22 November, 2023
Better look at Toowoomba to Warwick Pipeline route
The exact route that the Toowoomba to Warwick (T2W) Pipeline will take, connecting to Clifton, Nobby, Greenmount Cambooya and Allora, is close to being finalised.
Seqwater, the Queensland Government body in charge of constructing the pipeline, has released the current route for the pipeline.
Over the new few months it will finalise the route.
The T2W pipeline will supply a permanent water supply to residents in the four Toowoomba Regional Council towns of Cambooya, Greenmount, Nobby and Clifton.
The pipeline, when complete, will also serve as a drought contingency water supply for residents within the Southern Downs Regional Council towns of Allora, Warwick and Yangan, and by carting south to Stanthorpe and Killarney.
From the north, the pipeline starts near Highfields and travels around the western side of Toowoomba, then past Westbrook and Wyreema.
It then travels to Cambooya, crossing Hodgson Creek east of the town, proceeding to Greenmount alongside Watts Siding Road.
To Nobby, it follows Jacksons Road, then along the eastern side of the railway line to Clifton.
In Clifton, the route follows Clark Street for a bit, before crossing the railway near the tennis courts and then down Tooth Street.
The route then follows Logan Road, where a pump station will be built near the southern end.
It then travels east on Clifton Boundary Road, turns south on Glenbuckle Road and east on Dalrymple Creek Road to Ellinthorp.
The main line then travels south to a proposed reservoir near Warwick’s Leslie Dam.
A connection pipeline will meet the main pipeline at Ellinthorp and travel east along Dalrymple Creek Road and South Street to Allora.
It ends near the showgrounds, where the Allora Pump Station will be located.
Seqwater is in the process of completing detailed ecological investigations to
help progress the design development and inform which locations along the pipeline route should be avoided, where possible.
These investigations are completed via a combination of desktop and field survey techniques to identify
and ground-truth protected plant species, important habitats, valuable waterway environments and significant or locally important street trees along the alignment.
Geotechnical investigations are also underway and will likely continue into December 2023, subject to weather and unforeseen conditions.
As part of the environmental regulatory process, Seqwater has submitted an Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act (EPBC) referral.
This process is administered by the Australian Government to help protect unique plants, habitats, animals, and places.
The EPBC referral assesses a broader area than is likely to be part of the pipeline alignment.
Finalisation of the pipeline route is a complex process and is subject to ongoing discussions with Toowoomba Regional Council, Southern Downs Regional Council, and landholders, as well as engineering and environmental considerations.
Seqwater recognises that projects can have an impact on the environment and therefore is committed to minimising and mitigating impacts where possible and demonstrating environmental responsibility by meeting any legislative, regulatory and duty of care requirements.
The project remains in the pre-construction phase and Seqwater is on track to confirm the finalised pipeline route in early 2024.
The pipeline will run along existing road reserves and easements for most of its route for safety and efficiency reasons.
Seqwater is engaging with affected property owners as details of the route are finalised.
While the pipeline route and design are still being confirmed, it is anticipated that the pipeline will be located completely underground.
Once the design and route are finalised, Seqwater will share details with the community.
Seqwater is working towards the appointment of a suitably qualified head contractor to deliver the construction phase of the project.
A market expression of interest (EOI) is underway and Seqwater recently hosted two industry briefings in early November at Toowoomba and Warwick, ahead of the planned tender release in early 2024.
In selecting a head contractor, Seqwater will give weighted favour to contractors that commit to engaging local sub-contractors and suppliers.
The project will involve trades associated with pipeline installation, reservoir construction and pump station construction and is estimated to employ more than 400 workers during the construction phase.
A detailed version of the map, which can be zoomed on, can be found by visiting here.
Those seeking a hard copy of the map can email projectinfo@seqwater.com.au or call 3432 7000.
