Surplus fresh water from northwest Tasmanian rivers can be diverted to Melbourne as first step in a chain to provide needed water to new mineral prospects in outback South Australia. Proposal prepared by Geoff Croker in conjunction with Docklands Science Park.

1. WATER SUPPLY for SE AUSTRALIA
TASMANIAN WATER DIVERSION
PIPELINE OPTIONS & COSTS
Author: Geoff Croker BE (Civil)
Date: July 2012

2. MELBOURNE DEMAND, SUPPLY & FUTURE DEMAND
Demand 1997 - 2012
 Without water restrictions: 460 GL/year
 With L3 water restrictions: 360 GL/year
Projected Demand by Melbourne Water 2013-2018
 Without water restrictions: 370 GL/year
 Waterways & Drainage 2,000 GL/year*
 Recycling* 50 GL/year
 No requirement for Desalination, N-S Pipe from Retailers
Supply Inflow
 Thomson & Yarra rivers: 300 to 800 GL/year
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3. WONTHAGGI DESALINATION PLANT 2013 – 2018 Water Plan
 Fixed costs are 60% of Melbourne Water’s total annual operating
expenditure or $610M/year for no water delivered;
 Operating the plant at 150GL is an additional $110M/year;
 Cost of Wonthaggi Desalinated Water (No CPI) $4,800/ML;
 Melbourne household water bills rose 36% in the April-June 2012
quarter just to cover the capital cost of the Wonthaggi Desalination
plant.
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4. Why use Tasmanian Water?
 Tasmania uses less than 1,000GL/year;
 Its measured run-off to the sea is greater than 45,000GL/year;
 Two rivers regulated by Hydro Tasmania, the Forth & Pieman have
5,300GLs/year run-off to sea on average for the last 80 years;
 More regulated rivers are available eg Tamar outflow is 2,500GLs/year;
 1,500GL/year could be sold to Victoria & South Australia;
 Water can be traded with the Murray River users;
 No pumping is required by Melbourne Water for water diverted from the
Yarra and Thomson catchments via a 30km tunnel to Big River.
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5. DESALINATION PLANT to MELBOURNE WATER GRID
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6. Forth River, Tasmania to Wonthaggi Desalination Inlet
 Flow: 350-500GL per year from Tasmania’s run-off to Melbourne;
 Water trade: Upper Yarra & Thomson Reservoirs are connected to Eildon;
 Low risk: no new dams required, known technology, Melbourne dams
held full at all times;
 Low cost: long term water agreement; Tasmanian royalty;
 Timeline: estimated completion of first pipe within 3 years;
 Expandable: capacity up to 1,500GL/yr and connection to Geelong;
 Build: local manufacture & IP and 25+ year design life.
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7. Forth River Catchment Melbourne
Lake Gairdner Seven Diversions to
Lake Rowallan
Melbourne’s Water grid
Pipe from Forth Weir
to Fabric Pipe Fabric Pipe to Wonthaggi
Lake Parangana Cardinia
Desalination Plant Inlet
Reservoir
Lake Cethana
Lake Barrington Bass Strait
Lake Paloona Kilcunda Beach
300km Water flow direction
NW Tasmania River Diversion to Melbourne
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8. Melbourne Catchments Eildon Reservoir
Existing
30kmTunnel
Big River
Valve
Thomson Big River
Reservoir
Upper Yarra New 30km
Reservoir Tunnel
Eildon
Water flow direction
Upper Yarra to Eildon Connection
300 - 800 GL/year
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9. DESIGN PROCESS
Bass Strait and the SE Australian continental shelf is well explored by
the oil & gas, electricity and telco industries.
Pipelines, power & communication cables already exist.
Climate & catchment information is known for over 100 years.
Existing information includes:
• Geophysical & Geotechnical surveys
• Environmental studies
• Wave and current measurements & simulation models
• Shipping & port requirements
• Biological fouling assessment & measurement for marine pipes
• Seismic studies
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10. PIPE MATERIAL SELECTION
Tensile Yield Stress MPa;
Pressure determines pipe wall thickness;
This determines the cost of material and installation methodology.
MPa
 High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) 30
 High Tensile Nylon 45
 Structural Carbon Steel 250
 Stainless Steel 520
 High Strength Structural Steel 690
 Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP, 70% E-Glass) 800
 Carbon Nanotube Composite 1,200
 Aramid eg Kevlar or Twaron 3,600
 Graphene 130,000
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11. TURKEY TO CYPRUS PIPELINE using High Density Polyethylene
by INTEC Engineering BV
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12. TURKEY TO CYPRUS PIPELINE
by INTEC Engineering BV
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13. Nylon Water Bags
Towed at 3 knots across the ocean surface.
Diameters from 11 to 34 metres, Used across the world for 25 years.
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14. Bag to Fabric Pipeline – Shows water proof zipper joints
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15. Fabric Pipeline – Floating At surface
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16. Fabric Pipeline – Suspended from sea floor & Submerged
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17. Fabric Pipeline – Located on Flat Land
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18. High Tensile Nylon Fabric Pipe
Delivery in 50 metre length modules.
UV Coating included.
6 metre Diameter Weighs 1.7kg per Square metre or 1,600 kgs module.
Marine Life Material Warranty 25 years
Module Joints:
- Waterproof zipper that allows rapid interconnections in the field;
- Stiff internal mandrel with external rod clamps for connecting a fabric
section to a rigid portion or pumping infrastructure;
- Field ultrasonic welding, specialized on-site equipment.
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19. HYDRO TASMANIA - Water & Electricity
Hydro Tasmania 30 June 2011:
• 914 Employees
• Mainland revenue $ 245Million
• Net revenue $ 813M
• Cash from Operations $ 161M (52M to Tas Govt)
• Total equity $ 2.0 B
• Net debt $ 964M
• Total installed capacity 2.4 TW
• Total electricity generated 9.3 TWh
• Goal to sell 15 TWh in FY2014, 5 TWh to mainland
• 27 Hydro Power Stations
• Supply Fee $7.58 per ML from lowest Hydro Tasmania Dam
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20. PIPELINE FROM FORTH RIVER TO WONTHAGGI INLET
300 km Undersea pipeline to supply Melbourne’s Water Grid:
 Fabric suspended from cable with Rigid ends $1B
 Take or Pay Flow Rate 350GL/year
 Average Royalty to Tasmania over 25 years $ 15/ML
 7.25% Interest + 3% CPI over 25 years ($111M/yr) $ 317/ML
 Average Maintenance Cost over 25 years $ 77/ML
 Average Charge/ML $ 409/ML
 Cost of Wonthaggi Desalinated Water 2013 – 2018 (No CPI) $4,800/ML
Note:
Diversion pipe to Torquay/Geelong is $708/ML Take or Pay for 80 GL/Year.
Tunnel from Upper Yarra Reservoir to Big River not included.
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21. USING GRAVITY
Water weighs 1 kg/litre or 1,000 kg/ cubic metre.
Because it is “heavy” and a liquid, it will always flow to a lower point. Not always.
Separated liquids of lower density (river water) “float” in sea water.
How fast will river water flow in a 6 metre pipe?
Engineers use equations to describe a flows energy so they can design pipes.
Using the Colebrook-White formula (1937), over a distance of 1,300 km and 10 metre
head, the flow will be 250 GL/year or half the volume of Sydney harbour.
The Colebrook-White formula makes two assumptions about energy losses:
- the only head acting is 10m
- the flow caused by friction is turbulent.
For large diameters and low velocities the pipe wall friction has little influence on flow
type. Fresh water floats in sea water so it’s accelerated upwards by gravity.
Using Hagen’s lamina flow equation (1839) the flow is 7,600 GL/year.
Using an Ocean Current Model means the 6 metre pipe may flow at 900-1,800GL/year.
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22. Pieman River Catchment Whyalla
Ocean Diversions to Eyre
& Yorke Peninsula,
Adelaide, Victor Harbour &
Lake Plimsoll Kangaroo Island
Pipe from Lake Pieman
to Fabric Pipe Roxby Downs
Fabric Pipe to Whyalla 100m AHD
Lake Murchison
Inlet Pipe
Lake Mackintosh
Lake Roseberry Southern Ocean
Lake Pieman Whyalla Pumps
97m AHD
Diversions to Other
Miners & Towns
1,300km Water flow direction Flinders Ranges Dam or
Aquifer Injection
NW Tasmania River Diversion to Whyalla
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23. PIPELINE FROM PIEMAN RIVER TO WHYALLA
1,300 km Undersea pipeline to Supply SA Towns and Miners:
• Fabric suspended from cable with rigid ends $1B
• Take or Pay Flow Rate 200GL/year
• Average Royalty to Tasmania over 25 years $ 15/ML
• 7.25% Interest + 3% CPI over 25 years ($111M/yr) $ 555/ML
• Average Maintenance Cost over 25 years $ 77/ML
Total Average Charge/ML $ 647/ML
Note:
Diversions to other locations may require pumps & pipe and are not included.
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24. Pieman River Catchment Port Fairy
Diversions to Hamilton
Lake Plimsoll
Irrigation District
Pipe from Lake Pieman
Rocklands
to Fabric Pipe Fabric Pipe to Port Fairy Reservoir
Lake Murchison Inlet Pipe 195m AHD
Lake Mackintosh
Lake Roseberry Southern Ocean
Lake Pieman Belfast Lough
97m AHD Pumps
Diversions to Wimmera
Irrigation District & MDB
450km Water flow direction
NW Tasmania River Diversion to Port Fairy
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25. PIPELINE FROM PIEMAN RIVER TO PORT FAIRY
TO ROCKLANDS RESERVOIR
450 km Undersea pipeline with High Tensile Fabric to Supply Agriculture:
• Fabric suspended from cable with rigid ends $800M
• Take or Pay Flow Rate 800GL/year
• Average Royalty to Tasmania over 25 years $ 15/ML
• 7.25% Interest + 3% CPI over 25 years ($89M/yr) $111/ML
Total Average Charge/ML $ 126/ML
or
• Average Royalty to Tasmania over 25 years $ 15/ML
• 3.25% 10 yr Gov Bond Rate over 25 years ($54M/yr) $ 67/ML
Average Charge using Gov Bond Rate $ 82/ML
Note:
Diversion to Rocklands Reservoir will require pumps & pipe and is not included.
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26. CONCLUSIONS
 Desalination is unlikely to ever supply fresh water at agricultural
prices, with acceptable energy use or long term salt & boron levels;
 It costs less for SA and Victoria to use gravity, to flow fresh water
from existing regulated rivers in Tasmania’s North West to the
mainland, than operate existing large RO desalination plants;
 River water can be piped & traded across major oceans creating or
maintaining industry & food for billions of people;
 There is no need to build desalination plants as diverting water from
the main pipeline is less expensive; and
 River catchments will be kept pristine if owners of the catchment are
paid to keep them clean.
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27. Marine Steel Pipe Laying Ship
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28. Marine Steel Pipeline Preparation
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29. Marine Steel Pipe Laying
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30. High Density Polyethylene Pipe Installation
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31. High Density Polyethylene Pipe Installation
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32. Demonstration of Fabric Pipeline Technology in SA
• In order to properly evaluate the potential flow and
Australian operating conditions for a fabric pipeline
it will be necessary to manufacture a short length of
pipe that matches the requirements of an existing
marine water pipe and diverts the flow of the
existing marine pipe into the fabric pipe and back
again.
• One such 14km steel pipeline currently delivers
9550 ML/year since 1967 across Spencer Gulf from
north of Port Germein to north of Whyalla.
• It was recently “pigged” by SA Water and found to
be in pristine condition after many years of
operation.
• A temporary diversion of the existing steel pipe flow
would cost under $5M with the flow operation study
conducted over a three month period.
• The pipe would be removed at the end of the flow
study and a report submitted within 90 days after
evaluating all the gathered data and comparing it
with design models.
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