Big box culvert tunnelsfor cane trains

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3

N E W S F R O M R O C L A P I P E L I N E P R O D U C T S

Preventing slippage at Hume Dam

Rainwater recyclinggoes underground

Rocla Piper

ISSN 1032-7282

Rocla Pipeline

Products is a

leading supplier

of precast

concrete

solutions for the

civil construction

industry

SRC PIPES

CULVERTS

HEADWALLS

ACCESS

SYSTEMS

PRECAST

BRIDGES

RETAINING

WALLS

CONCRETE

BOARDWALKS

RURAL

PRODUCTS

WATER

QUALITY

SOLUTIONS

Published byRocla Pipeline Products

6 Thomas Street,Chatswood, NSW 2067

A business unit of Rocla Pty LimitedABN 31000 032191

Member of the Amatek Group

As 2003 draws to a close Rocla

can look back on a year of

continued growth, supported by

the release of new products and

a continuing strong performance

by the housing sector.

In the August issue I introduced

our newest precast structural system,

the PermaTrak® boardwalk, which

provides eco-friendly modular concrete

walkways that are durable yet quick

to install.

The first major installation, at the

Epsom Park development in Melbourne,

is featured in this issue. Two new

Rocla® products launched last year -

the ecoRain® rainwater utilisation system

and the MassBloc® earth retention

system - have generated an enthusiastic

response from engineers, builders,

architects, councils and other authorities.

In this issue you can read about the

first major installation of the ecoRain®

system, by Eurobodalla Shire Council

on the NSW South Coast, who installed

23 ecoRain® tanks on a new residential

sub-division.

Our MassBloc® earth retention

system has met the need for a simple

solution for creating massive permeable

retaining walls.

A typical installation, at the Hume

Dam in southern NSW, is featured

in this issue, as well as a story on

the use of the MassBloc® system for

emergency repairs by Orange City

Council. This year also saw the

completion of the largest M-Lock®

Bridge project to date, a 108 metre long

crossing in the Wentworth Shire of

western NSW, which will be featured

in the next issue.

A year of innovation and growth

Stephen T. BakerGeneral Manager,Rocla Pipeline Products

In this issue we highlight the

flexibility and speed of erection of other

M-Lock® Bridge solutions developed

by Rocla and our customers.

We also feature an article on our

versatile Pipeline Precast Products

(PLPC) range, which includes storm-

water pits, sewer access systems,

kerb inlets and other precast solutions

designed for ease and speed of

installation.

Two pipe stories are included

that reflect an increasing demand for

installations that minimise impact on

urban areas, with one solution featuring

large diameter Rocla® Jacking Pipe.

We hope you have enjoyed reading

The Piper this year.

On behalf of Rocla, I would like

to offer the compliments of the season

to all our customers, business partners

and friends.

I wish you all a safe holiday and a

happy and prosperous new year.

Three

Precast crowns provide off-the-shelfsolution for cane tunnels

ProjectRoad upgrade

LocationInnisfail, Qld

AuthorityQueensland Departmentof Main Roads

Box Culvert Crowns, Pipes & HeadwallsRocla Pipeline Products

These giant Rocla® Box Culvert

Crowns were supplied to the

Queensland Department of Main

Roads for an upgrade of

Henderson Drive, a key freight

route between the Atherton

Tablelands and the coastal area

of Far North Queensland near

Innisfail.

This is one of the highest rainfall

regions in the country (more than 4

metres a year) where Tully, Innisfail

and Babinda battle it out for the title

of Wettest Town in Australia.

Although drainage was a major

factor in the upgrade of Henderson

Drive, the culverts shown here were

designed to carry more than rainwater.

Thirty-one 4500 x 4100 culverts

were used to create a rail tunnel under

the built-up road for sugarcane trains,

while eleven 4500 x 4500 culverts were

used to build a road underpass for

cane bin haulers. The upgrade will help

accommodate the increasing number

of heavy vehicles using Henderson

Drive as a freight route between the

Tablelands and Mourilyan port, as well

as reducing conflict between through

traffic and local traffic, particularly

that servicing the local sugar industry.

It is designed to improve safety

and reduce traffic noise for local

residents and improve safety, travel

speed, road width, alignment and

surface condition for all road users.

It will also eliminate several sugar

railway crossings and reduce road user,

general freight and road maintenance

costs. The cane railway line is being

relocated as part of the project.

Rocla also supplied Concrete

Pipes and Precast Headwalls for the

numerous drainage culverts required

to cope with the famous downpours.

In all, some 775 tonnes of Rocla®

Steel Reinforced Concrete products

were used to create box and pipe

culverts under the 3.8km stretch of

upgraded road.

A stormwater outfall featuring the

largest diameter jacking pipe

ever installed in South Australia

won a 2003 Case Earth Award for

Construction Excellence in the

under $2 million category.

The stormwater pipe runs beneath

12 operational railway lines, as well as

underground conduits and services.

The 154-metre tunnel, at a depth

of more than 3 metres, was constructed

by SEM Civil to divert stormwater runoff

from the Mawson Lakes residential

development to existing wetlands.

Mawson Lakes, 12km north of

Adelaide, features an artificial wetlands

area (also constructed by SEM Civil)

Four

to collect runoff from the development. These wetlands, on the eastern

side of the rail corridor, had to be connected to the existing Greenfields

wetlands to the west of the rail l ines. The 1950mm diameter Rocla®

Jacking Pipe is the largest installed in SA and the tunnel is the longest

length for this diameter installed anywhere by Brisbane-based contractor

Tunnel Boring Projects.

Recurrent nuisance flooding and

ponding obliged an Adelaide

council to undertake the

unenviable task of installing new

stormwater drains in the centre of

one of the busiest roads out of

the city.

Payneham Road is a main arterial

route east of Adelaide in an area

undergoing continuous redevelopment

through urban infill and the sub-division

of large residential blocks.

Increasing runoff from side streets

had caused minor flooding in recent

years.

To take the surface flows off the

street and get them underground, the

City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters

needed to install new drainage pipes

along an 800-metre stretch right

down the centre of the busy road, to

avoid conflict with existing underground

services.

This included a new section of

pipeline and the duplication of an

existing line.

A combination of night works and

excellent traffic and project manage-

ment by contractors SEM Civil and

Beltrame Civil minimised disruption

to traffic during installation of the

900mm diameter Rocla® Reinforced

Concrete Pipes and Box Culverts.

1950mm pipe jacked under 12 rail lines

Now the rain in Payneham goesmainly down drain

Five

Simple riverbankrefurbishmentbecomes massiveretaining wall

ProjectEarth retention system

LocationAlbury, NSW

AuthorityNSW State Water

Design ConsultantsNSW Public Works

Construction ManagerSMEC Victoria

Construction ContractorInform Constructions

Engineering DesignCardno MBK

Retaining Wall SystemRocla Pipeline Products

NSW State Water wanted to tidy

up an unattractive embankment

beside the Hume Dam at Albury

that had been used as a dumping

ground for aggregate when the

dam was built in the 1920s. What

started as a simple refurbishment

turned into a massive earth

retention system.

Unexpected additional work

included heavily reinforced concrete

piers and deep-seated stressed

anchors. This work was required to

prevent the risk of damage to a vital

power station cable duct that traverses

the site.

The Rocla MassBloc® earth

retention system was chosen from a

variety of retaining wall options and

slope stabilising measures considered

by the design and construction team.

The MassBloc® system comprises

large, permeable concrete blocks

weighing around 1.8 tonnes that are

interlocked by a precast nib.

The segmental system allows

permanent retaining walls to be

deployed rapidly to counter erosion,

land slippage or wave energy.

Construction is mortarless and

an experienced crew can place up to

70 blocks a day.

Construction Manager Eric

Bradshaw, of SMEC Victoria, said the

potential for ongoing instability justified

the use of a massive retaining wall.

“MassBloc provided a safe, low

maintenance solution, but also offered

collateral benefits,” Eric said.

“The wall is visually appealing,

plus there’s now a turfed area at the

top that can be used as a public

viewing platform.”

The two walls, lower and upper,

each 5 metres high, comprising a

total of 350 MassBloc® units, were

installed by Inform Constructions using

a 25-tonne crane and three workers.

Regional land developer Bourke

Securities is currently installing

infrastructure on its latest

residential development in the

mid-western NSW city of Dubbo.

The development, Holmwood

Estate, covers some 35ha to the

south-east of the town, with 215

lots ranging from 850 to 4000

square metres.

Bourke Securit ies proprietor

George Rice, a former pastoralist

and native of Bourke, personally

builds the roads and installs the

sewer and stormwater systems on

his developments with the help of his

son and a third partner.

“I hired contractors to build

roads and drainage on my first

development,” George said, “but I

couldn’t see the point in hiring

people to do work I could do myself.”

The drainage system at Holmwood

Estate includes Rocla® SRC Pipes

and a range of Rocla Pipeline

Precast Products, including Rocla

CPO® Pits, Rocla One-Piece

Lintels and the Rocla® Sewer

Access System.

Six

Orange City Council, in the NSW Central

West, discovered that keeping a

stockpile of Rocla MassBloc®

components in the yard could be useful

for emergency repairs.

The MassBloc® earth retention system

was being used to build retaining walls on

the sides of a drainage channel, when heavy

rains stopped work.

The rains threatened to undermine a

power pole on the edge of the town.

Had the power pole toppled, it may have blacked out a quarter of Orange.

Council workers used MassBloc® components to stabilise the earth around the pole,

creating a quick, permanent solution.

A similar situation occurred the following week, when the rain threatened to

scour out a sewer access chamber, which could have severely affected the town’s

sewerage system. Again, the Rocla MassBloc® system came to the rescue.

DIY developer does ithis way in Dubbo

MassBloc® tothe rescue

George said the precast components were easy to install and

saved dramatically on construction times.

A loyal customer of Rocla’s Dubbo branch, George said it was

very convenient having a Rocla facility in his own back yard.

Seven

Rocla’s innovative PermaTrak® precast boardwalk system was used

to create safe pedestrian access across an environmentally sensitive

parkland at a residential development in Melbourne.

Epsom Park, once a famous horse racetrack, is now a growing suburb with

425 lots and a projected population of 1500. The fifth stage of development

was recently released.

The State Government developer, VicUrban, undertook a radical redesign

to preserve grasslands of State significance, turning them into a feature of the

development and conserving biodiversity.

The paddock of the former racetrack has been fenced off to create an

island of rare plant species.

With housing now being built on both sides of the paddock, walkways were

required to prevent residents trampling the grasses. Two Rocla PermaTrak®

boardwalks were installed, totalling some 285 metres.

The tracks feature curved paths as well as gentle changes in vertical

alignment to follow the topography of the site.

Landscape architects Tract Consultants specified the Rocla PermaTrak®

system for its durability, low maintenance and design flexibility.

Also, because no footings or heavy equipment were required, impact on

the site during construction was minimised.

The system features all precast concrete planks, bearers and stumps.

Installers Peco Constructions placed the two rows of stumps and risers

individually, then installed the bearers and planks using a small rubber-tread

excavator and lifting harness, working backwards between the rows of stumps.

Peco Constructions said the system was easy to use and could be installed

at the rate of 50 metres per day. The steel-reinforced concrete planks have a

live load limit of 1.5 tonnes, allowing the boardwalks to support a small utility or

maintenance vehicle if required.

Concrete tracks protect sensitiveurban grasslands

ProjectPedestrian walkways

LocationEpsom Park, Melbourne

DeveloperVicUrban

Landscape ArchitectsTract Consultants

ConstructionPeco Constructions

Precast BoardwalksRocla Pipeline Products

bridge to sustain very heavy loads. Thanks to the speed of erection of

the M-Lock® system and its ability to safely carry heavy trucks and

equipment, work on the dam was able to proceed on schedule.

Kerry Rae, of Biggenden Shire Council, said Rocla had recommended

that one day be allowed to install the planks on each span. “However,

it was so easy to construct that our crew installed all the deck planks

in two days and could have done it in one if necessary,” Kerry said.

Rocla supplied all the components for the bridge, including M-Lock®

precast planks and headstocks and Duraspun® concrete bridge piles.

Precast bridge makes light work ofheavy loads

Eight

Rocla M-Lock® precast deck

planks provided a quick and easy

replacement for a burnt-out

timber crossing over Jackie’s

Creek, west of Grafton, NSW.

The single-span timber bridge was

used by local farmers and loggers,

as well as being a strategic asset

for the Rural Fire Service. During the

January 2003 bushfires, firefighters

were forced to waste water wetting

down the bridge before crossing.

On their return, they made further

attempts to protect the bridge, but it

was consumed by the fires. Rocla

supplied three 12-metre M-Lock® deck

planks (two with castellated kerbs)

which were installed by Pristine Waters

Council day labour on council-built

steel piles and abutments. The new

bridge, installed in June 2003, is the

sixth built by the council, with two more

bridges on order.

New bridge providessolid, fireproof access

Biggenden Shire Council in

Queensland found the Rocla M-

Lock® precast bridge system so

easy to construct, it placed all the

concrete deck planks of its three-

span bridge in two days, using a

local crew with no experience in

bridge building.

The new 30-metre, 3-span bridge

across Chowey Creek, 20km northwest

of Biggenden, replaced a timber

bridge that failed to meet a new load

limit. The M-Lock® bridge was

scheduled for construction in 2004

but was brought forward because of

development taking place at nearby

Paradise Dam, which required the

Nine

building setback, to within an existing

high-pressure water main easement.

A key measure of the success of

the initiative is the market acceptance

of the subdivision.

The lots sold within a month of

release on the market in December

2002, one of the slowest sales periods.

The majority of the lots have been

purchased by Masterton Homes, who

strongly supported the connection of

their homes to the Rocla ecoRain®

system and provided advice on siting.

The project was undertaken

entirely by Eurobodalla Shire Council,

with construction carried out by

council’s own construction division,

Euroworks.

ProjectDomestic rainwater utilisation

LocationDalmeny, NSW

DeveloperEurobodalla Shire Council

ConstructionEuroworks

Rainwater UtilisationSystemsRocla Water Quality

Rainwater recyclinggoes underground

A housing estate at Narooma on

the NSW South Coast has set a

new standard for conserving and

utilising rainwater. Rocla®

rainwater utilisation systems with

in-ground tanks were installed on

all lots during construction to

minimise mains water use.

The Dalmeny subdivision is on

land owned by Eurobodalla Shire

Council and was planned during the

harshest drought for 100 years.

Council project manager, Andrew

Parkinson, said the council expected

that potable water consumption would

be halved for a typical dwell ing at

Dalmeny. After a public tender process,

Eurobodalla specified Rocla ecoRain®

units with a 10,000 litre capacity to

ensure maximum stormwater utilisation.

The Rocla ecoRain® system is an

underground concrete tank complete

with filter, pump and automatic controls.

Stormwater is harvested from

the roof, f i l tered and stored in the

underground tank, then pumped back

to the house via an electronically

controlled system.

If the water level in the storage

tank drops below 10 per cent, a small

amount of potable water is used to

ensure continuity of supply.

Back-flow controls and air gaps

prevent contamination of the potable

water supply.

The bulk of the system is installed

as a single unit before the house is

constructed, with the plumbing and

electrical connections made later.

Siting the units on the vacant

blocks required careful design. The

location of all underground services

(water, sewer, stormwater, electricity

and telephone) was carefully

coordinated to maximise the building

envelope of each lot.

The location of the Rocla ecoRain®

units varies from within the front

Ten

Rocla and consulting engineers

Civil Power devised a very

effective and economical oil spill

control system for Victorian

energy supplier TXU. The new

solution combines a Rocla

ecoStop® spill control device with

a Rocla® Triple Interceptor Pit for

oil removal.

The Rocla ecoStop® spill prevention

system provides secure protection

against stormwater contamination in the event of an oil spill. When oil

builds up in the runoff, a float-actuated shutoff valve stops flow from

entering the stormwater drain. There are no electrical or manually operated

components. The Rocla® Triple Interceptor Pit is a 1050mm diameter

stormwater pit with three internal chambers that removes oil from the

flow and stores it for later removal. The combined system has been

installed at TXU sub-stations in Ferntree Gully, Narre Warren and Lilydale.

The transformers at the sub-

stations can have as much as 2000

litres of coolant inside.

Thanks to the Rocla® control

system, any catastrophic spill would

be contained in a bunded area capable

of holding many thousands of litres.

Brisbane contractor ReadiPlumb

Services needed an in-line oil and

sediment separator for an

industrial carpark at Acacia Ridge

but the crowded drainage system

left no room for an upstream pit

and weir.

Rocla devised a solution featuring

a Downstream Defender* oil and

sediment separator with a customised

high-flow bypass pipe.

A larger than standard inlet pipe

of 300mm was connected to the

Downstream Defender, with a 300mm

bypass pipe to divert surcharges.

This reduced installation time and

converted the normal two-pit installation back to a single pit - the

Downstream Defender.

The Downstream Defender is an engineered product that uses

hydrodynamic separation to capture settleable solids, floatables, oils

and grease. This vortex technology keeps the physical size of

Downstream Defender to a minimum while maximising the potential for

stormwater treatment. These characteristics provided the packaged

solution ReadiPlumb was seeking for the limited installation area available.

Cost-effective oil spill control forsub-stations

Compactsolution forstormwatercleansing

Rocla ecoStop® spill prevention system and TripleInterceptor Pit before installation at TXU sub-station.

Nigel Read of Readi Plumb Services (left) and Rocla’s Jason Horswill with the single-pit Downsteam Defender.

*Downstream Defender is manufactured under licence from Hydro International PLC.

Geraldton, on the Mid-West Coast,

is undergoing a major

redevelopment of its coastal

frontage and infrastructure,

including deepening of the harbour,

reclamation of foreshore land

and construction of new rail and

road links to the port area.

Although the city centre is adjacent

to the beach, the central business

district is cut off from the seashore

by a rail corridor.

The relocation of the beachside

rail line on a new route to the Port will

allow the city’s CBD foreshore and

adjacent recreational areas to be

opened up and enhanced, encouraging

tourism and business growth.

As part of the redevelopment, two

existing sea groynes were extended,

with plans to reclaim up to 50 metres

of land along the foreshore area

between the groynes. The City of

Geraldton took advantage of the

Eleven

New outfall pipes point to seachange at Geraldton

opportunity to install two large diameter concrete stormwater outfalls

in the groynes to drain stormwater runoff from the CBD and hinterland

areas into the ocean.

Rocla supplied Class 4 Steel Reinforced Concrete Pipe for the

two 50 to 60 metre stormwater pipelines, respectively 1500mm and

1800mm in diameter. The two new pipelines replace a series of existing

smaller outlets along the town beaches.

A “mirrored” installation of two Rocla CleansAll® gross pollutant traps

solved the tricky problem of attaching an in-line GPT to a twin cell pipeline

at the Sea Crest residential development at Aldinga Beach near Adelaide.

According to Boon Chua, of consulting engineers Connell Wagner, Onkaparinga

Council wanted a proprietary device to lower maintenance costs. “The problem was

to find one that would fit the twin pipe configuration,” Boon said. “The CleansAll

was the only product we could find that was flexible enough in its design; we

were very happy with the way the system fitted neatly to the twin pipes - I believe

this is the first twin GPT in South Australia.”

The reason for the twin pipeline was the need to pass under a low profile road

crossing. The two CleansAll® 900 systems, which were installed by Lorenzin

Constructions, are improving the quality of stormwater runoff that flows first into

on-site wetlands and ultimately into a chain pond wetland system one kilometre away.

Double-barrel GPT useful in a tightcorner

The contents of this publication are copyright and may not be reproduced in any form

without the prior written consent of Rocla Pty Limited. Product applications described in

this publication are to be taken as illustrations only, and are provided without liability on the

part of the company or its employees and agents. ®™ Trademarks of Rocla Pty Limited.

ABN 31 000 032 191. Trading as Rocla Pipeline Products. A member of the Amatek Group.

MassBloc trade mark used under exclusive licence from MassTec Industries Limited

and Fletcher Concrete and Infrastructure Limited. ©Rocla Pty Limited, December 2003.

For further information on products from

Rocla Pipeline Products and Rocla Water Quality

Call Rocla on 131 004

E-mail your inquiry to solutions@rocla.com.au

Visit our website www.pipe.rocla.com.au

Sydney

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Dapto

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Dubbo

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Newcastle

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Glen Innes

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Grafton

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Canberra

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Melbourne

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Avoca

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Traralgon

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Wodonga

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Brisbane

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Cairns

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Mackay

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Toowoomba

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Adelaide

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Perth