Murrumbidgee Irrigation is seeking to engage a suitably qualified and experienced consultancy firm to perform for each of the 13 areas:

Griffith gravity pipelines MI owned land

Griffith gravity pipelines non-MI owned land

Griffith pumped pipelines

Lake Wyangan

Beelbangera

Bilbul

Yenda MI owned land

Yenda nonMI owned land

Benerembah

Leeton gravity pipelines MI owned land

Leeton gravity pipelines non-MI owned land

Leeton pumped pipelines

Wamoon

Environmental and cultural heritage due diligence assessments for the UCP project; and advise on approval pathways requirements.

There will be an option to deliver additional detail assessments, planning and approvals and/or surveillance required to successfully deliver the project.

The UCP project will be separated into 13 area groups based on their location and size as outlined above. Each area will involve similar construction approaches and will require:

Site establishment, environmental and cultural heritage protection measures, site amenities and laydown/stockpile areas.

WH&S and traffic control

Construction of pipelines using a range of construction methods, including, but not limited to:

Under boring / horizontal directional drilling (HDD)

Trenching within the existing channel profile

Trenching to install pipeline next to the existing channel and backfilling the channel following completion.

Removal and replacement of outlets/customer connection points.

Removal of redundant channel infrastructure.

Removal of rationalised supply escape structures.

Making good to a finished standard, which may include backfilling with topsoil and seeding in specific amenity areas.

One new pump station will be constructed in Griffith (area 3) and Leeton (area 10) and may also require traffic controls and the establishment of laydown areas.

Due to the scale and scoping restriction of the works, MI request that the following assumptions be considered as part of all due diligence assessments, across the five areas:

Vegetation removal, including the removal of trees (native and non-native), may be required. MI are unable to confirm if pipelines will be installed in the existing channel alignment or next to the existing channel at this stage of the planning process.

A disturbance area of 10 m from centre of the existing channel alignment is to be assumed. Roads running parallel to the channel and non-MI private property boundaries will act as the outermost extent of the disturbance area buffer.

Pipelines will be installed at a maximum depth of 2000mm below the natural surface (NS) level.

Where road crossings are present within the disturbance area, the road crossing will be impacted.

The following approval pathways factors are to be considered in planning for the works:

Based on land ownership

Channel location (whether the pipeline is in the same alignment or adjacent)

Extension of existing channel/pipeline in undisturbed ground

Impact to non-MI infrastructure (utilities, driveways, roads, rail, etc.)

Development approvals for new pump stations

Vegetation removal (native and non-native)

Presence of known or unknown artefacts

Photographs have been included below providing examples of typical and more complex sites that may be encountered as part of the assessment. Photographs of each site can be made available upon reward of the contract.