In February 2005, Water Dynamics - Quinti & Co and Hydro Engineering Pty Ltd were contracted to supply, install and maintain water meters in defined areas on the Gnangara Mound. The work is valued at more than $4 million and forms part of the $6 million provided by the State Government to measure and monitor water usage on the Mound.
Both companies commenced meter installations in early 2005 onto licensed bores / wells. Representatives from the meter installation companies are currently visiting licensees to discuss pumping schedules, assess bore sites and associated pipe-work. Once the information is obtained, the companies will prepare drawings of the proposed work for approval by licensees. The drawings must be submitted to the Department's Metering Team for endorsement before installation starts.
Hydro Engineering recently sub-contracted Western Irrigation to increase the rate of meter installations and cope with the increased workload.
It is estimated that 1000 meters will be fitted during the course of the project. Already 1000 with 130 in varying stages of completion have been fitted (June 2008) with 130 in various stages of completion.
Developing standards
- The current meter standard is AS 3565.1-2004 Meters for water supply - Cold Water Meters. However, the National Measurement Institute is currently drafting a more comprehensive standard relevant to irrigation water meters. Please visit SAI Global to purchase AS 3565.1-2004.
- Each meter installation meets Australian Standard 3565, which states that "meters are to be installed with 10 diameters of clear pipe before the meter and five diameters of clear pipe after". Conventional installation techniques could not always be used. A large component of the project is retro-fitting meters into existing infrastructure not designed for meters. Research into innovative solutions was needed.
- Irrigation meters have been developed for use where the water quality is not as critical but accurate recording is still needed. They must be installed to manufacturers' specifications and hold a current NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities) certificate of accuracy, as prescribed in the Australian Standard AS3565.
- The Department inspects each licensed property to locate and identify each draw-point. A GPS reading of the bore or well is recorded and then tagged with a unique identifier. Details of the infrastructure are recorded and the installation process discussed with the property owner. This information, along with any special requests from the licensee is then forwarded to one of the two installation companies.
An example of a typical meter installation is shown below.
To ensure that Western Australia keeps up-to-date with national trends, the Project Manager of the Metering Team is on the National Water Initiative's Metering Expert Group.
The Proposed Construction Report and Completed Construction Report is available.