MANI MANIVASAKAN PRINCIPAL ENGINEER, PRACTICE LEADER RURAL WATER

ANZ INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

NORTHERN VICTORIAN IRRIGATION RENEWALS PROJECT (NVIRP)

Goulburn Murray Irrigation District

This Presentation

1. Background

2. Project objectives and drivers

3. Activities

4. Lessons

The District

• 68,000 km2 in area

• 9,600 customers – most very small non commercial

• 6,300 km of channels – half small spur channels

• 24,000 outlets – most simple and inefficient

• 1,000’s of road crossings, regulators, culverts etc

• 3,000 GL taken for irrigation

– 2,100GL used– 900GL lost in distribution = 30%

Customer base: 9,600 properties

• 300 large commercial operators > 1,000ML/yr

• 750 medium commercial irrigators ~ 500ML/yr

• 3,000 small users < 100ML/yr

• 5,500 rural residential & domestic and stock

• Dairy - the major commercial force

• Mixed - annual crops - opportunistic

• Horticulture - niche in Central Goulburn

GMID – Water Development History

1901 -Federation

1988 –Murray Darling Basin Commission

2. Management1. Development

1997 –MDB Agreement

3. Adjustment

2004/05 –National Water Initiative

2007 –National Plan for Water Security Water Act

1915 –River Murray Waters Agreement

Post-colonisation

Approximate drought period

1995 –MDB Cap on diversion

Adjustment Phase

Adjustment Phase

[Current Phase]

Commenced in 2000

Adjustment Phase – Elements

• 2000s Adjustment for Sustainability and Productivity

– Improving environmental flows – Water savings– Farm dams controls– National Water Initiative– Expanded trading – Unbundling entitlements– Tariff reform– Asset/service reconfiguration

and modernisation

• Drought and water shortage– Expand (environmental, supply etc)

• No “NEW” water - in earlier development phase– Response was often to build infrastructure– Harvest and deliver more water– Issue new rights

• Approaching (or exceeding) sustainable limits required new approaches– Improved planning, water sharing, clear entitlements– Caps, markets, trade, sustainable use

Drivers for Adjustment (or water reform)

Objectives

• 3 program objectives

Productivity – the primary driver

Water supply for Melbourne

E-flows for the River Murray

Challenges with the distribution network

• Extensive spur channel supply system

• Long notice required for water orders

• Variable flow rates and channel height

• Low flow rates

• Manually operated farm outlets

• High water losses

• Risks of high costs to maintain into the future

• Difficult to achieve the size of property required to generate economies of scale

NVIRP Project

• The Food Bowl Alliance driven by local business concerned at declining commercial viability of region

• NVIRP - $2 b investment in system modernisation

• Restore Food Bowl productivity

• Generate 425GL of water savings:

► 75GL to Melbourne► 75GL to irrigators► 275GL to environment

NVIRP – Project (contd..)

• 2 main elements: $1bn each

► Backbone automation► Connections program

• Backbone

► Retract public system by 50% to major channels► Water super highway >20ML/day► Automation of control systems► Reduced outfalls and losses

Backbone Profile

Connections Program

• 5,500 customers on spur channels

• New connection from each farm to the backbone

• Multiple outlets/meters rationalised

• Connection assets privatised

• 3,000km of spur channels retrenched

• Water savings from:

► Closing leaky spur channels► More accurate meter outlets

NVIRP - Decision framework

• Not just retrofit new assets to existing farms

• Transformation not standard funding model

• Fit for purpose / value for money / water savings

• Type of property: large commercial vs. lifestyle

• Size of realistic future demand

• Distance from backbone and cost

• Integration with other users

NVIRP – decision Tree for Determining the Extent of the Modernized Backbone

Targeted investment approach

Channel automation

Metering upgrades

Channel lining

NVIRP progress

22

Source: ACIL Tasman report “Scope for Water Use Efficiency Savings as a Source of Water to meet increased Environmental Flows - Independent review”, March 2003

LESSONS

DATA

• Need good quality data?

• Yes but…

DATA

• If we waited for good quality data…

• We wouldn’t have built NVIRP Project

• We started project planning in late 90s with incomplete data and developed a framework:

– For future pathway– Improving data collection (more importantly collecting

appropriate data)

QUALITY PRODUCT AND CONTROL

• It is vital to install quality products that are certified under relevant standards

• We trialled a number of “non-standard” products in the 80s in trying to identify cost effective solutions.

• If we were to adopt “non-standard” products, we could have implemented some of the projects for a significantly cheaper capital cost BUT HIGHER WHOLE OF LIFE COST

• DO NOT COMPROMISE QUALITY FOR SHORT TERM GAIN

WHOLE OF LIFE COST

• MAKE PROJECT DECISIONS BASED PROVEN WHOLE OF LIFE COSTS

• NOT CAPITAL COSTS

Value Engineering Workshop

Lessons Learnt- Pipeline

Source: Futureflow Alliance (Goulburn-Murray Water, Transfield, Jacobs SKM)

Lessons Learnt/Innovations – Customer Meters

Procurement strategy – Meter installation includes a number of pieces of hardware. Traditionally these have been purchased from a single supplier, who then delivers them as a package. FutureFlow purchased all items directly from the source and managed the logistics of delivering them to site for timely installation

Design alternate meter outlets – designed a suite of meter sizes and configurations to tailor each meter outlet to the flow rate requirements of individual customers

Developed new components – worked with suppliers to test and develop brand new products that were better suited to the application, therefore reducing costs

Integrated technology – allowed components from different suppliers to ‘talk to each other’ which enabled duplicate hardware such as batteries and solar panels to be eliminated

Trialled different construction approaches – to improve the speed and efficiency of each meter installation

Source: Futureflow Alliance (Goulburn-Murray Water, Transfield, Jacobs SKM)

Lessons Learnt- Automation

Changes to

• Construction and Installation methods $4,300

• Logistics, material and procurement $1,000

• Others - $600

• TOTAL - $5,900

Source: Futureflow Alliance (Goulburn-Murray Water, Transfield, Jacobs SKM)

Conjunctive Water Resource

• Conjunctive water resource management is critical to

optimal infrastructure sizing where both surface and ground

water sources available

Automation

• Optimal automation solution varies from project to project.

Alternatives such as partial automation, knowledgebase

driven systems are attractive for some projects (e.g. steeper

or undulating terrain, labour intensive systems, developing

countries etc.)

Lessons Learned (contd..)

• Clear vision and objectives – what are we trying to achieve?

• Early stakeholders involvement and engagement

• Good quality data is essential

• Holistic approach that includes the supply system and on-

farm system

• A sustainability based, strategic approach to investment

decisions

• Real gains are possible both off- and on-farm

Summary

• Biggest irrigation modernisation program in the

world

• Fundamental change in thinking

• Far reaching consequences for irrigators,

communities and the environment

• Significant benefits still to be realised on-farm

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