Desilting Solutions were engaged by Brisbane City Council to remove silt from the Castlemaine St Pipeline in Milton, Brisbane. The works involved desilting a 380m length of 3m diameter pipeline from Suncorp Stadium to the outlet at the Brisbane River. Sections of the pipeline were inundated with up to 1.8m of silt, restricting the pipe’s hydraulic capacity to approximately 1/4 of it’s design capacity and exposing up to 3,000 residents to the risk of flooding.
The removal of accumulated silt and sediment from this pipeline was deemed unsafe and unachievable by conventional means. Through the use of Desilting Solutions’ revolutionary remote operated vehicle (ROV), the pipeline was able to be cleaned. By utilising the ROV’s onboard sonar modules, a total of 1850t of sediment was removed from the pipeline in total darkness. This includes approximately 33kg of heavy metals including arsenic, lead and mercury.
The project was an Australian First and was implemented by the Brisbane City Council as a test case for future works. The project was completed without incident and to the satisfaction of all parties involved. Following the successful completion of the works, Brisbane City Council have engaged Desilting Solutions to remove silt from numerous additional pipelines in Brisbane which are partially silted and pose a risk of flooding to residents and the community.
