Technical surveys to occur in coming months

23 Jun 2023

Technical surveys are being conducted for the Toowoomba to Warwick raw water pipeline between April and October 2023.

What surveys are being undertaken and when?

Further surveys for the Toowoomba to Warwick raw water* pipeline are taking place between April and October 2023, and include:

ecological surveys
contour and detail survey
services location survey
geotechnical investigations.

These surveys will inform the development of the detailed design.

During this time, you can expect to see people in high visibility vests and personal protective equipment along roadsides, railways, public easements and waterways undertaking the work across the region.

* Raw water is water from rivers, streams and lakes, which is transported to a water treatment plant (WTP) for treatment, then supplied as drinking water.

Ecological surveys

The ecological surveys include flora, fauna and aquatic ecological assessments.

Flora survey

A flora (plant) survey is a walk-through of any vegetated areas to identify protected plant species.

The survey usually occurs during daylight hours and the duration will vary. No ground disturbance or intrusive investigations are required. Photographs are taken of plants and GPS coordinates of identified protected plants may be recorded (no photographs of people, houses or other property features will be taken).

Fauna survey

A fauna (animal) survey will vary depending on the species of interest. The survey may involve observations (daylight or evening hours), call back and recording equipment, and nets or traps to temporarily catch the animal or gather hair samples.

Aquatic survey

An aquatic survey involves ecologists traversing a waterway to identify species.

Seqwater Field Ranger Mitchell Thomas-Carr sets up wildlife surveillance equipment within Hinze Dam's catchment.jpg

A male and female conducting an aquatic survey

Contour and detail surveys

The contour and detail surveys will be undertaken by a team of two or three surveyors to capture ground level measurements and record physical features on the ground such as trees or fences. The team will undertake the surveys on foot using a GPS survey pole and total stations.

Services location surveys

A services location survey involves a small team potholing to locate underground utilities and services, such as water, gas, and electrical lines.

Geotechnical investigations

Geotechnical investigations will be conducted to understand the type and strength of ground conditions (soil and rock). This information will assist in refining the pipeline design.

What is involved?

The investigation involves one or two bore holes to obtain geological samples which will determine the suitability of ground conditions for the pipeline, and its detailed design.

Truck-mounted borehole drills, or excavator, and associated support vehicles will be on-site during daylight hours.

The area at each site for investigation works is nominally 15m x 10m, but this will vary according to the site geography. The anticipated time for each investigation is up to four days, depending on access and ground conditions.

Water used during drilling will be contained within a purpose-built tank and recirculated until the hole is completed. This prevents any spill into surrounding waterways. Safety measures will be put in place at the conclusion of daily works and the site restored at completion.

All investigations will be conducted by a supervisor, lead driller, a drilling hand, and an engineering geologist, as required.