BlueLine Drains was awarded a contract by a local council following a competitive tender process. The contract’s initial scope covered the CCTV inspection of 15.3km of stormwater assets in three catchments. However, two subsequent variations expanded the scope to include a total of 35.1km of stormwater assets across the wider district. To enable the successful CCTV Inspection of these assets, additional tasks were required, such as Light & Full Cleaning, Heavy Cleaning with Suction, Root Cutting, Pipe Sealing, Over-Pumping, Waste Disposal, Sonde Locations, Manhole Locating & Exposing, As-Builts, and Traffic Management.
The original contract covered 15.3km of assets across three stormwater catchments. Challenges arose primarily due to buried manholes and inaccurate GIS information, which made planning and execution difficult, requiring persistent efforts to determine the pipeline locations and access points. Nevertheless, our team’s dedication paid off, resulting in the discovery of 29 unmarked and/or buried manholes, leading to the provision of 72 As-Builts that significantly improved the client’s GIS records.
The first variation added 12km of stormwater assets in one catchment to the project. This segment brought its own set of challenges, with a notable issue being the significant volume (up to 80%) of sand found in most of the network being inspected. Our team had to exercise precision and care while removing the sand to avoid causing further damage to the already fragile pipes. Despite the difficulties, we successfully navigated the maintenance and inspection of these assets.
The second and final variation introduced an additional 7.8km of stormwater assets in eight catchments. These works posed the most challenging aspect of the entire contract. Around 80% of the lines were either partially or fully flooded with a substantial amount of sediment at the bottom. Moreover, accessing these lines with the necessary plant and equipment proved to be a significant issue due to limited vehicle access near flooded ponds, creeks, and open water channels. Despite the complexity and time-consuming nature of the task, our team embraced the challenge, investing in additional equipment including pipe sealing plugs and trash pumps. Our efforts overcoming obstacles made it possible to successfully complete the works. The client’s satisfaction with the CCTV outcomes made the extensive efforts worthwhile.
Despite the difficulties encountered during this contract, we demonstrated our commitment to overcoming challenges and delivering high-quality results. Our expertise and dedication in stormwater asset maintenance were showcased throughout the entire contract, providing valuable services to the local council and improving the overall functionality of stormwater networks in the district.
