Two Goulburn-Murray Water projects have been recognised for engineering excellence, taking out gold and silver at the annual Association of Consulting Engineers Australia Awards for Excellence in Sydney.
From entries all over Australia, for projects in metropolitan, regional and international locations, the judges presented a Gold Award to SKM for the Pyramid Creek Salt Interception Scheme in the environment category, and a Silver Award to GHD for the Eildon Dam Improvement Project in the water category.
The ACEA awards program is one of the industry's most prestigious recognising Australia's world-class engineering activities.
The Eildon project was undertaken by the Eildon Alliance, comprising GHD, Goulburn-Murray Water, John Holland and Hazell Brothers, and the Pyramid Creek Salt Interception Scheme was managed by Goulburn-Murray Water on behalf of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission.
Goulburn-Murray Water Chief Executive Russell Cooper said the awards highlighted the benefits that can be achieved by Goulburn-Murray Water's in-house engineering teams working in partnership with high quality consulting firms.
"Goulburn-Murray Water has demonstrated its ability to deliver major projects within agreed time and budget, and these awards recognise the world-class capability of our staff and consultants," Mr Cooper said.
The Eildon Dam Improvement Project was the first full Alliance project completed in Victoria. The Alliance team strengthened the dam's spillway and reconstructed the embankment to ensure the safety of the dam for the community.
The project, undertaken with strong community support, was completed four months ahead of schedule and under budget. It was also awarded a high commendation at the Engineers Australia 2005 Excellence Awards and a Case Earth Award from the Civil Contractors Federation in 2006.
The Pyramid Creek Salt Interception Scheme is a large-scale groundwater pumping scheme that intercepts saline groundwater flows and pumps them to evaporation basins. The salt is then harvested for commercial purposes by the scheme's private partner, Pyramid Salt.
The $13 million scheme stops more than 22,000 tonnes of salt entering Pyramid Creek each year, reducing the salinity of the Kerang Lakes and delivering significant benefits to River Murray water users.
It is the first scheme specifically designed to incorporate salt harvesting and deliver a sustainable system.
The scheme received more accolades last June when it won the Engineers Australia National Salinity Prize for new technology and other practical outcomes tackling salinity. The prize was presented by the Governor-General, Major-General Michael Jeffery, at a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra.