Rooney well equipped for project Rooney Earthmoving Limited’s work on the Waihao Downs Irrigation Scheme is proof of the company’s ability to both successfully design and construct projects, says company technical manager Gerard Richardson. He says Rooney Earthmoving is the only New Zealand civil construction company that offers full in-house irrigation scheme site investigation, design, management and construction. “We’re much more than the guys that just move the dirt,” says Gerard. The company’s work on the Waihao Downs scheme, which includes 24 water users and 32 off-takes, has been completed 12 months ahead of programme and was officially opened on April 5, 2016. The project includes a new river intake, 8km of race to a 40,000m3 capacity lower buffer pond, six pumps lifting the water 126 metres to a 30,000m3 capacity upper buffer pond and a 6km long 900mm diameter GRP Rising main carrying the water up the 126 metre vertical lift to the upper buffer pond. It also includes two main lines departing north and east from the upper buffer pond to begin distributing the water. These main lines then branch further to the west, north and southeast. Rooney Earthmoving started the project in February 2015 and major challenges to date have been the tight time frame to reshape the open race section through MGI’s existing race system during their off-season, as well as pipe laying in some tricky rolling limestone terrain. Although it is not the company’s first piped irrigation scheme the pumping infrastructure on this project is unique, says Gerard. The total pipe network length will be 35km of GRP and PVC pipe down to 150mm diameter. Civil contractor Rooney Earthmoving Limited is part of The Rooney Group and offers a range of earthmoving, civil construction, pipe and cable laying, drilling, cartage and transportation services. Founded by Gary Rooney in 1976, with one man and a single bulldozer in Waimate, South
The total pipe network length will be 35km of GRP and PVC pipe down to 150mm diameter. Canterbury, The Rooney Group remains locally owned and employs over 300 staff in branches in Waimate, Ashburton, Christchurch, Timaru and Oamaru. Rooney Earthmoving undertakes all forms of general earthworks and construction but in tandem with Rooney Consulting it specialises in developing irrigation schemes of all sizes. Other irrigation schemes completed by the company include Benmore and Acton Irrigation
schemes, Carew Storage Ponds and Rangitata South Irrigation Scheme. The Rooney Group can also fund entire schemes as it has done on the $120m Rangitata South scheme where it owns and operates the scheme for the benefit of the scheme water users. Gerard says that such large-scale projects require extensive heavy plant and manpower resources over long periods of time. The Waihao Downs Scheme alone had up to 40
staff and twenty six 20 tonne excavators working on the project, all sourced entirely from within our Waimate region. “We don’t know of anyone else in the region able to dedicate this level of plant resources to just one project,” he says. “At Rooney Group are driven to develop the central South Island and we will continue to develop new systems, products and schemes to achieve this.”
Designers and Constructors of High Quality and Innovative Irrigation Projects
Waimate 03 689 7881 | Timaru 03 687 4699 Oamaru 03 433 1246 | Ashburton 03 308 6011 enquiry@rooneygroup.co.nz | www.rooneygroup.co.nz