Raw water irrigation scheme in Normanton

Topo, in close cooperation with H2One and Erscon, has assisted Carpentaria Shire Council with the design of a raw water irrigation scheme, allowing the delivery of raw water directly to key users within the township.

The Water Treatment Plant in Normanton is currently operating near maximum capacity to keep up with demand from the townships of Normanton and Karumba. Bypassing it with the irrigation network will benefit the community with reduced demand on the treatment plant, whilst still being able to keep the grass green. Raw water is sourced from the Glenore Weir, approximately 20 km south of the township. Normanton only receives about 44 days of rain per year, most of which are over summer when if floods, so water is a very precious resource. Construction of the network by local contractor Barto’s Construction is underway and reportedly going well, with the base slab down for the pump shed and trenching started on the over 2,000m of HDPE pipe. Significant quantities of embedment gravel are being sourced locally. Design is already underway for the next project in Normanton - duplication of approximately 1,200m of the raw water main, to allow for increased flow rates to the water treatment plan. Council is planning well ahead, using the expensive horizontal drilling rig already mobilised for the irrigation network to also undertake bores for the duplication project.