Wyong Shire Council Gosford Council


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WaterPlan 2050 - Mardi - Mangrove link

updated: 08/07/08


An initiative of Gosford City and Wyong Shire councils with Australian Government Water Smart Programme Funding of $80.3 million.

The Mardi-Mangrove Link
Questions and answers
School project/educational material
What's in the Mardi-Mangrove Link?
What Progress has been made?
What is the Recommended Pipeline Route?
What is happening with Sector 6 of the pipeline route?
Where to go for additional information

The Mardi-Mangrove Link

This project is a key plank of WaterPlan 2050, the strategic blueprint developed by the two councils to manage and secure the Central Coast’s water resources over the next four decades.

It’s also the largest water infrastructure project undertaken on the Central Coast since the mid 1980s when Mangrove Creek Dam was built.

Questions and answers

Based on questions that the Project Team has been frequently asked, this section is designed to answer queries and provide a good idea about what is going to happen next.

Pipeline route selection process
Next steps in the project
Environmental/ecological challenges
Landholder challenges
Compensation and liability
Construction challenges
Community liaison and land access
Cost of the Mardi-Mangrove Link
WaterPlan 2050
Ongoing operation and maintenance of the Link

If you have additional questions, contact the Project Team on (02) 4350 1676 or by email Back to Top

School project/educational material

See Fact Sheets about the project

What's in the Mardi-Mangrove link?

  • Wyong River off-take structure and water pump station, located adjacent to the existing Wyong No.1 pump station, with a pumping capacity of around 320 million litres a day, twice the current extraction capacity
        
  • 2.1 kilometre pipeline from Wyong River to Mardi Dam to match the above pump extraction rates. Where possible, existing pipelines will be incorporated into the new transfer arrangements. Provision will also be made for a new inlet at Mardi Dam
       
  • Pump station at Mardi Dam to pump up to 160 million litres a day up to Mangrove Creek Dam.
  • about 19 kilometre of pipeline through Yarramalong Valley from Mardi Dam to the existing Bunning Creek Tunnel to enable the two-way transfer of water between Mardi Dam and Mangrove Creek Dam; and
       
  • Potential construction of a facility to screen and / or pre-treat raw water transferred from Wyong River, or transferred between the two dams, to control the movement of pest species and nutrients between the two catchments.Back to Top

What progress has been made?

The key focus of the project over the past eight months has been on identifying a recommended route for the 19 km pipeline through Yarramalong Valley.

This has involved detailed engineering, environmental, geotechnical and heritage studies combined with extensive and ongoing consultation with potentially affected landowners, the Yarramalong Valley community and other interested parties.

What is the Recommended Pipeline Route?

A recommended route has now been identified for eight out of the nine sectors that make up the entire 19 km pipeline route to connect Mardi Dam to the existing Bunning Creek Tunnel.

Considered and accepted by the Gosford/Wyong Councils’ Water Authority (GWCWA) at its scheduled Board Meeting on 21 May 2008, this recommended route is now subject to approval by the two Councils.

Recommended pipeline route report

File Size

Recommended pipeline route report

PDF - 2.69 MB

Recommended route map

PDF - 1.83MB

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What’s happening with Sector Six of the Pipeline route?

For the one remaining sector, Sector 6 (an area from 600 metres West of Boyds Lane to 1248 Yarramalong Road), further detailed:

  • in-field survey
       
  • geotechnical
       
  • environmental
       
  • constructability
       
  • landowner / community consultation and
       
  • cost estimate comparison

Work will be undertaken for all of the routes currently under consideration over the next three months, subject to the prior approval by the two Councils.

This additional work is needed because each of the routes investigated in this sector have specific challenges that need to be overcome. Once this work is complete, the Project Team will make a further recommendation about the pipeline route for Sector 6 that will be considered by the GWCWA Board and then the two Councils.

View Sector Six map as a PDF (1 MB).

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Five key criteria were then identified based on both the Project Team’s own knowledge and experience in building pipelines as well as community feedback, which had identified these criteria as being upper-most in the minds of local residents, the Central Coast community in general and other interested parties.

  1. Landowner impacts
       
  2. Community impacts (including impacts on Yarramalong Road and those who use it)
       
  3. Environmental Impacts (including heritage/cultural impacts)
    Engineering and constructability
       
  4. Comparative cost estimates

Six independent experts scored each sector across the five selection criteria. The scoring system was based on:

0 = no impact
1 = low impact
3 = medium impact
5 = high impact

Each score was reviewed by other panel members to validate rationale and ensure consistency. Overall route scores were then subject to a sensitivity analysis to test their robustness. The lowest scoring outcome determined the route chosen for that sector.Back to Top

The construction contractors will also work very closely with all affected landowners as well as the Yarramalong Valley community in general.

Outside of the Valley, the Project Team will continue to provide regular updates to the Central Coast community through the two Councils’ normal information sharing mechanisms including the local media.

Briefings are also regularly provided to the elected Councillors, State and Federal MPs in the region as well as all other interested parties.

Additional information

Information about the Mardi-Mangrove Link project can be obtained by e-mail or by telephoning the Project Office on (02) 4350 1676

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