core rock. Engineering investigation will initially happen twice a year, with allowance for further investigations following exceedance of a trigger wave height. The monitoring is a cautious approach reflecting the innovative nature of the structure with the frequency of inspections to be reviewed and refined over time.

The methodology developed and undertaken by Royal HaskoningDHV for inspection of the structure is innovative, utilising new technologies including drone and remoteoperated vehicle inspections. In

combination with multi-beam hydrographic survey data, the three methods complement one another to provide a high level of information for a RPEQ coastal engineer to assess. The first monitoring inspection results have been assessed and were very positive showing: •P BAR is within all the predefined limits for safety and structural integrity •T he condition of the artificial reef is comparable to the ‘as constructed’ RPEQ certification report •N o maintenance works are required.

The overall ongoing benefits of the PBAR are being measured through a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) framework, which consists of performance criteria, indicators and set targets. Areas of interest covered by the KPI framework include coastal protection, recreational amenity, user safety, wholeof-life costs and ecology. A

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SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

Drone imagery capture as part of PBAR monitoring inspection (Image Source: Bluecoast Consulting Engineers).

Drone imagery capture as part of PBAR monitoring inspection (Image Source: Bluecoast Consulting Engineers).

KPI monitoring program has begun in collaboration with the Griffith Centre for Coastal Management, to investigate each area of interest. The City’s long running coastal data capture program which includes wave buoys, hydrographic survey, LiDAR and aerial/oblique imagery capture, is assisting to monitor items such as beach width and

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Still image taken from Remote Operated Vehicle inspection undertaken by ROV Innovations, highlighting the ecology on the Palm Beach Artificial Reef .

beach volume. In the long term, capturing this information will enable the City to quantify how the project has met the aims and predicted outcomes of the project and the data collected will help to inform the design of any future artificial reefs.

While it is only one year on from construction, the results are

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proving to be promising. Early indicators are showing a positive outcome for coastal protection and preliminary feedback from the community has also been encouraging regarding surfing outcomes, particularly in the autumn months this year. We have recently begun an exciting collaboration with Bluecoast Consulting Engineers to capture

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

Schools of fish on the Palm Beach Artificial Reef (Image Source: Reef Check Australia).

Crustacean at the Palm Beach Artificial Reef (Image Source: Reef Check Australia).

Surfing at the Palm Beach Artificial Reef (Image Source: Andrew Shield)

wave breaking characteristics on and around the PBAR using remote camera technologies.

The data captured will then be incorporated into the KPI monitoring program to better quantify the benefits of the PBAR to surf amenity.

Marine Flora and Fauna An increase in marine flora and fauna has been observed on the artificial reef, which is of particular importance to the project’s ecological KPI: ‘an increase in the abundance and diversity of marine life in the

local area of the artificial reef’.

Reef Check Australia undertook an initial inspection three months after construction was completed. This revealed that an abundance of small fish species, ascidians and sponges had started to call the artificial reef home and many species of algae have formed too. There was even a sighting of a fantail ray and wobbegong shark!

More recently during the engineering inspection, the remote operated vehicle was also able to capture vision of how the marine ecology on the artificial

reef has continued to flourish.

Transects across the PBAR were inspected by the underwater remote operated vehicle at varying depths. The footage revealed a wealth of marine flora and fauna on the structure. The City plans to continue monitoring the ecology of the PBAR through ongoing inspections.

The Palm Beach Shoreline Project was delivered as part of the City’s Ocean Beaches Strategy 20132023. For further information please visit: cityofgoldcoast.com. au/palmbeachshorelineproject

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Palm Beach Artificial Reef site map.

Palm Beach Artificial Reef cross section

During the nourishment phase of the project in 2017, Rohde Nielsen’s Balder R created spectacular sand rainbows at Palm Beach

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NORTH QUEENSLAND

LOCAL PANDANUS LEAVES INSPIRE INNOVATION IN TOWNSVILLE’S NEW STADIUM Engineer Scott Rathie’s design for the innovative roof framing system of the new Queensland Country Bank Stadium has seen him named amongst Australia’s Most Innovative Engineers of 2020 by Engineering Australia’s create magazine.

Scott worked with Cox Architecture on the design for Townsville’s new stadium, a key project of the Townsville City Deal that has delivered a 25,000 seat, centrally located, multi-purpose stadium which opened in February 2020. The building concept is distinguished by its pandanus-leaf inspired roof, designed to withstand the extreme weather events which characterize north Queensland.

It features 9,100 square metres of PTFE fabric on the roof with kites which are weather, fire and UV resistant. Teflon coating means that the roof is washed by rain and cleaning is minimal.

Scott is Senior Structural Engineer with Arup, and holds a BEng Hons (Structural) from the University of Queensland. His use of the pandanus leaf refers to the plant’s association with north Queensland and utilizes the two geometries of the leaf (pre- and post-buckled). He investigated the possibilities using origami.

Create reports: Without lateral restraint, the folded form could either flatten out or fold with the two outer vertices moving relative to each other. Rathie quickly realized, however, that a viable and

Photo: Austadiums.com

efficient structure with the desired pandanus form could be created if these vertices were restrained to the seating bowl with fly-braces. This solution cleverly avoided the need for horizontal ties on the outside of the roof which then provided the opportunity to clad the roof backstays to create the stadium’s emblematic ‘kites’.

The judges praised Scott’s design, and his ability to draw inspiration from nature and origami to first develop a novel concept, and to overcome engineering challenges to deliver it. They said, “This is an excellent example of engineering finding technical solutions to support an architectural vision.”

The stadium is integral to the Townville City Deal’s infrastructure boost to activate and develop the Townsville City Waterfront Priority Development

Area and Townsville CBD. It is jointly funded by Queensland Government, Australian Government, and Townsville City Council and is also supported by the National Rugby League and North Queensland Cowboys.

Local business and jobs growth were boosted during the stadium’s construction with the venue continuing to boost the local economy during operation.

Scott Rathie Senior Structural Engineer, Arup

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NORTH QUEENSLAND

REEF RESCUE

Desiré Gralton Communications Manager Qldwater

Queensland is blessed with the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), which remains one of the final frontiers and richest regions of coral and marine biodiversity in the world. Considered both a natural wonder and tourism powerhouse, the GBR entices worldwide visitations creating significant economic benefit to coastal communities. However, the health of this Word Heritage Site is under threat. The Great Barrier

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Reef Outlook Report (2019) has reclassified the Reef’s health rating from poor to very poor. This has been largely attributed to the impacts of climate change and worsening water quality from land based run off.

In response to the Reef’s deterioration, strengthened Reef protection regulations have been enacted as part of a suite of measures under the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan (Reef 2050 WQIP). The implications of these new regulations are the tighter management of activities for primary producers, point source industries and councils.

Nested under the Reef 2050 Long-term Sustainability Plan, the Reef 2050 WQIP commits the Queensland and Australian Governments to achieving Reef-wide 2025 targets. These include a 60 per cent reduction in anthropogenic end-of-

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catchment dissolved inorganic nitrogen loads and a 25 per cent reduction in anthropogenic endof-catchment sediment loads.

The strengthened Reef regulations require new “environmentally relevant activities”, or those that intend to significantly expand beyond their existing licence conditions to meet a new discharge standard from 1 June 2021 for the release of nutrients and sediments in the GBR catchment. This includes building or upgrading a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP).

Where activities cannot avoid or mitigate their water quality impacts through on-site treatment, they will be able to voluntarily meet this standard through an offset guided by the Point Source Water Quality Offsets Policy for activities under the Environmental Protection Act 1994.

Reef councils play an important role and invest significantly

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in management activities for maintaining and improving in the catchment affecting the GBR and have upgraded many treatment processes in the past.

Consequently, council-owned WWTPs now contribute less than 5 per cent of the total landsourced nutrients flowing to the GBR although they can still have important impacts on local waterways if not well-managed.

To assist with the transition to the new regulations the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), on behalf of Reef councils and their communities sought funding for the Reef Councils’ Rescue Plan in 2019. The Reef Councils’ Rescue

Plan is a collection of practical initiatives that empowers Reef councils to accelerate their efforts to improve water quality flowing to the Reef. One of these major initiatives “Cleaner Wastewater” was successful in obtaining funding through the Office of the Great Barrier Reef (OGBR) to support the improvement of water quality flowing to the reef.

The ‘Cleaner Wastewater’ initiative aims to assist councils in making the best decisions regarding wastewater improvements by balancing ecological outcomes with local, social, and financial costs and benefits. The first stage of the initiative funds multiple outputs

aimed at assisting councils in decision making for WWTP improvement best suited for the Reef requirements whilst serving their communities best interests. These outputs include information on prioritising WWTP upgrades, the strengths and weaknesses of different wastewater treatments or management approaches (the ‘options matrix’), a process for evaluating the merits of a small sub-set of wastewater treatment/ management options over their life cycle (the ‘Life Cycle Analysis [LCA]’ system), and an investment strategy outlining wastewater treatment/management options that would provide not only environmental benefits to

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NORTH QUEENSLAND

•T he options matrix provides a high-level catalogue of treatment approaches demonstrating the breadth of potential solutions.

•T he Life Cycle Analysis process demonstrates how different infrastructure options can be compared through better understanding of long-term social, environmental and economic costs to make the best decision for the community.

•T he investment strategy is designed to provide some potential pathways for investment into WWTP technologies available to councils and other agencies interested in improving the GBR. An investment strategy summarising these processes is the last major output and is in its final draft.

local catchments, but serve as exemplars for other councils to apply in different catchments Although the project can’t create a silver bullet to help councils protect the GBR, the outputs are designed to assist councils achieve a step change in the

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consideration of WWTP options with improved water quality outcomes. Often councils face challenges when deciding on upgrading their WWTPs. Each LGA is unique with various levels of size and complexity and there is simply no “one size fits all” solution.

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The current investigation, which forms an initial stage of the LGAQ Reef Rescue Package, will wrap up at the end of October 2020 with a central online location providing access to all resources created during the work.

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

MINE SITE THRIVES UNDER GREEN FUTURE When Rio Tinto decided to rehabilitate the Hail Creek coal mine site (central Queensland) before selling their 82 per cent interest Glencore, they approached Erizon to achieve its transformation.

The section of the site to be rehabilitated had produced 9.4 million tonnes of coal the previous year, yet Erizon achieved a green and vegetated result after the project was delivered in only 12 days.

Erizon has expertise in soil analysis and environmental conditioning, and also possesses mine compliant equipment.

Environmental consultant Glenn

Sullivan told Australian Mining that, “The client wanted the job done as soon as possible. Our in-house soil scientist and I were heavily involved in the planning, while a team of five that was trained by Erizon was in charge of the implementation”.

The solution was rolled out over 32.8 hectares, all of which was revegetated and soil-stabilized (in areas of weak and disturbed soil). A 3D drone was used to survey the area to identify access points and the parameters, while a seed mixture of pasture grasses and native trees were required to boost the organic and microbial activity of the soil.

This provided optimal nutrients with water, seed and organic matter added hydraulically to the surface substrate to develop soil

to seed contact. Hydromulching bonded fibre matrix (BFM) aided moisture retention to allow faster germination, seed growth and erosion control.

“We overcame the challenges that were presented by heavy rain events with the hydromulching mix,” said Sullivan.“The mix was able to withstand the rainfall velocities and stabilise the soil, while waiting for the seeds to germinate and establish a biodiverse root system.”

When Erizon checked the area some months later (using their drone monitoring system), the outcome successfully met the agreed specifications, and Rio Tinto were also satisfied with the result.

Image: Australian Mining.

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CENTRAL QUEENSLAND ADVERTORIAL

GLADSTONE REGIONAL COUNCIL GET MOBILE WITH ONLINE WORKS PROGRAM Maintaining complex spreadsheets, second guessing service levels, collecting road asset data that no one uses, juggling budget implications, and trying to communicate the bigger picture to Council are common frustrations associated with forward works programming.

But not so for the team at Gladstone Regional Council who now deliver their works programs live via an online GIS platform with the ability to make practical engineering adjustments in the field that automatically update the bottom line in real time.

Visually engaging and easy to navigate, online mapping of the works program communicates where planned works are located in the region using traffic light colours. The integrated mobility tool automatically syncs back to the online works program allowing field staff to go paperless. And all this without the need for specialised software or IT expertise.

Powering this innovative technology is a detailed data set collected and modelled by consulting engineering firm SHEPHERD as part of completing Council’s road condition survey, comprehensive revaluation and road renewal program.

Council’s works program is visually illustrated in the interactive web mapping portal.

Mobility mapping tools allow the team to go paperless.

Council’s works programs were developed using defined service level metrics integrated with high definition imagery and GIS data captured by SHEPHERD’s unique Road Asset Condition Assessment System RACAS® (Watch the demo www.racas. com.au). Effective modelling tools were also applied to the data set, balancing theory with practical delivery to ensure outcomes that meet both engineering and financial requirements.

Using knowledge held within the organisation as well as the expertise and tools of SHEPHERD, Gladstone Regional Council has significantly advanced its Road Asset Management.

For intelligent asset management solutions that work, talk to the SHEPHERD team. Call Stephen Hegedus on 0417 076 345 or visit us at www.shepherdservices.com.au.

Learn more about this innovative project at the IPWEAQ20 Annual Conference (Brisbane, 10-12 November 2020) where SHEPHERD partner Darren Shepherd and Gladstone Regional Council Asset Performance and Monitoring Engineer Carmen Smith will present their paper.

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CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

CEMP PRODUCTION AND PRACTICE: MY INSIGHTS

Matthew Caughley Operations Engineer Civil Works Bundaberg Regional Council When I first took on the Pine Creek & Givelda Evacuation Route project, I knew environmental management plans were something consultants did, and that all I had to do as a project manager was follow them to not get fined by a State or Commonwealth agency.

Obviously, my exposure to environmentally sensitive projects wasn’t extensive. I recently completed a project where a detailed Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) was necessary and I thought by sharing my journey/struggle/adventure, I might be able to shed some light on what goes into the production of a detailed CEMP. The Project The Pine Creek & Givelda 4WD Evacuation Route project was funded by the Queensland Government as part of the Bundaberg 10-Year Action Plan for Flood Risk Mitigation. The project involved the construction of a gravel 4WD track through an existing forested road reserve and the installation of a major culvert in Cherry Creek.

By the time I was appointed project manager (construction manager really, but the title was PM) for this project, all the funding applications were approved, and the preliminary design report and drawings

Figure 1 Pine Creek, Givelda, & Electra Evacuation Route (SMEC Consultancy, 2018)

were completed by SMEC (a global engineering consultancy).

The report included a desktop assessment of the site from an environmental and cultural perspective. The assessment was undertaken to review environmental opportunities and statutory approval requirements for the proposed work areas using publicly available databases and mapping. The investigations found: • Threatened Ecological Community listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) • The project was located within a high-risk area for protected plants • Several threatened fauna species were known to occur within the project area • Remnant vegetation, habitat for protected fauna and wetlands were mapped within the project area • Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) waterways were mapped within the project area

• Declared weeds were recorded within the project area • Steep land was mapped over the project area.

• Cultural heritage artefacts have been recorded with the project area.

• The proposed work will be undertaken in an area that may not have been subject to previous ground disturbance and consultation with the relevant indigenous groups is recommended.

Engaging Consultants & Ground-truthing After reading the report, I wasn’t sure that the list in the report could be issued as part of a tender package aimed at engaging an environmental consultant. This is typical of preliminary reports, and it is really during the development phase of the project that these items should be addressed. I re-engaged SMEC to deliver a technical note for Council that drilled down on the items listed in the preliminary report so that I could go to tender

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CENTRAL QUEENSLAND 4. The Nature Conservation Act 1992 is triggered by the project and there are a range of considerations that are applicable including a Species Management Program (SMP) (Low Risk of Impacts). The Consultant shall provide a cost for developing an SMP (Low Risk of Impacts).

Blue Gum - Identified as potential habitat and culturally significant the one we saved.

with a clear scope of works for the environmental consultant.

After some back and forth between me, SMEC, and our Environmental Services team, here’s what we came up with: Bundaberg Regional Council requires a suitably qualified and experienced Environmental Scientist / Ecologist to undertake the following scope of works: 1. The Consultant shall undertake an assessment as to whether the project will involve the clearing of mapped remnant vegetation (based on the detailed design) and if remnant vegetation clearing exemptions under the Planning Regulation 2017 apply to the project.

2. A provisional costing for assessment of the project against the State Development Assessment Provisions’ State Code 16: Native Vegetation Clearing should be included in the scope of works in the event the works are considered not to be exempt under the Planning Regulation 2017.

3. Large habitat trees with hollows are present parallel to both sides of the existing track within the road reserve.

The Consultant shall provide a provisional cost to develop a Species Management Program (Low Risk of Impacts).

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5. Previous ecological studies have identified that the project area provides suitable habitat for frogs, fish and possibly turtles and Council has identified that platypus and the white throated snapping turtle may be present. The Consultant is to provide a cost and scope of works for undertaking targeted surveys for platypus and the white throated snapping turtle to confirm the requirements for: a. An SMP (High Risk of Impacts) for platypus and white throated snapping turtle b. Significance of Impact Assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 for the white throated snapping turtle 6. A provisional cost is to be included for the preparation of the SMP (High Risk of Impacts) for platypus and white throated snapping turtle and 7. A provisional cost is to be included for the preparation of a Significance of Impact Assessment for the white throated snapping turtle.

8. The Consultant shall provide a cost presented as an hourly rate for a fauna spotter/catcher to manage fauna during vegetation clearing and/or construction works.

9. The Consultant shall provide a cost for liaising with the local Aboriginal Party in respect to any Aboriginal Cultural Heritage issues (including a search of the Cultural Heritage Register) and Native Title Notification Requirements.

The consultant who won the tender was Red Ash Consultancy, a local consultant with over 35

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years of experience in this field.

Distilling the scope of works down into a few sentences, Red Ash Consultancy was engaged by BRC to undertake additional ecological and cultural heritage assessments and prepare necessary supporting information to accompany approval and/or permitting applications. Additional investigations included the following: • Ground-truthing of regulated vegetation mapped within the project area • A habitat survey to assess the suitability of habitat present for conservation significant species likely to occur in the project area • A nocturnal survey targeting the koala, greater glider and powerful owl • An aquatic survey of Cherry Creek, including habitat assessments for conservation significant species • A general fish survey • A cultural heritage survey of the project area in collaboration with the Traditional Owner Group.

Why? Council had our environmental consultant engaged to groundtruth observations made in the preliminary report and to develop SMPs as required, but why did Council need to do this? There are three main reasons: 1. Commonwealth legislation In a Commonwealth legislative context, projects that are likely to have a significant impact on a fauna species listed as threatened (i.e. endangered, vulnerable or near threatened – EVNT) under the EPBC Act require referral to the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy (DEE) for approval. An assessment against the Matters of National Environmental Significance Significant Impact Guidelines 1.1 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2013) is typically undertaken in the first instance to determine if referral is required.

2. State legislation

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND Council isn’t the shining light when it comes to ecological preservation in our regional areas, how can we expect anyone else to follow us?

Environmental and Cultural Heritage Assessment Report The outcome of Red Ash Consultancy’s initial engagement was the production of the Environmental and Cultural Heritage Assessment Report. This report contained the following: • Background information on the project, the purpose of the report and an overview of the project area

Freshwater Catfish - Fish Survey.

From a State perspective, a high-risk Species Management Program (SMP) is typically required where works will impact on a breeding place for a threatened animal species or a colonial breeder or a special least concern species (as prescribed in the Queensland Nature Conservation (Wildlife Management) Regulation 2006) (Wildlife Regulation) and Nature Conservation Act 1992).

It also details mitigation and management measures to be undertaken to reduce impacts to the fauna and their habitats, as well as outlining who is responsible for implementing them.

A low risk SMP is required were there is concern that animal breeding places will be impacted.

In many cases, it is not possible to confirm with certainty that an animal breeding place is being utilised (e.g. high tree hollow) and assessments are often made on the likelihood of utilisation based on habitat characteristics, signs of utilisation and occurrence records for a particular species. If works proceed without an SMP (approved by DES) and an animal breeding place is detected during clearing operations, work must cease until such time that a SMP is prepared, approved by DES and management measures implemented. Low risk SMP requirements can be captured in the high risk SMP, such that only one document is required where

both are triggered under the Wildlife Regulation.

When it comes to clearing, The Queensland Vegetation Management Act 1999 (VMA) regulates the clearing of regulated vegetation on specific land tenures in Queensland, including land dedicated as a road under the Land Act 1994. Operational works approval for clearing native vegetation is required to clear vegetation unless considered acceptable development or otherwise exempt.

State legislation also governs the requirements related to cultural heritage. The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 (ACHA) and the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 Duty of Care Guidelines are the two documents that outline a process for determining the level of harm that may be caused by an activity (Duty of Care Guidelines) and the processes which should be followed to avoid harm under the ACHA. The ACHA utilises The Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) in Part 4 Section 34 to prescribe the method that proponents must use to identify the correct Native Title Party/ies, Aboriginal Parties or Registered Aboriginal Bodies to consult with for the management of cultural heritage for the areas to be impacted to ensure compliance under the ACHA. 3. If we don’t, who will?

This is purely my perspective – if

• Regulated vegetation: provided a brief review of relevant legislation, existing vegetation mapping, on-ground observations and applicable exemptions for clearing under current legislation • Terrestrial fauna: presented findings of the fauna habitat survey and nocturnal fauna survey, provides information on conservation of significant fauna and outlines legislative obligations • Aquatic survey - detailed the findings of the aquatic assessment including field survey methodology, description of existing habitat conditions, results of targeted surveys and likelihood of occurrence assessment, results of the fish survey and requirements for a SMP (High Risk of Impact) and/or Significant Impact Assessment • Cultural heritage and native title assessment outcomes.

In this project I had the opportunity to work alongside Red Ash while they were undertaking habitat surveys.

We captured the location of trees providing potential habitat as well as those of cultural significance. The benefit of this was that I was able to move the track alignment to avoid the majority of these trees.

Among others, one of the recommendations of the report was to prepare and implement a project specific CEMP. Note that

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CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

Squirrel Glider - Nocturnal Survey.

a high-risk SMP was required and approved by DES for this project.

High risk species considered

Unformalised track.

likely to be to be utilising habitat in the project area for breeding purposes are listed in Table 1.

Table 1 High Risk Species to which the SMP applied (Red Ash Consultancy, 2019)

Construction Environmental Management Plan By the time we were ready to develop a CEMP, we had completed the following: • Desktop analysis of the construction area • “Ground-truthing” the regulated vegetation mapped within the project area • Undertaken habitat survey to assess the suitability of habitat present for conservation significant species likely to occur in the project area

• Developed a preliminary program for the project.

Based on the previous work, we produced a CEMP that detailed the following: • outlined relevant obligations under State and Commonwealth legislation (refer Table 2 for an example) • identified environmental values potentially impacted during the construction of the evacuation route and presents measures to avoid or minimize such impacts

• Undertaken a cultural heritage survey of the project area in collaboration with the Traditional Owner group

• detailed monitoring, reporting commitments and corrective actions required if performance measures are not met

• Obtained relevant approvals from State and Commonwealth agencies based on the outcomes of the surveys, including SMPs

• incorporated requirements of

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• described roles and responsibilities of personnel associated with implementing the above measures

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project specific approvals and requirements, such as the high risk SMP. Construction Phase The CEMP was easy to implement. Being able to adjust our track alignment to avoid potential habitat trees, especially those that had hollows with an opening of 10cm or greater, reduced the severity of the project on potential habitat for native fauna. If a tree has a hollow with an opening of 10cm or greater, it can’t be easily replaced as the amount of time it takes for that hollow and opening to be shaped takes decades. The original alignment required the removal of about 40 habitat trees.

The revised alignment removed 15, most of which had hollows with openings of less than 10cm.

Some other positives included: • Mulching smaller trees and using them as a mulch berm to meet erosion and sediment requirements.

• Being able to leave fallen trees where they were felled. This potentially increases habitat in the immediate construction area.

• Sequentially clearing (taking non-habitat trees surrounding a habitat tree and leaving that area for over 24hrs until the habitat tree is felled) gave any animals making a home in the habitat tree time to leave. Prior

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND to felling, all habitat trees were inspected by the fauna spotter.

Note that we didn’t encounter any native fauna in habitat trees using this method of clearing.

Table 2 Project obligations under State and Commonwealth legislation (Red Ash Consultancy, 2019)

• All plant was cleaned prior to accessing and prior to leaving the site to prevent the spread of noxious weeds.

One issue that was harder to address was the identification of culturally sensitive trees.

They didn’t have any scars, but the sheer size (2.5m diameter) and age meant that they had significance based on how long they had been there.

Unfortunately, we had to fell one of these trees to allow for the culvert crossing. This was decided through consultation with the traditional landowners of the area and the environmental consultants – as one tree had no more significance than the other culturally, it was decided to remove the tree with less hollows (potential habitat).

Being involved early in the environmental process meant that I was able to adjust our design to aid in the preservation of habitat, while still meeting the original scope of our project.

I do acknowledge that this sort of outcome isn’t always possible; we weren’t in a brownfield area and we did have the benefit of time. The best advice I can give to anyone being exposed to environmental assessments and CEMPs for your project is to be involved early!

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CENTRAL QUEENSLAND ADVERTORIAL

Project: Barmaryee Road Shared Path

THE PERFECT PARTNERSHIP THAT PAVED THE WAY FOR PAVEX™ Renowned for its beaches, tropical climate, and 27 surrounding bay islands including Great Keppel, Yeppoon is a coastal town on the Capricorn Coast, located within the Shire of Livingstone, Queensland.

Blessed with a string of beaches, shallow coves and low-lying wetlands, Yeppoon is a popular destination for tourists, young families and retirees looking to soak up the Central Queensland sun.

Published in August 2018, the Livingstone Shire Council’s Active Livingstone Strategy identified a strong desire among locals to connect the Pineapple Coast Rail Trail with the Yeppoon Foreshore.

As result, the Livingstone Shire Council committed resources to developing additional linkages to the rail trail, further enhancing the community’s connectivity.

In December 2019, the Livingstone Shire Council partnered with Tandy Concrete, Fibercon and ICT Concreters Warehouse to design and construct a vital 2.2km stretch of 2.5m wide shared bikeway along Barmaryee Road. The goal? To provide a safe and accessible shared-use pavement that connects recreational walkers, cyclists and mobilityimpaired locals with Yeppoon‘s newly constructed Barmaryee Sportsground facilities. The challenge? CORROSION! If there is one problem with stunning beaches and low-lying wetlands, it is the damage that corrosion

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can cause to the concrete joints in surrounding pavements, which results in spalling and potential tripping hazards. To help mitigate the impact of corrosion, the concrete mix specified by the Livingstone Shire Council was a Fibercon MPP design - a combination of high performance macro structural synthetic polypropylene fibre and defibrillated polypropylene fibres, providing both micro crack control in hardened concrete and plastic shrinkage control in early age concrete. The N32/20 mix supplied by Tandy Concrete - coupled with 4.6kg of MPP Fibres to 1 cubic metre of concrete - eliminated the need for traditional steel mesh along the 2.2km span of the Barmaryee Road Shared Path.

But what about the joints?

Traditional pre-galvanised Galvabond® steel expansion joint systems supplied with steel dowels – eventually deteriorate, exposing the steel to salt water, potentially causing rustrelated joint failure. Steel joints were a definite “no-go” for the corrosion-free requirement of the Barmaryee Road project. Having established a strong working relationship with the Livingstone Shire Council, Fibercon and ICT since the Lammermoor Beach Pavement project back in August 2017, the timely launch in early 2020 of Danley’s game-changing residential pavement system called PaveX™ - nailed the brief.

Developed in conjunction with councils and concrete contractors alike, PaveX™ Expanda™ is a lightweight, corrosion-free uPVC expansion joint system with

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

integral load carrying capping that provides a smooth & quiet transition over joints. Modular in design, PaveX™ is fast, safe & easy to use on site. PaveX™ complies with the requirements of AS 3727.1:2016 Residential Pavements.

Barmaryee Road was the very first Livingstone Shire Council project where PaveX™ Expanda™ was specified and installed. Understanding the potential for concerns with being an early adopter of new and innovative products, John Hinton – Supervisor Urban Construction Maintenance at Livingstone Shire Council recalls that despite the crew’s initial apprehension over using something “new and different” - this was short lived, with John adding that: “the guys on the job were so impressed with how easily the joints were installed and how much time they saved. Combining this with the uPVC PaveX™ Expanda™ and GFRP dowel system, we will be able to minimise the amount of corrosion in joints and spalling in the concrete in the low-lying wet areas.”

The Livingstone Shire Council’s mantra centres on continual improvement in overall service delivery at an operational level for their constituents, delivering best-in-class results – a vision shared with Tandy Concrete, Fibercon, ICT Concreters Warehouse and ramsetreid.

The Barmaryee Road Shared Path project was completed in July 2020.

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

To learn more about PaveX™, scan the QR code below, or visit us at danley.com.au

For councils: Update your Master Spec! Download the PaveX™ Specification Details by scanning the QR Codes below:

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

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SCIENCE & RESEARCH

WASTEWATER-BASED EPIDEMIOLOGY & PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT The COVID-19 Pandemic has presented global government and industry with particular challenges, and health officials have turned to novel approaches to track the presence of the virus in the community.

One of these approaches is wastewater-based epidemiology where wastewater samples (sewage) are screened for traces of RNA from SARSCoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in sewage does not imply that the wastewater contains infectious particles, as the screening looks for fragments of RNA that are present as a result of the decomposition of the virus in wastewater, but can indicate whether infected persons are present in the catchment of the wastewater system. A team of researchers at the University of Queensland was among the first in the world confirm evidence of the virus in wastewater (Ahmed, 2020a).

While wastewater testing has been undertaken previously in Australia, it has been most widely used to examine evidence of illicit drug use within the broader population. This application, under the current pandemic situation, is likely to be more widely adopted to inform public health decisions.

The technique has been trialled by the Queensland-based researchers, working with colleagues in New Zealand, the US, and Japan where airline and cruise-ship wastewater samples were analysed for the presence

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of SARS CoV-2. The method offers public health officials a means to monitor the potential risk of COVID transmission within the public transport industry that the International Air Transport Association estimates will lose US$113 billion under current restrictions and curtailment of travel throughout the globe.

Screening wastewater samples from incoming aircraft or cruise ships could support clinical testing by providing site-specific, population-level information that can be used to guide passenger screening and contact tracing in a resource efficient and prioritized manner. Given that false negatives are possible through both clinical surveillance and wastewater surveillance, using the two in parallel could maximize the sensitivity of detecting of SARS-CoV-2 infections upon entry (Ahmed, 2020b).

Other testing of municipal wastewater in the Netherlands, France, the USA and Australia suggests that the fluctuation in the sewage detections mirrors the local rates of COVID-19 infection, with the added bonus that, where infections are asymptomatic, detection is possible in cases that may remain otherwise identified.

Researchers globally are working to understand the relationship between sewage detections and infection rates in an effort to quantify the relationship to community infection rates, as blanket testing is not possible in most communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic is certainly creating significant activity in this area, with the instigation of the Australian

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

research program dubbed ColoSSos (Collaboration on Sewage Surveillance of SARSCoV-2) instigated soon after the pandemic impacted Australia.

The program comprises sampling of sewage at treatment plants and within sewer networks, laboratory testing and analysis for SARS-CoV-2, interpretation of results and their integration with COVID-19 disease case data.

References https://academic.oup.com/jtm/ article/27/5/taaa116/5871228 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ article/pii/S0048969720322816 https://theconversation.com/flushingis-our-next-weapon-against-covid-19if-youre-happy-to-have-your-sewagescrutinised-136844 #9 on ColoSSoS https://www.qldwater.com.au/essentialswebinar-series

The Ruby Princess cruise ship was the source of hundreds of cases of COVID-19 throughout Australia after it docked in Sydney on 8 March 2020.

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

FLOODWAYS AND FLOODRELATED EXPERIENCES: A SURVEY OF INDUSTRY EXPERTS AND ASSET OWNERS I. Greene, W. Lokuge* and W. Karunasena Centre for Future Materials, School of Civil Engineering and Surveying, University of Southern Queensland *Corresponding author

Following several extreme flood events within Australia, the investigation into floodway construction and maintenance techniques has been undertaken by many government organisations to enhance the resilience of rural communities. To collate the intuition and experiences of engineers, asset owners and individuals undertaking these investigations, a survey containing openended and closed-ended questions was prepared and distributed. This survey specifically focused on the vulnerability of floodway structures during extreme flood events, the failure mechanisms observed and feedback relating to design improvements and amendments. The responses received form a significant repository of information pertaining to the design, construction and maintenance techniques being undertaken in practice.

The responses also highlight several areas

of vulnerability such as the downstream rock protection, raised floodway structures, sandy soil types and impact loading from debris conveyed by floodwaters. Several improvements to the current design practices were also identified.

Introduction Floodway road structures (Figure 1) are often utilised in lower order roads to facilitate the safe crossing of ephemeral, low flow and large flow water courses through improvements to the stability and predictability of the trafficable surface. During large flow rainfall events, such as that experienced during flooding, traffic movements are often precluded. Floodway construction is highly variable and dependent upon the roads required level of service and the specific site conditions. Variations of floodway structures include vented and unvented, raised or level (relative to the creek bed) and unsealed, sealed and concrete. A typical concrete floodway consists of several major components as outlined in Figure 2. The Austroads (2013) publication, Guide to Road Design Part 5B: Drainage Open Channels, Culverts and Floodways is the nationally accepted design guideline for floodway construction in Australia. In addition, the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (2010) and Main Roads Western Australia (2006) have developed best practice design guidelines.

These three design guidelines primarily detail floodway design based upon hydraulic design principles.

Over the past decade, floodrelated natural disasters have caused significant and widespread damage to the built environment. Examples of recent flood events include the floods in 2011 and 2013 which brought widespread heavy rainfall to Queensland, the 2016 extreme weather event in South Australia and the monsoonal and cyclonic rainfall events experienced yearly in the northern parts of Australia.

As a result of these events and the associated increased floodwaters, floodways sustain increased direct loading and hydraulic influences that often cause significant structural damage. These structures also play a vital role in postdisaster recovery and need to be designed in a manner that allows them to re-open and be in a serviceable state immediately after an extreme flood event.

As a repercussion of the repeat damage being experienced, councils have undertaken numerous betterment projects to increase the structural resilience of floodways against flooding and to reduce ongoing operational expenditure. Significant experience and improved construction techniques have been acquired through the undertaking of these betterment projects relating to the design, maintenance and construction of floodways. To collate this knowledge, a survey focusing on the vulnerability and associated failure mechanisms of floodway

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SCIENCE & RESEARCH structures during extreme flood events was distributed to engineers, asset owners and individuals. Sixty-four completed responses were received and analysed, forming a significant repository of knowledge pertaining to the design, construction and maintenance practices of floodways within Australia.

International Surveys Floodways are not unique to Australia and are also utilised in many other countries. Several international authors, Lohnes et al. (2001) and Gautam and Bhattarai (2018), have also conducted research surveys into the suitability of floodway structures with many of the outcomes transferrable to floodway design, construction and maintenance in Australia.

Provided below are summaries of these surveys. Although not directly aligned with this Australian survey, they provide an interesting insight which highlights additional items for consideration.

Iowa Survey, United States A survey conducted by Lohnes et al. (2001) in Iowa, United States was aimed at collecting information relating to floodway crossings, along with suggestions on their practical use. This survey received a total of 70 responses, and the key findings are summarised as follows: • There was a heavy reliance on in-house design standards and construction (64 per cent), whereas only 32 per cent referenced existing design guides. Four per cent stated that they utilise both.

• Majority of respondents preferred vented floodway constructions (i.e. culverts), as opposed to unvented floodways.

• Respondents suggested that floodways were not suitable in the following applications: 1. When used with small pipe diameters for vents as they tended to become obstructed with debris 2. In deep inscribed channels

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Figure 1. Floodway structure implemented in a low flow watercourse (Lockyer Valley Regional Council, personal photograph, 16 June 2011).

Figure 2. Major components of a typical floodway structure.

where velocity is often high 3. In roads crossing watercourses at angles above 10 - 15 degrees 4. In sedimentary silt soils due to floodway instability, and 5. Where it is the only access to a local residence.

• Respondents suggested that floodways were suitable in the following applications: 1. When an oversized drainage structure is incorporated 2. When situated flush with the creek bed (for unvented floodway applications) 3. In lower order roads where traffic volumes are low 4. In ephemeral streams, and 5. When floodway design permits gradual entry and exit points.

• It was suggested by 70 per cent of respondents that floodways are an excellent substitute for bridges and culverts when appropriate and applicable conditions exist. This asset class

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can also offer significant capital reduction and satisfactory maintenance periods when constructed correctly.

Illinois Survey, United States Similarly, a survey was conducted

by Gautam and Bhattarai (2018) to summarise the consensus of floodway use. Respondents were from 55 geographical regions within Illinois, United States and the key findings are summarised as follows: • Floodways were often used within rural settings and on roads with low average daily traffic counts (less than 25 vehicles per day).

• Floodways were often implemented based on economic savings.

• The allowable overtopping duration of floodways was based on the utilisation category and asset importance level; however, the consensus stated that it should be restricted to less than five per centduration per year.

• Floodways should only be

SCIENCE & RESEARCH implemented to access residential properties when an alternative route exists.

• A lack of warning signs was found to increase the likelihood of accidents significantly.

To further contribute to this survey knowledge, this research paper presents the results of a survey undertaken in Australia, which focuses specifically on the vulnerability of floodways during extreme flood events.

Survey Methodology An online survey instrument consisting of 12 questions was prepared using Lime Survey (2020) and received ethics approval from the University of Southern Queensland. Prior to dissemination, the online survey instrument was thoroughly betatested to ensure functionality.

The target audience consisted of individuals and asset owners with expertise in floodway design, construction and maintenance and included councils, road authorities, technical consultants and IPWEA members. The survey questions were mainly objective, however also incorporated questions that allowed the respondents to detail their experiences and knowledge further. On average, the survey took approximately nine minutes to complete and was open for three weeks.

A range of different open- and closed-ended survey questions were utilised. These survey questions can be further categorised into the following question types:

enabled respondents to formulate their own responses or provide additional comments regarding their experiences.

Responses The survey was accessed a total of 96 times, for which 64 completed responses (66.7 per cent) were received. The remaining 32 responses (33.3 per cent) were partially completed and were not considered in the analysis (Figure 3). The survey received participation from Qld, NSW, Vic and SA, providing a good crosssection of floodway experiences within Australia.

Figure 3. Survey responses received.

Results & Discussion In your experience, what is the likelihood that a floodway, inclusive of protection, will sustain damage during extreme flood events?

The survey results strongly suggest that floodway structures were “highly likely” (42.2 per cent) or “likely” (40.6 per cent) to sustain damage during extreme flood events (Figure 4). The options “neither likely nor unlikely”, “unlikely” and “very unlikely” received 10.9 per cent, 4.7 per cent and 1.6 per cent respectively.

1. Likert scaled questions – these questions were used initially to measure the respondent’s opinion and attitude on the topic 2. Multiple-choice questions – these questions were used throughout the survey to allow the respondents to define answers from a list of pre-defined answers or select ‘Other’ and explain an alternative answer, and 3. Array open-ended style questions – these questions

Figure 4. Likelihood of floodways to sustain damage during extreme flood events.

In your experience, which

floodway component is most susceptible to damage during an extreme flood event?

What is the likely cause of this damage?

It was suggested by respondents that downstream floodway structural components are most likely to sustain damage during extreme flood events.

Downstream rock protection ranked highest (65.6 per cent), followed by the downstream batter (12.5 per cent) and downstream cut-off wall (7.8 per cent). Few respondents stated that the upstream rock protection (7.8 per cent), apron (4.7 per cent) and upstream cutoff wall (1.6 per cent) were the most susceptible component to be damaged during extreme flood events (Figure 5).

The respondent’s reasoning behind selecting the downstream rock protection was relatively aligned. It was explained that as water flows over the concrete apron and down the batter, velocity increases. This water is then discharged into the downstream tailwater, which is of a much lower velocity causing an abrupt rise and associated turbulent conditions as energy levels dissipate (hydraulic jump).

This phenomenon is further exacerbated in flood conditions where significant supercritical flow velocities exist, and the downstream channel is in a submerged/flooded state.

This hydraulic jump and associated turbulence were suggested to be the primary cause of scouring, erosion and “popping” of the downstream dumped rock rip rap protection.

Several respondents stated that the use of rock mattresses (gabion baskets), geotextile fabrics, rock pitching with concrete/mortar grouting and anchoring of rock protection to the structure enhanced protection functionality during extreme flood events. One respondent mentioned that by creating a rock pool at the downstream toe of the floodway the locality of where the hydraulic jump occurs can be promoted

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SCIENCE & RESEARCH and rock protection in this area designed accordingly.

Once the downstream rock protection had failed, the downstream cut-off wall was the next component observed to fail.

Other areas of floodway failure reported by respondents were as follows: • A pron – no allowance for subsoil drainage or weep holes in the concrete floodway structure cause the pavement to remain saturated for prolonged periods and the apron to fail under vehicular loading, and •A pproaches – the approaches were found to be susceptible to wash-out if the floodway structure and subsequent rock protection didn’t extend far enough past the high-water level.

Figure 5. Floodway components most susceptible to damage during extreme flood events.

In your experience, is floodway failure more common in raised floodway structures or floodway structures situated level with the creek bed?

do not impart a hydraulic control on the watercourse.

This eliminates lateral loadings which increase proportionally with velocity, such as drag, debris and impact. The potential of scouring and undermining of the downstream cut-off wall is also significantly reduced as no hydraulic jump or increase in flow velocity exists within the immediate downstream zone (headwater level equals tailwater level). They are also usually a simpler structure to construct and therefore are very cost-effective to implement. However, depth of flow is uncontrolled in level floodway crossings precluding the movement of traffic during anything other than minor rainfall events, thus reducing the level of service that can be achieved (increased time of closure).

Raised floodway structures are critical in applications where control of the flow depth and velocity over the structure is required. These structures reduce the time of closure and facilitate the incorporation of culvert structures allowing the road surface to remain unaffected during minor flooding. Raised floodway structures can also present issues for fish migration and suitable fish passages need to be considered during design.

This response aligned well with the emerging trend of floodway asset owners vertically re-aligning raised floodway structures level with the creek bed after observing significantly less damage post-flood event.

Floodway structures situated level with the creek bed are extremely effective structures since they

Permissible velocity based on the strata characteristics of the creek bed is a significant factor

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To obtain a non-erodible creek bed, armouring of the creek bed is usually required. This involves selecting a material which has a limiting velocity greater than the calculated flow velocity of the watercourse. The adoption of geotextile fabric materials underneath the rock armouring also assists in mitigating creek bed erosion.

Is floodway failure more common in certain soil types, if so which type?

78.1 per cent of respondents stated that floodway failure is more noticeable in certain soil types. Out of the multiple-choice list of soil types, a Sandy Soil type received the most responses (56 per cent), followed by Clay Soils (12 per cent), Silty Soils (10 per cent) and Gravel Soils (8 per cent). The option to select ‘Other’ also existed, which received seven responses (14 per cent) as illustrated in Figure 6. These responses detailed that sodic and highly dispersive soils were also problematic to floodway construction.

Fifty-two respondents (87.5 per cent) stated that floodway failure was more common in raised floodway structures as opposed to level floodway structures (12.5 per cent).

in determining if a non-erodible creek bed exists. Achieving a nonerodible creek bed during design ensures the best probability in minimising the occurrence of creek bed erosion and scour during flooding. Based on the responses from this survey, it can be concluded that soils which lack cohesion (sandy soils) or are dispersive have a higher tendency to be dissolved and erode during extreme flood events. From a lateral loading perspective, soils that lack cohesion also have a reduced ability to resist loading compared to well compacted cohesive soils.

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Figure 6. Likelihood of Floodway failure based upon creek bed soil type.

Floodway susceptibility to failure due to impact and debris loading.

Forty respondents (62.5 per cent) stated that increased sediment loading from articles such as organic debris (logs) and boulders have contributed to floodway failure as a result of being conveyed by floodwaters and impacting the floodway structure. Of these 40 respondents, 15 (37.5 per cent) stated that impact from boulders (large rocks) specifically contributed to the failures experienced. The other

SCIENCE & RESEARCH 25 respondents (62.5 per cent) indicated that the impact of boulders did not contribute to the failures.

Several authors have undertaken investigations into the failure mechanisms of floodways during extreme flood events [BNHCRC, 2015; Wahalathantri et al., 2015; Furniss et al., 2002; GHD 2012].

The research conducted by BNHCRC (2015), Wahalathantri et al. (2015) and GHD (2012), specifically investigated the factors contributing to the many floodway failures reported after the significant and widespread flooding within Australia. These studies have recorded relatively consistent failure mechanisms and attributed floodway failure to the increased sediment loads, organic debris (logs) and boulders being conveyed by floodwaters, impacting the floodway structure and causing significant loading whilst in a submerged state. Furniss et al.

(2002) explains that this type of failure is often complicated and is a factor of the specific environment and frequency of landslides, watercourse bank erosion, treefall and other processes occurring upstream of the floodway structure.

Has the respondent undertaken any investigation into different concrete cut-off wall configurations?

Respondents were asked if they had undertaken any investigations into different concrete cut-off wall configurations, including depth and width. Out of the 64 respondents, seven (10.9 per cent) stated that they had undertaken investigations into different cutoff wall configurations, while the remaining 57 respondents (89.1 per cent) indicated that they had not.

Of the seven respondents that had undertaken investigations into different cut-wall configurations, four respondents (57.1 per cent) had considered both the upstream and downstream cut-off walls, two respondents (28.6 per cent) had

only considered the downstream cut-off wall and one respondent (14.3 per cent) had only considered the upstream cut-off wall as illustrated in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Cut-off wall location which respondents had undertaken investigations into.

Most of these investigations were regarding cut-off wall depth, width and the incorporation of structural steel reinforcement to mitigate floodway superstructure failure in the occurrence of downstream scouring and undermining.

The cut-off wall provides several critical functions within the floodway structures as follows: 1. Increases stabilising moment by providing a greater distribution area to the adjoining soil. This significantly increases the structure’s ability to resist horizontal loading in the direction of flow resulting from debris, drag and impact.

2. Prevents groundwater from flowing freely through the underlying foundation material.

3. Protects the structures foundation material against scouring and undermining, both at the upstream, downstream and the transition from the concrete floodway back to the road surface at the approaches.

A cut-off wall depth greater than 900 mm, which extends around the entire perimeter of the concrete floodway structure was generally found sufficient to achieve the required functions as detailed in points two and three above. To satisfy point one, the bending moment distribution needs to be determined and

concrete width and structural reinforcement designed accordingly.

Has the respondent trialled other investigations into floodway design improvements and modifications?

The respondents were asked if they had trialled any other improvements or amendments to floodway design to increase structural resilience against flooding. Twenty-three respondents (35.9 per cent) stated that they had, while the other 41 respondents (64.1 per cent) indicated that they had not. The improvements and modifications to current floodway construction practices from the 23 responses received can be summarised as follows: Geometric Alignment: Many respondents are vertically re-aligning replacement and new floodway constructions level with the creek bed. One respondent stated that raised floodway structures should only be adopted if the height differential between the headwater and tailwater level was limited to 300 mm. This statement was based on reduced damage observations to downstream floodway components after adopting such a limit.

Floodway Structure: It was suggested that by creating a monolithic floodway structure (constructing in one continuous pour), the structure durability was significantly increased, i.e. no cold joints. Furthermore, the use of concrete structures in-lieu of sealed and unsealed floodways was found to be essential in achieving structural resilience against flooding.

Pavement Materials: Stabilisation of the foundation pavement material was highly recommended to ensure that the pavement retains its strength while in a saturated state.

Alternative foundation materials such as lean mix concrete and foam bitumen pavement have also been successfully trialled in

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SCIENCE & RESEARCH floodway construction.

Rock Protection: Respondents suggested that when using rock mattresses, the shoulders need to be appropriately tied into the adjoining banks and concrete nib walls constructed. Rock protection mattresses adjoining the structure should also be anchored to the concrete floodway via appropriate chemset connections to prevent displacement.

Other feedback based on the respondent’s experiences in floodway construction and maintenance.

Provided below is a summary of other feedback received based on the respondent’s different experiences in floodway design, construction and maintenance.

•F loodways are often a compromise between initial construction cost and ongoing maintenance requirements.

•S ubcritical flow over the apron can be promoted by grading the apron towards the upstream direction. A rock pool can also be created in the downstream rock protection at the toe of the structure to help promote the hydraulic jump to occur in a controlled manner.

•T he floodway structure should extend far enough past the high-water mark to prevent the road approaches scouring due to afflux.

•T he floodway should be geometrically similar each side of the watercourse to ensure flow conditions aren’t more concentrated in one area.

•A dopting standard engineering floodway drawings can often prove to be a false economy when it comes to structural resilience. Usually a 150 mm thick concrete apron with SL82 mesh reinforcement is specified, however, most pavement design guidelines specify a minimum thickness of 200 mm for heavy traffic applications.

•C ulverts and pipes need to be aligned with the main flow direction. Sufficiently large

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culverts need to be incorporated when used in floodway applications. The installation of baffles in box culverts restrict flow and have the potential for debris collection and failure due to the associated additional lateral loadings.

• I f the level of service for the road allows, implementation of a floodway structure level with the creek bed is beneficial and reduces downstream influences from turbulence caused by a hydraulic jump, i.e. headwater level equals tailwater level.

•T he funding requirements to implement concrete floodway structures with hydraulic immunity in rural road networks is often not viable for many rural Councils. Floodway design needs to be performance-based with consideration of how the structure should function to meet the desired level of service.

•F rom a disaster recovery perspective, it was suggested that the time it takes a damaged floodway structure to return to service should be investigated to reduce access restrictions imposed on communities post extreme flood event. To facilitate this, it was suggested that the following should be investigated further: •R edundancy (sacrificial damage): investigate methods which would enable only sacrificial damage to occur to floodways for events greater than the design event. This would alleviate the need to undertake full structure replacement, or significant structural rectification works post extreme flood event.

•A ccepted emergent work practices: develop guidelines on accepted emergent work practices for postevent recovery, such as the minimum investigation, design work, traffic limitations and reinstatement requirements to be undertaken to enable a floodway crossing to be reopened in a reduced capacity until full reconstruction works can be achieved. As an example, one innovative

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solution witnessed in a flood event was the use of 1 m3 concrete blocks (like those used in material loading bunkers) to form temporary upstream and downstream floodway edges.

•F loodways are typically specified as a no barrier type construction, which often causes issues in defining the pavement edge when in a submerged state. Some floodway constructions utilise frangible traffic barriers and pedestrian balustrades; however, these are not explicitly mentioned in the design guidelines. These systems often employ a two-bolt arrangement, where the larger bolt acts as a hinge and the smaller bolt acts as a shear pin. During flood events the pin is sheared from the increased drag and debris loading, subsequently dropping the barrier.

Conclusion Significant damage to the built environment has resulted over the past decade due to flood-related hydrological disasters. A research survey was prepared and distributed to collate the experiences and observations of asset owners regarding floodway structures and their susceptibility to failure during flood-related events.

The results analysed suggest that flooding is a significant cause of floodway failure. It was highlighted that downstream floodway components including rock protection, cut-off wall and apron, respectively, were the most likely components to fail during exposure to flooding.

Raised floodway structures were also discovered to be significantly more vulnerable to failure than structures constructed level with the creek bed. This was a result of imparting a control on the watercourse and the associated hydraulic influences.

Furthermore, the watercourse bed soil type was also discovered to be a significant contributor to floodway failure, thus highlighting the importance of achieving a non-erodible creek bed during design to

SCIENCE & RESEARCH mitigate creek bed erosion and scour, particularly in soils that lack cohesion or are dispersive.

Several asset owners had also undertaken investigations into improvements pertaining to the design, construction and maintenance of floodway structures and provided their findings and success in achieving increased flood immunity.

The responses received from the undertaking of this survey provide a significant knowledge base of the current experiences and observations of asset owners.

Further Work The failure mechanisms recorded within this survey will be used to validate numerical floodway modelling outputs. Based on the numerical analysis results, a simplified structural analysis method will be derived, allowing designers to specify structural reinforcement requirements to enhance structural durability, strength and serviceability. A new design guideline incorporating this structural design process is

the end utilisation deliverable for this research.

Designs Implemented along Rural, Low-Volume Roads”, Environments, Vol. 5, No. 2, Page 22 – 38.

Acknowledgements

GHD (2012), “Report for Floodway Research Project”, GHD PTY LTD, available at: http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/ webdata/resources/project/Flood_ Damage_Remediation_Approaches_ Project_Output-1.pdf (accessed 29 March 2018).

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Commonwealth of Australia through the Cooperative Research Centre program; Bushfire and Natural Hazard CRC and the Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship.

References Austroads (2013), Guide to Road Design Part 5B: Drainage - Open Channels, Culverts and Floodway, 1st edn, ARRB Group, Sydney.

BNHCRC (2015), Report No. 1: Failure of Road Structures Under Natural Hazards, Bush Fire and Natural Hazards CRC. Furniss M.J., Ledwith S.T., Love A.M., McFadin C.B. and Flanagan A.S. 2002, Response of Road-Stream Crossings to Large Flood Events in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California, United States Department of Agriculture, US. <https://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/html/ wr_p/98771807/98771807.htm> Gautam S & Bhattarai R (2018), “LowWater Crossings: An Overview of

Lime Survey (2020), Lime Survey, https:// www.limesurvey.org/en/ (accessed 02/09/2020).

Lohnes, R.A., Gu, R.R., McDonald, T. and Jha, M.K. (2001), “Low Water Stream Crossings: Design and Construction Recommendations”, Iowa State University, Available at http://publications. iowa.gov/11913/1/LWSC.pdf (accessed 13/04/2019).

Main Roads Western Australia (2006), Floodway Design Guide, 6702-02-2230 edn, Main Roads Western Australia, Perth.

Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (2010), Road Drainage Manual, 1st edn, Queensland Department of Transport Main Roads, Brisbane.

Wahalathantri, B.L., Lokuge, W., Karunasena, W. and Setunge, S. (2015), “Vulnerability of floodways under extreme flood Events”, Natural Hazards Review, Vol. 17 No. 1.

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SCIENCE & RESEARCH

USE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF ENGINEERED ROAD CROSSINGS FOR WILDLIFE (WILDLIFE CROSSINGS)

Dare Janzekovic B.Eng (Civil) Traffic Engineer at Rytenskild Traffic Engineering Background Road systems across the globe cause an enormous number of wildlife road mortalities and disrupt wildlife population in the process. Based on most recent estimates, Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extensive road network stretches over 800,000 kilometres, equating to approximately 0.06 kilometres per capita. Over the world, roads and transport systems span over 36.5 million kilometres, with Australia stacking up eighth in the kilometres of road per country (www.cia.gov, n.d.).

Throughout Australia roads are the primary cause of wildlife fragmentation and transform landscapes by removing habitat and create barriers/filters to the movement of many wildlife species. The fundamental ways in which roads cause disruption to our native wildlife include reduction or loss of population due to habitat removal, vehicle-induced mortality, disruption in migration patterns and changes in gene flow (which result in genetic isolation and interbreeding).

For these fundamental reasons, re-search and technology has

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been dedicated to the study of engineered crossings to mitigate the impact of the inevitable transport growth in Australia and the world. It is suspected that the first purpose-built wildlife passages were constructed in the mid 1900s, in Europe and North America, with the Australian road authorities generally starting to implement similar engineered methods in more recent years (Dominic and App, 2010).

Types of Engineered Wildlife Crossings Engineered wildlife crossings come in two primary forms, these being the underpass and overpass. A third crossing method, identified as a nonstructural option, consists of solutions where wildlife has the opportunity to traverse the road using natural methods, with little or no engineering intervention.

The common methods used as non-structural options are canopy connectivity, atgrade crossings, corridor planting and elevation of linear structure.

An overpass is typically defined as a structure built over the roadway or highway and allows passage for animals above the road. The most well-known form of an overpass is a land bridge, which is also re-ferred to as an eco-duct or wildlife bridge. This is typically a 30 - 70 metre wide bridge that extends over a roadway and is topped with soil and is wellplanted with vegetation and other habitat features (Figure 1).

This method caters for a wide range of species, specifically for larger land vertebrates. Another form of an overpass is a canopy

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

bridge. This is a rope suspended above traffic, either from vertical poles or trees and is generally built in areas with high arboreal and scansiorial populations.

For glider species, such as the Sugar Glider or Squirrel Glider, a third overpass option has been specifically designed to adopt to their environment. Glider poles are installed on each side of the roadway, typically 12 metres or higher, giving the opportunity for these mammals to glide between poles rather than walk or crawl (Van Der Ree et al., 2008).

An underpass is a structure that allows wildlife to cross beneath the road surface. This method in-cludes culverts, tunnels and pipes, with the size of the underpass being the primary factor influencing wildlife crossing rates. A culvert is a cost effective option and is installed underneath the road inside the soil. These are typically precast three metre x three metre concrete structures and at times also serve for drainage. Culverts used as wildlife crossings typically do not exceed 25 metres to maintain natural light penetration and to avoid the appearance of a cave, which can deter animals from moving through the system (Figure 2).

The size of the culvert opening is dependent on the length of the un-derpass.

Another underpass method widely used in Australia and the world is the bridge underpass.

Similar to the land bridge (overpass), this method caters for a wide variety of wildlife and comprises of a structure elevating

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

FIGURE 1 - ROAD OVERPASS (COMPTON ROAD, BRISBANE) (SOURCE: https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0019/135406/compton-road-main.jpg)

FIGURE 2 - ROAD CULVERT UNDERPASS (BECKETT ROAD, BRISBANE) (SOURCE: https://wildlifetracker.net/imagespage/ShelfCompsiteCropped-400.jpg

traffic above the surrounding land, allowing animals to pass under the road. This meth-od is the most costly and is used when building over flood-prone areas or when traversing water-courses (Van Der Ree et al., 2008).

Effectiveness of Engineered Wildlife Crossings Data for the effectiveness of

engineered crossings is relatively new, however there is evidence in Aus-tralia and internationally which suggest that adoption of the appropriate system provides a benefit for specific species.

There is evidence that use of the systems by animals tends to increase as they be-come more accustomed to the structure.

Additionally, based on research

conducted in the United States, from 50 separate studies, it is indicated that just crossing mitigation (fences) reduces roadkill by up to 40 per cent, with up to a 54 per cent reduction when both a mitigation method and some sort of crossing structure is provided (Rytwinski et al., 2016).

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SCIENCE & RESEARCH Based on the above, evidence suggests that most measures designed to increase the permeability of roads for wildlife are successful, and significantly reduce vehicle induced mortality when designed ap-propriately.

However, the extent to which the population and local community has benefited from that successful crossing is still unclear.

Conclusion Many road agencies in Australia are now initiating policies and constructing roads to have less envi-ronmental impact.

Major linear infrastructure capital works consume large amounts of money, howev-er wildlife mitigation generally only consists of only one to two per cent of the overall construction budget. Take for example the construction of the land bridge for the Compton Road upgrade.

The cost of the structure was approximately $700,000, which at the time was 1.5 per cent of the overall cost of the upgrade.

Notwithstanding, the amount spent on mitigation is relatively small compared with the overall construction and maintenance

budgets of state and national road agencies. Therefore, given that the amount spent on linear infrastructure is significant when it is compared with how much is spent on the full range of general conservation actions, it is imperative that research and analysis is undertaken before the construction process and planning of future transport systems to ensure that mitigation dollars are spent wisely to achieve maximum benefit.

www.cia.gov. (n.d.). The World Factbook â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Central Intelligence Agency. [online] Available at: https:// www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/rankorder/2085rank. html [Accessed 11 Aug. 2020].

Dominic, B. and App, T. (2010). Use and effectiveness of engineered road crossing-structures for wildlife in eastern Australia. [online] Available at: https:// research-repository.griffith.edu.au/ bitstream/handle/10072/365203/ Taylor_2010_02Thesis.pdf?sequence=1 [Accessed 9 Aug. 2020] Van Der Ree, T., Clarkson, R., Holland, D. and Gulle, K. (2008). REVIEW OF MITIGATION MEASURES USED TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUES OF HABITAT

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FRAGMENTATION. [online] Available at: https://www.environment.gov.au/ system/files/resources/dbcf5e19-a1bc4405-b497-fdcc7c05ab12/files/habitatfragmentation.pdf.

Rytwinski, T., Soanes, K., Jaeger, J.A.G., Fahrig, L., Findlay, C.S., Houlahan, J., van der Ree, R. and van der Grift, E.A. (2016). How Effective Is Road Mitigation at Reducing Road-Kill?

A Meta-Analysis. PLOS ONE, 11(11), p.e0166941.

REPORTS

QAO REPORTS 2018-19 IMPROVEMENTS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCIALS In a report tabled on 20 February 2020, QAO (Queensland Audit Office) noted the breadth of the activities undertaken by the 77 local governments in Queensland, finding that all council financials completed to date were both reliable and compliant. They also reported that councils had been more timely in these completions with only four councils yet to finalise their 2018-19 financials.

QAO concluded that the financial sustainability of councils continued to be challenging, with more than half delivering services to their community that cost more than they were able to raise in rates, fees, charges and grants.

This situation is particularly difficult for councils in rural, remote and Indigenous areas.

Uncertainty is an ongoing issue for grant-dependent councils, where financial sustainability is dependent on sources of fluctuating and changeable funding. Planning for the medium and long term toward financial sustainability is unviable under these circumstances.

The report notes the new grants model developed by the Department of Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs which streamlines the framework for state government grant programs. However, it is noted that “this will assist councils in identifying and applying for grants in the short term, it may not help council plan for longterm sustainability”.

QAO also reports that the ratios set by the Department of Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs, which are used by councils to measure sustainability, have been in place since 2013, and recommends that these ratios be reconsidered in light of their relevance to the changing needs of councils.

In Queensland, the cost of asset maintenance and replacement is increasing with the portfolio held by councils at a value of $106.8 billion used for the delivery of community services. The report noted the critical nature of asset management to longterm financial sustainability of the local government sector, with the necessity to understand the performance, cost and age of their assets in context of informed decisions concerning their renewal, maintenance and replacement.

Other recommendations concerning internal controls include: •C ouncils need stronger governance with attention paid to these structures during council transitions such as those following the March 2020 elections. The report concludes, “An active audit committee and internal audit function can support a council in ensuring internal controls are effective, particularly during times of change, and in monitoring the timely resolution of audit recommendations”.

•F raud continues to occur at councils and “vigilance over payments, strong internal controls and cybercrime awareness training are crucial for councils, regardless of their size”.

•A pproved purchasing processes must be followed and •S ecure information systems are essential.

A comprehensive and detailed list of recommendations for councils and for the department are listed in the report to address the issues highlighted, particularly in regard to financial sustainability and governance of councils and their assets.

The Queensland Audit Office is the independent auditor of the Queensland public sector with all reports tabled in state parliament. https://www.qao.qld.gov.au/ reports-resources/reportsparliament/local-governmententities-2018-19-results-financialaudits

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REPORTS

COVID-19 ECONOMIC RECOVERY TARGETS STAGED PARTNERSHIPS As part of the Queensland Government economic recovery plan for COVID-19, a total of $8.93 million has been allocated for investment in infrastructure and visitor facilities for national parks throughout the state.

These works will focus on walking trails and day use areas, improve the access roads and tracks and update visitor facilities.

Some of the parks where visitors may see these improvements include Gondwana Rainforests, Daisy Hill Visitor Centre, Magnetic Island National Park and the Mon Repos Visitor Centre, where a conversion to renewable energy will be possible with these resources.

Another major announcement from the state government on 20 August 2020 outlined a longer term strategy for the future, pledging $7 billion to support 55,000 jobs. It utilises partnerships with business, industry, local government and the community to keep the economy moving.

Stage One includes a $50 billion Infrastructure Guarantee which maintains the current infrastructure, spending $51.8 billion over four years (until 2023). Regions are set to benefit with a $400 million Accelerated Works program directed at capital and road maintenance.

A COVID Recovery Package is aimed at support of local jobs and a Local Government fund

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for productive infrastructure.

There is also a $11.25 million Household Resilience Program with the ambition of supporting local industry through natural disaster resilience in north and central Queensland homes. There is a $50 million boost to tourism to assist the development of tourism projects and existing tourist icons.

Small business benefits with $100 million Small Business Adaptation Grants program and $7 million is directed at a Domestic Tourism Campaign to attract Australian travellers.

Making it for Queensland is a $50 million program toward attracting industry to grow the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advanced manufacturing capacity. CopperString receives $14.8 million to continue to investigate the feasibility of the connections between the North West Minerals Province and the national electricity market. Up to $20 million will be provided for

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

training to assist Queenslanders who have lost jobs to access free skills development. And $20 milllion will be directed at the Queensland Apprenticeships Centre to position the state at the forefront of renewable hydrogen.

Stage Two will focus on agriculture, construction, tourism, resources, arts and culture, small business, and industry initiatives over the immediate and mediumterm future. Queenslandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Economic Recovery Plan, 2020 is available at https://www. covid19.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/ pdf_file/0025/128194/economicrecovery-plan.pdf

REPORTS

STEM CHANGES INCREASE TERTIARY PRESSURES The Australian government recently announced changes to university funding for 2021 to redirect students into mathematics, teaching and nursing, agriculture, STEM and IT. Fees for these areas of study will reduce while costs to other degrees will increase (for example, to humanities, commerce and law).

Other government objectives outlined in the announcement included measures to lift the education attainment for students in regional Australia and a desire to strengthen relationships with business to

drive workforce participation and productivity.

Key to the successful implementation of the increase in STEM graduates is a partnership with universities, already suffering steep losses following COVID-19’s disruption to university admission of international students.

Published figures suggest an engineering student’s contribution to university fees will decrease from $9,696 to $7,700 (from 2021), a science student’s fees will fall from $9,698 to $7,700 and mathematics from $9,698 to $3,700. Conversely, those wishing to study Creative Arts will see an increase in their fees from $6,804

to $7,700 and Humanities from $6,804 to $14,500 (approximately 77 per cent).

However, university leaders have suggested this funding overhaul may be flawed. Andrew Norton, a professor of higher education at the Australian National University suggested incentives offered through lower fees may create the opposite effect because total funding would be reduced in some of the government’s priority areas.

Ian Jacobs, vice-chancellor of the University of New South Wales, noted that the decrease in both the government and student contributions for science and engineering

University of Queensland: By palg1305 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/palg1305/14987563387/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:// commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39082460

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REPORTS degrees would leave “a burden of about $5,000 per student per year for universities to absorb” creating a “perverse financial incentive for some universities to decrease training in science and engineering, where the overall fee is reduced, and train more in the humanities, law, economics, management and commerce, where the overall fees are increased through the student contribution”.

Julie Bishop (former foreign minister), now Chancellor of the Australian National University, said that these changes would create “a greater incentive for univer­sities to take in a higher number of law, commerce and humanities students than there is to take in students in engineering and maths”, contrary to the government’s policy intentions.

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Others have noted that Australia’s HECS scheme may mean that these changes have little impact, with students focussed on their areas of interest and unlikely to be deterred by the impost of additional charge. The HECS scheme offers delayed repayment for decades. Professor Bruce Chapman, the architect of the HECS Scheme believes changes in course costs were unlikely to change student demand. He said, “the nature of income contingent loans meant decisions were made almost without reference to the price.

What is going to happen to you in a price sense is extremely unimportant in 12 years’ time”.

We will continue to monitor the way in which the uptake of engineering, civil engineering in particular, and observe whether or not the changes to course

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

funding makes any difference to our sector. We are hoping for a continuous steady stream of public works engineers to deliver works and services for the betterment of Queensland.

References https://www.canberratimes.com.au/ story/6799721/fears-humanities-couldbecome-domain-of-elites-in-uni-shakeup/ https://ministers.dese.gov.au/tehan/ minister-education-dan-tehan-nationalpress-club-address https://www.theguardian.com/australianews/2020/jun/19/australian-universityfees-arts-stem-science-maths-nursingteaching-humanities https://www.theaustralian.com.au/ nation/uni-fee-reforms-risk-rush-forhumanities/news-story/287b35b9a98ba1 5263f769e6550ef0ef

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

Street Design MANUAL

The most comprehensive contemporary manual for the planning and design of streets in Australia

Purpose: •P rovide planning and design practitioners (urban planners, civil engineers and civil design technicians) with contemporary guidelines for use in the planning and design of streets and street networks within various landuse precinct types ie a code of practice.

• Formatted as a development code or planning scheme policy, capable of being adopted in local government planning schemes and other planning frameworks.

The manual will provide contemporary good practice guidelines and codes of practice for the planning and design of streets and street networks for the following precinct types: 1. Transit-oriented Activity Centres 2. Non-transit-oriented Commercial Centres (such as District Centres) 3. Main Streets 4. Multi-use Precincts 5. Business Parks 6. Industrial Precincts 7. Rural Villages 8. Lower-density Residential Neighbourhoods 9. Rural Residential Neighbourhoods 10. Lower-density Private Residential Developments (where the internal roads are common property).

Contact Director Professional Services Craig.Moss@ipweaq.com 07 3632 6805

Separate planning principles and objectives will be defined for each of the precinct types.

Some will be common across most or all precincts and some will be specific for a precinct type.

Each precinct type will contain tables of assessment, being the performance outcomes and associated acceptable solutions for the planning of the street network within the precinct and the functional layout (including typical cross section) of individual streets within the precinct.

   www.ipweaq.com

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS. V ehicular access to premises S treet dining

A wnings/protection for pedestrians from the elements

P ublic transport shelters

For each street function and each street element, design principles and objectives will be defined.

C ommunity interaction

M icro-climate mitigation measures

S eating

S treetscape treatment

Street functions may include:

E xercise activities

 T rees

S treet entertainment

O ther planting

P edestrian traffic, including people with a disability

N on-motorised vehicular traffic (bicycles and scooters)

 Mobility scooters and segways  Motorised vehicular traffic  Public transport  Vehicular parking  Vehicular loading spaces  Refuse Collection  Commercial interaction P edestrian access to premises

H ard landscaping

P lay O verland stormwater conveyance (the major drainage system)

S tormwater capture and conveyance (the minor drainage system)

S tormwater quality treatment S treet Planning and Design Manual 6

 L ighting U tility services (each type to be considered separately)

S treet art S ignage; and O ther street furniture (serving the above functions) The appendices will provide additional commentary and explanatory material for practitioners.

As far as practical, the manual will be evidence-based and supported by sound scientific principles. The basis for adoption of standards and guidelines in the manual will be included in the commentary.

Two storey apartments with basement parking provided as part of an integrated development, Bulimba

Contact Director Professional Services Craig.Moss@ipweaq.com 07 3632 6805

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For individual streets, the performance outcomes and acceptable solutions will be based on the roles and functions appropriate for that street.

IPWEAQ UPDATES

CQ BRANCH PRESIDENT’S REPORT Celisa Faulkner, Branch President Manager Asset Planning, Gladstone Regional Council

I’m delighted to welcome eight new members on the CQ Branch Committee!

Greg Abbotts Technical Officer Livingstone Shire Council Ryan Grayson Development Engineer Gladstone Regional Council Jason Hoolihan Manager Infrastructure Central Highlands Regional Council Garth Kath Senior Civil Engineer George Bourne & Associates Anthony Keleher Chief Financial Officer Bundaberg Regional Council

Our new committee members join me and our Vice President, Adam Doherty and Ambassador Ben Ash. Thanks for your interest and I look forward to working with you, in particular, with planning for the 2021 CQ Branch Conference to be held in Maryborough, 20-21 April.

I would also like to welcome new mayors and councilors who have come onboard at a particularly interesting time which will no doubt make the remainder of their terms look like a walk in the park.

Central Queensland has seen an influx of visitors despite ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, and events like our Outback Festival (Winton, 22 September) and the VDM Fest – Rock Edge Country Music Festival (Biloela, 3-4 October) threaten to bring some normalcy to 2020.

And speaking of events and a return to some level of normalcy, the 2020 IPWEAQ Annual Conference is proceeding in November and registrations are now open.

CQ Branch committee member and IPWEAQ Board member, Trevor Dean will be convincing as a member of the negative team.

The topic this year: “Engineers are introverts and are disconnected from the world around them”.

Good luck, Trevor!

Please check out the program and register as soon as possible for an opportunity to secure your 14.5 CPD hours. I know it doesn’t need to be said but we, as a community, need to get together this year more than ever before. I hope to see you then.

SAVE THE DATE

Branch Conference MARYBOROUGH 20-21 APRIL 2021

Arvind Jess Layug Technical Officer/Project Superintendent Rockhampton Regional Council Leonard Strub Developemnt Engineer Bundaberg Regional Council Thomas Wager Graduate Engineer AECOM Australia

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

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IPWEAQ UPDATES

NQ BRANCH PRESIDENT’S REPORT Glenda Kirk, NQ Branch President Director Infrastructure Services, Mareeba Shire Council

North Queensland is witnessing a new phenomenon as a result of COVID-19 with pockets of up to 10% growth in regional areas, particularly in the Cook Shire – the largest area in Australia with this level of growth.

Bernard Salt has termed this phenomenon, Virus Escapees Seeking Provincial Australia (VESPA). See Salt’s article, ‘Meet the VESPAs changing our nation’, The Australian, 28 August 2020.

However, the statistics suggest this influx into regional areas in the north was in progress before the pandemic enabled work-from-home or work-fromanywhere and the drift away from the cost of living of major cities.

According to the statistics, Cook, with growth of 11.9 per cent, had an influx of 484 residents between 2014-19, Mareeba grew 5.5 per cent (with 1,188 people), Aurukun 6.5 per cent (86 people) and Tablelands 2.1 per cent (515 people). It is great to see this move to the north however it may place additional demands on regional councils, particularly in underpopulated areas.

The Queensland Audit Office Report, ‘Local government entities: 2018-19 results of financial audits’ noted the inherent difficulties for councils in regional and rural

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areas given a smaller rateable base and the demands of delivery of infrastructure over large tracts of country.

To this end, the Queensland government’s COVID Recovery Package which supports areas designated as tourism, advanced manufacturing and the agricultural sector is particularly welcome in north Queensland.

It was also a positive for our region to have funding allocated to build resilience against natural disasters in north and central Queensland residential areas. With the cyclone and fire seasons not far away, this may assist preparations for what is ahead this spring and summer.

Hopefully, COVID19 will at least be behind us.

We saw a number of new mayors and councilors elected in our region at the March elections.

In particular, I would like to welcome Angela Toppin, mayor of Mareeba Shire Council and look forward to working with Angela and the new council.

While COVID19 resulted in the postponement of the inaugural Savannah in the Round Country Music Festival which was to be held in Mareeba next month,

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

event organisers have created a new event especially for the Far North - the Savannah Summer Series pop-up festival hits Cairns and Mareeba on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend with two days of country music followed by the Great Northern Bull Riding Series. Our regions have a lot to offer providing safe events in the current and future climate, and we look forward to welcoming festival-goers to our great part of the world.

But November is also not far away and I look forward to catching up with our members and colleagues from North Queensland at the Annual Conference in Brisbane. We will have a lot to talk about.

IPWEAQ UPDATES

SEQ BRANCH PRESIDENT’S REPORT Raad Jarjees, Branch President Technical Lead – Infrastructure, Cardno

A recent report suggested COVID-19 had accelerated a level of change through our community more often requiring a decade, rather than a few (quite long) months.

This program (on ABC’s Radio National, 4 August 2020) flagged the potential mental health challenges that COVID-19 restrictions may bring to the surface, particularly in Victoria as most of its population endures another six weeks at the highest lockdown level. While south-east Queensland has, thankfully, been able to resume life and business (in a socially-distanced way), the economic downturn may only escalate as the pandemic continues to see communities functioning differently, with “normal” newly defined. Federal and Queensland government stimulus projects may shield public works from the worst of this downturn. However, as I outlined in the June journal, our focus will remain on Queensland (rather than overseas or even Australia) for some time yet, with engineers (as innovators) well positioned to assist our communities with transitions to online platforms, future transport options and the development of home grown product (to reduce our reliance on international suppliers).

Under such difficult circumstances, it is gratifying to see IPWEAQ achieve its relocation to new premises at Eagle Farm, with space

Aerial view of Brisbane, destination for the IPWEAQ Annual Conference, 10-12 November.

enhancing the delivery of training, product development, support and advocacy for our sector. Innovation that has proven powerful this quarter includes the development of PW-TV, initially in response to the COVID-19 lockdowns in April but now with three channels to supply diverse and stimulating presentations to members with audience interactivity.

Given the challenges of the year, I am delighted that we will gather for our Annual Conference in Brisbane in November (10-12).

While plans to hold this event in Cairns were scuttled by COVID-19 delays to the Cairns Convention Centre redevelopment, a strong program with papers from across our sector offers valuable learnings which address the challenges of our times.

A record 86 nominations for the 2020 excellence awards guarantees another enjoyable night celebrating the power of engineering to deliver for our communities. It is our pleasure to coordinate the awards program, now in its 18th year, which recognises these achievements.

The SEQ Branch Conference

brings us back to the south-east corner, now scheduled for 2526 February 2021, when we will gather at the Event Centre in Caloundra.

It seems clear that, even at some future date when the pandemic is just a memory, virtual meetings and presentations will be integral to our way of doing business.

Acceleration of other initiatives such as working from home and the paperless office also offer positive environmental and social benefits. Our sector has the opportunity to lead the way in which these changes are understood and broadly appreciated, and I congratulate IPWEAQ for its ability to nimbly negotiate the challenges that 2020 has so far delivered.

SAVE THE DATE

Branch Conference CALOUNDRA 25-26 FEBRUARY 2021

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

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IPWEAQ UPDATES

SWQ BRANCH PRESIDENT’S REPORT Andrew Johnson, Branch President CEO, Somerset Regional Council

Council elections are now behind us however the new class of 2020 now finds itself grappling with the unprecedented challenges of a pandemic. During their induction and beyond, council staff have worked (and continue to work) to embed the new systems required for a changed world. I would like to recognise the critical role of public works professionals during this period. We are aware that rural and regional engineers are not only highly adaptable but also agile in finding new ways to deliver services in a COVID-19-friendly manner. I don’t need to look far for examples – since March, workers have travelled to and from work safely and apart, they have modified work practices, developed methods for plant selection, streamlined safety systems using technology, developed a delivery toolbox while spaced apart, and learnt to be prepared if a worker turns up to a site unwell (all are now well versed in the correct actions to take).

expectations for assistance programs, with even a 50 per cent reduction in rates perceived to be too high. This has added to pressures on the Council budget, and many will be feeling the pinch, particularly in operational budgets. I have seen visible anxiety in council staff as a result of these sorts of COVID pressures as fiscal demands remain stable with often declining revenues.

Many councils have received additional COVID-19 stimulus funding from the federal and state governments which will see an increase in capital projects. This means that we will remain extremely busy for the foreseeable future. The majority of funding must be expended by 30 June 2021 so I might safely predict a super busy, challenging and rewarding time ahead.

Under these demands it is important that engineers take time out and maintain their professional commitments in their CPD hours. It is as important as any other professional demands that, during frenetic periods, we keep our people highly skilled and empowered.

Looking ahead to next year, I confirm the venue and dates for the next SWQ Branch conference will be Chinchilla, 18-19 March 2020.

In the meantime, keep your social distance and be sure to do your utmost to protect our community’s most vulnerable individuals.

Now that we are into September, council budgets and operational plans have been adopted.

The challenges of COVID-19 have impacted community

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SAVE THE DATE

Branch Conference CHINCHILLA 18-19 MARCH 2021

QLDWATER REPORT Dave Cameron CEO, qldwater

find the secret to their success and three key things play a part – with a dash of luck:

Sigura Best of the Best Queensland Water Taste Test

1. You have to have a good source – the Eungella rainforest makes for a good catchment

The move to our new digs at Eagle Farm is now complete and we are getting ready to host our first event here in the second week of September with the Sigura Taste Test and Trivia and our Strategic Priorities Group (SPG) meeting.

There seems to be an awful lot of energy for the Taste Test as people look for something light and fun to do. This year the taste test will break all boundaries, allowing anyone to join in without leaving the confines of the workplace. Our panel and a small number of staff, SPG members and sponsors will be on site at our new premises while the rest will be able to join in via GoToWebinar.

We hope to bring as many members as possible together for a fun and interactive afternoon of tasting and trivia.

Currently at the top of the leader board with a swathe of awards under its belt, water from Mackay Regional Council’s Marian Water Treatment Plant is no doubt a top drop. It was first selected as a winner by attendees at the qldwater Annual Forum in 2018 and 2019, then by a panel of judges at the WIOA Water of Origin, by the general community in Dunkeld, Victoria at the National Taste Test event in 2019 and finally by a panel of judges at the Berkeley Springs International Water Taste Test event in the US. They are obviously onto a winner.

We interviewed Stuart Boyd to

2. Having a good treatment plant – Marian WTP was built around 2012 – a clever design that requires very low dose rates compared to some other plants 3. Having a great team and people pulling together – Mackay Water has a team of 44 with operators, chemical / process engineers, reporting and support staff. Stu believes their Operators want to make a positive change and have optimised the plants to create the perfect drop 4. A bit of luck on the day!

Stu also gave a few good reasons to participate in the event: a morale boost to the team and a good news story in an industry that usually only makes the news when things go wrong.

Good luck to all those who have entered a sample – may the best water win!

FNQ Regional Conference The Atherton mini-conference scheduled for 8 October is shaping up really well and, internet gods willing, all members will be able to participate online if they are unable to make it in person.

Thanks again to Tablelands Regional Council for hosting.

Read more about the event and register here.

Essentials Webinar Series We’ve had more than 50 core member organisations

participating in the Essentials Webinar live events and many more watching the recordings afterwards.

The next webinar on 17 September will feature Johanna Johnston from Logan City Council talking about the Logan gasification demonstration plant.

Chris Adam from Strategic Asset Management will present: SHOW ME THE MONEY!!… Options for demonstrating sustainability in a water business. Mark Herrman from City of Gold Coast will talk about a major pipeline project drilling under the Broadwater and the Nerang River to provide a pipeline to a seaway release point in his presentation titled “Long Term Recycled Water Release Program – constructing marine crossings on the GC” Register here There will be two more webinars this year, on 15 October and 26 November. Keep an eye on our Events page for more information and registration details.

Election Time Our focus over the coming months will be to try to get ready for advocacy to new Ministers and Directors-General in key agencies. This is not preempting an election result, just acknowledging that the current government has been there for a couple of terms now and playing with the deck chairs doesn’t seem out of the question.

Our long-touted “Roadmap” was delayed once towards the end of 2019, then again by COVID-19, and has now been significantly pruned to be a more condensed list of key issues and recommended actions for qldwater, its members and stakeholders, and government.

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There is also the matter of a Productivity Commission review, likely to lead into a review of the National Water Initiative. We always put a lot of effort into PC activities – a link to the webinar conducted on the topic is available at https://youtu.be/ zyhyeWr2sGY. While it’s difficult to point to significant impacts on urban water and sewerage policy and regulation since the last report, having independent bodies generally saying the right things about what needs to be done to address critical issues in our sector creates a useful point of reference for advocacy.

So will a revised NWI make any difference? The current Intergovernmental agreement dates back to 2004 and the last 16 years has seen a significant amount of change, with particularly positive improvements in the management of broader water systems. We would argue that things have been too quiet on the urban water front for a fair while now, and a renewed focus, with mechanisms including performance monitoring to get governments back on track, are essential. We were starting the decade with a profile of ageing infrastructure (check out some of the cool Fraser Coast pictures in this issue), constrained funding and increased evidence of extreme events. All of these pressures are exacerbated by

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COVID-19 – it is the responsibility of all tiers of government to collaborate to address these fundamental challenges. The Water Services Association of Australia has long-called for a re-establishment of a National Water Commission with an enhanced focus on urban water, and qldwater echoes this call.

Livingstone Shire Triumph Water from a pristine dunal water system at Waterpark Creek and treated at Livingstone Shire Council’s Woodbury Water Treatment Plant has been selected Queensland’s top drop at the 2020 Sigura Best of the Best Queensland Water Taste Test.

On Thursday 10 September 2020, the best tap water from across Queensland went head to head in a blind taste-off as part of the 2020 Sigura Best of the Best Queensland Water Taste Test.

Usually hosted in conjunction with the Queensland Water Directorate (qldwater) Annual Forum, the 2020 COVID19version of the taste test included a fun and interactive online trivia session with members dialling in from all across the state as a panel of judges made their way through the samples, interrogating the ten entries received from around Queensland by colour, odour and taste.

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Livingstone water has always performed well and it has the beer to prove it… after winning the competition in 2017 Livingstone Shire Council immortalised its winning water in a very tasty limited-edition craft beer – Livingstone Lager with a tropical twist of Pineapple.

Portfolio holder for Water, Waste Management and the Environment, Councillor Andrea Friend, said this was a fantastic outcome for the Shire and a testament to the dedication, passion, and hard work of the water treatment plant team at Livingstone Shire Council.

“Council is thrilled to be named Queensland winner a second time since the awards were established and is extremely proud and committed to providing the Livingstone Shire community with clean, potable, high quality water,” Cr Friend said.

“I would like to commend the dedicated and professional Council team which operates the Woodbury Treatment Plant.

The team is constantly striving to maintain the highest quality water for our residents and best practice treatment techniques and continue to achieve fantastic outcomes for our community.”

IPWEAQ UPDATES

INTERNS CRAFT NEW ENGINEERING HISTORIES A new project is underway at IPWEAQ, to narrate Queensland’s engineering history through a series of digital stories. While we are all too aware of the importance of engineers in placemaking in Queensland, this series of digital stories are designed for a broad audience and will develop a strong message about engineers as integral to Queensland’s history. The series as a whole will tell individual stories about IPWEAQ’s leaders, embed the organisation into this history, and illuminate the processes behind iconic projects and the creative thinking that has been transformative in this state.

The project was approved at the IPWEAQ Board meeting (7 August), and two interns from QUT’s Creative Industries WIP (Work Integrated Learning) program have been appointed and began tackling two of the six proposed stories, beginning 21 August. Their internship runs for ten weeks.

James Price is in his final year of a Bachelor of Business and Media Communication. He selected Digital Story #4 Brisbane bridges to tackle for his internship, and is well on the way to developing a history of the bridges over the river that Aboriginal people call Maiwar. Research, interviews, picture selection and a final compilation will tell the story of Brisbane bridges from the earliest to the most recent green bridges.

Liam Blair is also in his final year of his Media and

Communications Degree and has a second major in Journalism.

He chose perhaps the most challenging of the topics in our Digital Stories, which is #3 Our First Engineers: Australia’s First Nations peoples. This intriguing topic looks at Aboriginal aquaculture and aquaculture and the innovation visible in infrastructure developed during

Australia’s pre-colonial times (some 65,000 years).

Welcome James and Liam and thank you for your contribution to the documentation of engineers as powerful and environmentally responsible place-makers who have shaped the state of Queensland.

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IPWEAQ UPDATES

IPWEAQ AMBASSADOR REPORT

AMBASSADOR Jessica Kahl SEQ Branch Civil Engineer, Aurecon

How will Covid-19 shape social infrastructure?

The world’s economy has not seen a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic since World War Two. However, the parallels between crises and potential is no recent revelation. In 1959, John F. Kennedy observed that the Chinese word for “crisis” comprises two characters: one representing danger and the other opportunity. Although the linguistics are not entirely correct, I believe we are already experiencing the ripple effects of choices the social infrastructure sector must respond to following the COVID-19 crisis.

As cities reopen and rebuild, they may reflect how past inequities can be addressed so that city functionalities are reimagined with the ability to service diverse community needs. This article will explore how access to the internet has been disrupted and challenged as a new addition to “social infrastructure”, into our post-pandemic future.

Reassessing “social infrastructure” Since COVID-19, people’s lives have drastically changed. We have seen a spotlight shine upon our social infrastructure sector, and the systems in place to protect human life and

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Slow Internet Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveandriole/2020/03/30/its-time-for-aninternet-for-all-public-utility-before-corona-crashes-it/#52c80d8daf95

wellbeing. Most prominently for city dwellers, working from home, travelling infrequently and avoiding large gatherings is a significant behavioural shift – and one which will continue until Australia emerges from social distancing rules. Passenger transport demand, population growth, migration, urban density, demographic trends, technological advancement and people’s attitudes to sharing spaces are disruptive trends within public infrastructure.

With enduring changes in social norms and shifts in population within suburbs, the consequences from these disruptions will affect the lens we apply in planning our projects.

One lens highlighting deep inequality is access to the internet, which is particularly important for school students.

Without it, remote learning environments struggle support students’ ongoing development.

According to The Sydney

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Morning Herald (2020), “Public school students were 2.5 times more likely than Catholic or independent school students to be without internet access at home during the COVID-19 pandemic”. This poses a major question to the government: should internet access be considered a public utility?

In countries such as Finland, broadband is already considered a legal right and public utility, not a privilege. In 2010, Finland became the first country in the world to make affordable internet access a right, just as much as water or electricity. When speaking to the BCC, Minister Suvi Linden explained the thinking behind the legislation: “We considered the role of the internet in Finns everyday life.

Internet services are no longer just for entertainment.” And with the introduction of broadband to social infrastructure, every Finn is provided with a moderately fast broadband connection. These

IPWEAQ UPDATES policies help Finland to retain its high standards for education and industry. Being able to access the internet anywhere also helps Finns in rural communities to stay connected, access entertainment, and find the resources they need.

In stark comparison to the disconnect Australia has recently experienced, it is apparent that our social infrastructure is 10 years behind technology trends. Like me, you’ve likely experienced remote working and the profound challenges that this new way of staying connected which have added complexity to our everyday lives. These complexities are only enlarged for school students, especially those who have poor home internet access. This digital inequality demonstrates society’s reliance upon the internet and makes us question how soon it will be considered a public utility.

Map showing fixed broadband availability by exchange service area Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-20/broadband-availability-byexchange-service-area/5273384?nw=0

Post-COVID, we are likely to see increased attention to addressing inequitable access to services.

As engineers within the public works sector, our role is to design solutions which support community connection – and so a commitment in embedding internet within public utility underpins our values toward creating a bright future for all.

Jessica Kahl is a shortlisted nominee for the 2021 Young Australian of the Year Award for her work at Dream Big Australia. Congratulations Jessica!

Source: https://www.nbnco.com.au/corporate-information/media-centre/mediastatements/australian-data-demand

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IPWEAQ UPDATES

IPWEAQ LIBRARY Members are welcome to borrow from the library next time they visit. We’re also looking for volunteers to write book reviews for our collection and recommendations for new books are most welcome!

Louise Martin-Chew Editor

We have a new Video Studio at our new premises in Eagle Farm and have started collecting interesting and iconic books on engineering and other topics.

The mandrill forms large social groups which makes them vulnerable to hunting.

ENDANGERED

Our CEO, Leigh Cunningham also donated the raffle prize won at the SWQ Branch Conference in Stanthorpe (thanks Dial Before you Dig!) which included a novel, American Dirt and the feature book, Endangered.

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Tim Flach Prologue and Epilogue by Professor Jonathan Billie Body text by Sam Wells Thames and Hudson Australia, 2019 ISBN 978-1-760-76072-4 This is a beautifully illustrated coffee table book with a poignant subject. Photographer Tim Flach has created images of endangered animals in a way that seeks to establish an emotional connection between

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | SEPT 2020

viewers and these creatures and their habitats. The increasing disconnection from nature by so many people now resident in cities requires, according to Flach, the development of a new relationship through emotional connection. In his view, “we must be emotionally touched to spur us into action”.

As a result, this is a book with a clearly established agenda: “I have tried to bridge that otherness and instead invite sameness by creating portraits of animals that establish their personality, while incorporating abstracts and landscapes that show the material aspects of their ecosystems”.

IPWEAQ UPDATES

The book’s presentation is image-driven, with full bleed photographs of polar bears in icy landscapes (receding in advance of climate change), juxtaposed with minimal text that describes the urgency of their situation. Coral reefs and their role as oceanic lifelines are pictured from afar (with aerial images) and in detail, with a written outline of the bare facts that relate to their tenuous

hold on survival. Eye contact with a mandrill is a rare human experience – but we are also offered that in a stunning portrait of one individual of this species – alongside information about the rapid decline in their number.

This is due to the logging of their habitat and their hunting (for human consumption).

Images of global habitat and phenomena (such as the

northern lights) describe nature at its most dramatic, and are given context with descriptions of cultural belief systems, often Indigenous, that see the earth and all of its creatures in a holistic way. Birds, marine creatures, and aspects of the natural environment from micro to macro are included in a publication which reads as a labour of love. It makes an emotional case for better care of the natural world. Detailed descriptions of each image at the end of the book add information and more context to an exotic selection which ranges from animals to insects to algae. The urgency of the situation that Flach and his collaborators describe is given depth through his art. It transcends the danger of didacticism through the enchantment of its imagery and the credibility of his sources.

CALL FOR PAPERS HOW CREATIVE IS ENGINEERING? The December issue of EPW taps into the debate about ‘how creative is engineering’? While the ‘creative industries’ are popularly identified as the arts (visual, performing and musical), engineering and science have generated the world-changing inventions that guide our lives.

Inventions include concrete, railways, and wifi. Every issue of EPW includes discussion of new ways engineers have improved the lives of their communities, however little attention is given to this fundamental work as creative endeavour. We want to hear from you with examples of creative engineering in your public works – activities, projects, and processes. Please submit a short

synopsis about projects that may be current, historic and ongoing to Louise.Martin-Chew@ipweaq. com. Deadline for final papers 15 November.

Writing a journal article is equivalent to 45 CPD hours.

Gold Coast Light Rail Project, image courtesy McConnell Dowell.

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IPWEAQ UPDATES

#SHAPETHEWORLD

IPWEAQ VIRTUAL LUNCH, 23 JUNE 2020 To mark International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June, IPWEAQ held a virtual lunch with over 76 participants joining in to hear presentations from our leading, award-winning engineers on how to shape the world.

Council and IPWEAQ Board member

Angela Fry, IPWEAQ Vice President and facilitator, opened proceedings noting that the best way to be a great female engineer is to be a great engineer. And this set the scene for the rest of the event.

Kim Murphy (TMR) noted that, “Women bring a different perspective to problem solving and decision making”. She advised women to think about what they want to be known for.

Her own career has had unusual drivers, and she believes that, in leadership, ethics and values should be visible. “Women in engineering exhibit a powerful combination of creative problem solving and ‘heart’, where whole of community solutions matter.”

We enjoyed presentations from: Marie Gales, Manager Congestion Reduction Unit, Brisbane City Council 2019 Engineer of the Year, and our first female winner of the award Kym Murphy, Regional Director Southern Queensland, TMR 2019 Woman in Engineering Bernie-Anne Freeman, Senior Engineer, TMR Homeward Bound scholarship recipient These presentations were followed by a panel discussion facilitated by 2016 Woman in Engineering, Angela Fry (GHD) with: Celisa Faulkner, Manager Asset Planning, Gladstone Regional

Women in 96

Glenda Kirk, Director Infrastructure Services, Mareeba Shire Council, IPWEAQ Board member and 2017 Woman in Engineering Jessica Kahl, Project Manager, Sunwater, IPWEAQ Ambassador

Bernie-Anne Freeman (TMR) discussed about her selection for the prestigious 2020 global leadership team, Homeward Bound. With 74 other successful candidates from across the world, she will contribute to an innovative new leadership model to create better outcomes for the planet. The team will journey to Antarctica in December 2020, the largest all women expedition to this continent.

Marie Gales (BCC) notes that the key to successfully developing a diverse workplace is inclusion,

respect and courage. She uses a personal example to reiterate the importance of challenging your own biases. “Understand the value of diverse thinking. For example, any team of less than 50 per cent women is not reflecting reality.”

Advice from the panel discussion builds on these inspiring and diverse presentations, with Glenda Kirk noted that “Adversity makes us stronger. Develop your professional and personal support networks, especially via the collegiate network available through IPWEAQ.” Celisa Faulkner speaks about the importance of assets in public works: “Assets make lives better and are impactful within communities”. And Jessica Kahl points out that, “Everything you touch has been, in some way, designed by an engineer. In any code of ethics, community comes first and foremost. So equilibrium is necessary between male and female to reflect and accommodate the community.

Diversity is important for innovation.”

Finally, Angela Fry asked each panellist to nominate the best advice they have given. The recording of #ShapeTheWorld is available in the IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre. Tune in to hear from these inspiring and successful women.

PUBLIC WORKS ENGINEERING

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

IPWEAQ UPDATES

NEW TEAM MEMBERS We are delighted to welcome four new team members.

Dr Neal Lake is Director of Engineering Practice Dr Neal Lake BA (Civil) Hons, BEng (Civil) Hons, PhD (QUT), CPEng (Civil and Structural), RPEQ (Civil and Structural) joins our team in a new role as Director: Engineering Practice and we are thrilled to incorporate his expertise. In a recent presentation to the IPWEAQ quarterly board meeting (7 August) he identified why and how recent engineering failures have occurred, with proposed strategies to ensure that these (often tragic) results are not repeated within the Queensland public works sector. In this new IPWEAQ position, Neal will provide engineering leadership to technical professionals across the public works sector in Queensland, collectively providing opportunities for personal and organizational development to meet the needs of an ever-changing public works landscape. Focusing on collaboration, communities of practice and professional development programs, Neal will work closely with the IPWEAQ team and our members to meet the challenges of the future.

His background includes over 25 years in multi-disciplinary engineering environments including government, consultancy and contractor organisations. This includes experience in the areas of civil infrastructure management, evaluation and design, heavy

industrial infrastructure evaluation, design and retrofit, infrastructure testing and measurement, research and commercialisation. In 2002 Neal gained his PhD in the field of bridge assessment and is highly experienced in the field of asset management. In 2012, Neal turned his attention to training the next generations of rural and regional engineers as the Foundation Coordinator at Southern Cross University. More recently, Neal returned to the asset management field working on programs such NACoE and Austroads and has a passion for focusing on outcomes that make a difference.

AND ON A PERSONAL NOTE: While Neal Lake would rather be playing folk metal with his band, playing badminton, bushwalking or doing something creative with paint or wood, he is excited about his new role at IPWEAQ. He hails from northern NSW (but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hold that against him)! After working in Brisbane for much of his early career he moved back to the country (his heartland). He told EPW: 1. Neal and his wife have ownerbuilt a strawbale house which featured in The Owner Builder magazine. They are still together after 26 years!

2. He is a bit of a Lego nerd.

3. A while back he founded a robotics club for young people in his hometown region.

Q: How many guitars does one guitarist need?

A: Easy: Total number of guitars = n + 1; where n = the total number of guitars currently owned (and basses and mandolins donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t count).

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IPWEAQ UPDATES Our new Administrator, Chloe Begley is on the front line at our new premises occupying the reception desk. When she is not at work, you will find Chloe with flowers, a fast car or a pug. Chloe told EPW: 1. I’m a florist by trade.

2. One of my hobbies is fast cars.

I’ve had my VL Calais turbo wagon for 15 years. It is rare, one of only 50 ever made. I was written up in the August issue of Street Machine, featured as an Iron Maiden.

3. My Number One love is my Black Pug, Wednesday (named after Wednesday Addams).

Tammi Petre is our new Office Manager who moved to Brisbane 18 months ago to settle on the Redcliffe Peninsula with her husband and two teenage children. Tammi hails from FNQ having lived in Cairns and on the Atherton Tablelands with the exception of one year in the USA. She said: 1. We love living with fantastic beaches (free from box jellyfish and crocodiles), near the city with concerts and events and so many new areas to explore.

Chloe in her VL Calais Turbo Wagon.

Wednesday Addams.

2. Bikes (and travel) form a big part of my family’s life, road, mountain and BMX. We have travelled all over Australia to attend National Championships, as well as overseas for our daughter to race at World Championships in New Zealand, Belgium and most recently the USA. The best part for me is that we have done this as a family and I can’t wait to see where it takes us in the future.

3. When we aren’t riding bikes and travelling I am a keen amateur vegetable gardener and have been trialling different growing styles (ground, raised and wicking beds) and working through the challenges of growing organically. It’s been great to grow crops that would never grow in the tropics.

Tammi, son Tasman, husband Steve and daughter Shannon (with VW Kombi), under San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, 2017.

KATIE WRIGHT

Katie Wright is our new bookkeeper. Katie has a background in sheep herding which may prove to be quite useful in the role. She told EPW: 1. I have lived most of my life in Redcliffe other than three years in Townsville. I look forward to travelling when COVID-19 is behind us.

2. I love animals and have two cats and and a dog. I enjoyed sheep herding for sport but for enjoyment; not competitively.

3. I spent 10 years in healthcare including time as a Dental Assistant.

Katie (second from right) holidaying with friends in New Zealand, 2011.

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MEET THE TEAM - IPWEAQ LEIGH CUNNINGHAM

CRAIG MOSS

DR NEAL LAKE

Chief Executive Officer  Leigh.Cunningham@ipweaq.com

Director, Professional Services  Craig.Moss@ipweaq.com

Director, Engineering Practice  Neal.Lake@ipweaq.com

NADIA MARKS

MARK LAMONT

Director, People & Capability  Nadia.Marks@ipweaq.com

Director, Information & Resources  Mark.Lamont@ipweaq.com

SCOTT BRITTON Director, Policy & Partnerships  Scott.Britton@ipweaq.com

DR LOUISE MARTIN-CHEW

DAVID THOMPSON

KATE O’RIORDAN

Research & Media Coordinator  Louise.Martin-Chew@ipweaq.com

Industry Engagement Manager  David.Thompson@ipweaq.com

Professional Development Manager  Kate.O’Riordan@ipweaq.com

MONICA ROBERTSON

JOHANNA VANLING

TAMMI PETRE

Events & Marketing Manager  Monica.Robertson@ipweaq.com

Relationship Manager  Johanna.Vanling@ipweaq.com

Office Manager  Tammi.Petre@ipweaq.com

DANEELE MCBRIDE

KATIE WRIGHT

CHLOE BEGLEY

Engagement Coordinator  Daneele.McBride@ipweaq.com

Bookkeeper  Katie.Wright@ipweaq.com

Administrator  Chloe.Begley@ipweaq.com

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MEET THE TEAM QLDWATER

DAVID CAMERON

DR ROB FEARON

DAVID SCHELTINGA

Chief Executive Officer  dcameron@qldwater.com.au

Director, Innovation Partnerships  rfearon@qldwater.com.au

Manager, SWIM  dscheltinga@qldwater.com.au

DR LOUISE REEVES Program Coordinator & Technical Writer  lreeves@qldwater.com.au

CARLIE SARGENT

DESIRÉ GRALTON

Project Coordinator – Skills  Carlie.Sargent@qldwater.com

Manager, Communications  dgralton@qldwater.com.au

RYAN COSGROVE

NAOMI CARRAGHER

Project Coordinator and Researcher  rcosgrove@qldwater.com.au

Project Support Assistant  NCarragher@qldwater.com.au

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qldwater is a business unit of IPWEAQ

PRINCIPAL PARTNERS

ENTERPRISE PARTNERS

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

KOMATSU PRINCIPAL PARTNER

This is the fourth year we have attended now, and every year it gets better and better. This is one of the best ones!

INTERFLOW ENTERPRISE PARTNER

This has been a really good conference – we always enjoy it. It’s the reason we keep coming back because it’s always a good time and plenty of fun mixed in with the serious stuff!

It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to catch up with our colleagues and friends within the construction and infrastructure industry.

WAGNERS

MCCULLOUGH ROBERTSON LAWYERS

PRINCIPAL PARTNER

ENTERPRISE PARTNER

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The best part about this is that I can get to speak with hundreds of delgates and customers that are directly involved in the purchasing of yellow plant in one place.

FROM OUR PARTNERS AT THE 2019 ANNUAL CONFERENCE



www.ipweaq.com

SUBSCRIBERS PUBLIC WORKS TECHNICAL SUBSCRIPTION

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SUBSCRIBERS PUBLIC WORKS TECHNICAL SUBSCRIPTION

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS

EPW reaches more than 6,000 members, industry partners and local government decision-makers.

Our mission is to create a vibrant, vital, supportive community for those engaged in the public works sector which serves to enhance the quality of life for all Queensland communities.

We do this by advancing the skills, knowledge and resources available to those involved in the planning and provision of public works and services.

Our quarterly e-Journal, Engineering for Public Works is valued for its technical and industry-relevant content.

Publication dates

ISSN 2652-6050

Four issues per year: March, June, September, December plus the Excellence Awards Commemorative Book (February)

A N N UA L C O N F E RE N C E

F E ATURE A RTI C LE

RE G I O N A L RE PO RT

ME MB E R N E WS

f e ature a rti c le

me mb e r n e ws

r ep or t

s us tainability

ALL THE NEWS ON #IPWEAQ19

MBRC STORMWATER PIPE INSPECTION

WESTERN CAPE ENGAGEMENT

MEMBER PROFILE: BRIANNA BARNETT

Concrete Using Recycled Glass

MEMBER PROFILE: PETER HUGHES

IPWEAQ STUDY TOUR REPORT

THE APPROACH TO ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY

3 days, 4 tech tours, 12 streams, 36 papers and 50 exhibitors.

It’s just over a month away – find out what’s happening at #IPWEAQ19 in October. p.14

How Moreton Bay Regional Council have been using CCTV to proactively inspect their stormwater pipes for over 10 years. p.34

Craig Moss reports on his recent trip to western Cape York with LGAQ to engage with indigenous and remote councils. p.38

Meet Brianna Barnett, Senior Works Manager at Western Downs Regional Council.

Brianna talks about her career in civil construction. p.52

A look at field trials by Cairns Regional Council of concrete using recycled crushed glass as a fine aggregate replacement.

We meet Peter Hughes and he shares stories drawn from his long and memorable career in public works engineering.

Ashlee Jesshope reports on the IPWEA Study Tour to the Smart City Expo World Congress held in Barcelona.

Peak Services investigate the need for a holistic approach to energy sustainability.

p.18

p.28

p.40

p.54

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS

Artwork and editorial due by the 15th day of each month.

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ISSUE No.15

ISSUE No.14

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Your connection to thousands of professionals delivering projects for state and local government across Queensland.

Engineering for Public Works

Articles, reports, features and news on the public works sector in Queensland with a focus on the engineering of our communities.

Over 150,000 digital impressions, more than 22,000 Reads and 600 Clicks.

Australia 20,110

USA 1,184

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Engineers, technicians, surveyors, financial professionals, planners, designers, legislators, councillors and others involved in the delivery of public works and services.

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Circulated quarterly to over 6,000 contacts across the sector and around the world.

Contact Relationship Manager Johanna.Vanling@ipweaq.com

07 3632 6803

   www.ipweaq.com

www.ipweaq.com