Constructing two major pipelines with minimal disruption to the environment is a key principle for the crews working on the installation of the new Lake Dunstan Water Supply and Clyde wastewater pipelines. “The crews have been doing a fantastic job and taking as much care as possible so as not to disturb existing plants or trees. In a couple of places where we’ve thought we’d need to move one or two trees, the Fulton Hogan crews have been able to do a work-around to complete the job,” says Kevin Furnival, Senior Project Manager at CODC. “In some places it looks better than when we arrived. “We’ve also liaising closely throughout the project with the Department of Conservation and the local Haehaeata Trust to ensure that we’re doing our best to look after plants and surroundings as we move through.” In another plus for the environment, the fine, sandy soils and material dug up to make way for the pipeline trenches has been reused around the pipes as they’ve been installed. “In some construction projects it’s necessary to haul in material from elsewhere to put around pipes being installed but in this case the soils are so fine we’ve been able to re-use them. This is a win-win because it means we’re not having to bring in extra material or disrupting the structure of local soils,” says Kevin.
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