SA Water’s Green Patch water tank project has reached a major milestone, with the utility and construction partner McConnell Dowell Diona joint venture (MDDJV) erecting the walls of the 32-million-litre concrete water tank.
All 112 panels have been craned into place for the 88m-wide structure, after trucking business Harder Transport completed 30 round trips to deliver a series of ten tonne precast panels from an Adelaide-based manufacturer.
SA Water and MDDJV used a 100-tonne mobile slew crane from Shillabeer Crane Hire (SCH), to place each panel around the water storage’s perimeter.
Two high-grade steel chains were attached to each panel before the crane lifted them into place. The panels were then braced with temporary props to transfer them from the wall to the ground.
Once the panels were erected, high-strength steel tendons were threaded through their internal ducts to secure them together.
Through this modular construction methodology, the tank’s structure was assembled in two weeks.
SA Water’s General Manager of Sustainable Infrastructure, Amanda Lewry, welcomed the news and said the project was on track to deliver clean water to Eyre Peninsula residents by the end of the year.
“Construction of our new tank is progressing at pace and we’re on track to have it supplying safe, clean drinking water to our customers across the Eyre Peninsula by the end of this year,” Ms Lewry said.
“The tank’s modular design is underpinning a more cost-effective and efficient construction, with the precast panels delivering a 75 per cent time saving when compared to traditional methodologies such as pouring the concrete or building internal columns.
“With the tank’s structure now in place, we’ll begin installing the geomembrane liner and floating cover which will seal the inside of the tank and protect the quality of drinking water once the tank is filled and in operation.”
Around 25 full-time employees from several local businesses across the supply chain are working on the project.
SA Water previously completed the construction of a ten litre concrete water tank in early 2021, which stands adjacent to the new larger one.
Once the new tank is complete, the Green Patch site will boast over 50 million litres of water storage capacity.
The tanks will supply housing and businesses from Port Lincoln to Ceduna.
