Water partnership to help meet growth in SE Qld

Queensland utility Unitywater has appointed infrastructure consulting firm AECOM as Professional Services Partner in a joint venture with Aurecon.

Unitywater provides water supply and sewage treatment services to more than 800,000 people daily across the Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions of South East Queensland.

It operates and maintains more than $3.8 billion of essential service infrastructure, including 6290 km of water mains, 103 water reservoirs and 17 sewage treatment plants.

“We’re excited to partner with Unitywater in providing safe, reliable water and sewerage services,” said Mark McManamny, Chief Executive of AECOM’s Australia and New Zealand region.

“With the South East Queensland region experiencing significant population growth, our unique combination of global water and program management capabilities means our team is ideally positioned to partner with Unitywater to deliver critical infrastructure, advance sustainable practices and unlock efficiencies at each stage of the program.”

As part of the joint venture, AECOM will be supporting Unitywater’s five-year, $1.8 billion Build Better Together program. Involving long-term contracts with partners, the capital works program aims to supply critical infrastructure for regional growth while achieving enduring sustainability goals.

The program includes sewage treatment plant upgrades and renewals, network growth and renewals for water distribution, reticulation and sewerage collection, and recycled water schemes.

AECOM will provide professional services across the whole project lifecycle by supporting strategic, long-term and detailed planning. The company will undertake design, technical assurance and construction support throughout delivery, operationalisation and handover.

“This significant engagement with Unitywater builds on our track record of securing large-scale water projects across Queensland and our Australia New Zealand region,” said Beverley Stinson, Chief Executive of AECOM’s global Water business.

“As we advance our commitment to delivering transformative work, we look forward to deploying and deepening our industry-leading technical skills in the water sector, which span the full breadth of our clients’ needs — from conveyance and treatment to reuse and beyond.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Jeremy Edwards