The Hunter Water Initiative includes the installation of a new 6.5 kilometre watermain in Weston, Abermain and Cessnock to improve the performance of the local residents’ water system during summer when demand is at its highest.

Contracted to Delcare, installation of the 375 and 500 mm diameter sewer main includes seven major crossings, of which three will use HDD and four will use thrust boring. Trenchless construction of the main began in late January of this year.

The HDD sections of the project will be completed by Arogen by mid-February. The remaining thrust bore sections have been sub-contracted to Bothar Boring and will coincide with the progression of the pipeline construction.

When asked about the benefits of using Trenchless Technology on a project like this, Hunter Water’s Program Controller Victor Prasad identified the minimal impacts to the community, reduced construction time and reduced environmental and ecological impacts as benefits.

“The original design of the crossing at Chinaman’s Hollow was 150 metres, however we took advantage of a mobilised HDD contractor to extend the length to 340 metres to avoid an identified indigenous heritage site,” said Mr Prasad.

The crossing at Chinaman’s Hollow was the longest crossing in the project. The project is expected to be completed by September 2010.