Haughton Pipeline Project

Townsville City Council began preliminary work on Stage 2 of the Haughton pipeline in 2020.

Design work for Stage 2 of the Haughton pipeline is well progressed in identifying a proposed alignment for Stage 2 pipeline works, preparing cost estimates for construction and installation of approximately 30km of 1.8metre pipeline, development of pump station and power supply options to extend the existing Stage 1 pipeline from the Haughton River to the Burdekin River in the vicinity of Clare.

• Stage 2 Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 2.2 MB)
• Download the Project Timeline (PDF, 69.1 KB)

Project Overview

Careful and detailed design and planning is currently taking place on what is a major piece of infrastructure that will serve our community for 50 years. Detailed design work for Stage 2 of the Haughton pipeline is investigating extending the existing pipeline from the Haughton River to the Burdekin River in the vicinity of Clare.

Funded by Townsville City Council and the Queensland Government the project cost is $274 million, with $195 million of this contributed by the Queensland Government, Stage 2 is a greenfield site, covering 30 kms and is completely different to stage 1. Stage 1 was predominantly built within existing easements and land corridors.

Since the funding agreement between the Queensland Government and Council was signed, Council has undertaken significant work.

The Haughton Pipeline Project (HPP) proposes extending the new, larger 1800mm Stage 1 water pipeline to source water from the Burdekin River to the Ross River Dam.

A Townsville City Council and Queensland Government funded water security initiative for Townsville, the pipeline will support the city’s Ross River Dam water catchment. When complete, the HPP will provide greater capacity to provide raw water into the Ross River Dam to augment or “top up” water levels during periods of very low rainfall.

Works to date included:

• Two major contracts have been let – design and engineering services ; and contract management services.
• Seven professional service providers have provided and are providing specialist services for probity, land valuation, cultural heritage, native title, contracts, quantity surveying, and design review.
• Sixteen agreements have been established with major material and equipment suppliers and local construction contractors to assist with logistics of supply, selection of materials, constructability in design, risk identification, and programming of delivery.
• A Cultural Heritage Management Agreement negotiated and signed with Bindal Traditional Owners.
• Three land access licence agreements negotiated with landowners within the proposed alignment of the pipeline.
• Bore drilling, ground survey and environmental survey work complete.

Specialist external consultants have been working to finalise engineering design to define pipe materials and alignment, land acquisitions, native title, and pump station requirements.

Engineering designs and project plans will be presented to the State Government, the Council and community in the coming weeks.

Construction of stage 1 of the 36.5km, 1.8m-diameter pipeline is complete.

$100M of the stage 1 project budget has been spent locally, with around 200 businesses involved and 1,000 people inducted to work onsite.

Stage 1.1 works to extend the pipeline a further 330 metres across the Haughton River are complete, and the installation of approximately a further 3.8km of pipeline to connect from the Haughton River crossing is close to completion.

Stage 1 of the pipeline was funded by the Queensland Government, which provided $225 million to Townsville City Council to improve water security in Townsville – including $10 million for water education programs.

The Queensland Government has contributed $225 million to improve water security in Townsville.

Media Releases

• 22/12/2021 - Traditional Owners undertake cultural heritage survey of pipeline route
• 30/04/2021 - Progress being made on second stage of Haughton pipeline

Proudly funded by the Queensland Government in association with Townsville City Council