Award-winning project for Goulburn-Murray irrigation

The Goulburn-Murray Water Irrigation System delivers gravity fed water across Northern Victoria from Yarrawonga to Swan Hill. Due to manual operation methods, it lost up to a third of this water – Estimated at 800 Gigalitres per year - and was unreliable in its delivery of water to irrigators.

The modernisation project, estimated to cost $2 billion dollars over five years, aimed to minimise these losses. How? Through automation of channels using radio controlled, solar powered technology to control distribution. In addition it would replace old “Dethridge Wheel” meters with remote read and actuated meters, and undertake remediation works and channel rationalisation.

This project was managed via FutureFlow, an alliance between Goulburn-Murray Water, Transfield Services, Sinclair Knight Merz and Comdain Constructions.

SAGE Automation was invited to form a sub-alliance to project manage the SCADA and telemetry component of these works.

The radio network forms a crucial backbone for the collection of system data and delivery of remote controlled signals for the control of water distribution for this region.

Since March 2008 SAGE have had a small but crucial team located at offices in Shepparton. This team provides management and direction for the planning, integration and supervision of the new network which is the largest of its kind in the world.

In addition to the radio network, SAGE has lead the development of an integrated RTU solution for meters which has reduced the overall cost and provided the flexibility of multiple meter suppliers.

SAGE successfully delivered all of the works under the FutureFlow Alliance agreement, within the projected budget.

The development of a communication infrastructure was integral to the successful outcome of the project and SAGE was appointed for further works.

In March 2010, the project was recognised by the Australian Water Association Awards for Excellence, taking out the 2009 Infrastructure Project Innovation Award.