Drilling Plant for the South East (North) Groundwater Monitoring Network Extension Project

The Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) collects, manages and delivers surface and groundwater monitoring data to meet legislative obligations under the Water Act 2000 and the National Water Initiative (NWI). The NWI represents a shared commitment by governments to increase the efficiency of Australia's water use, leading to greater certainty for investment and productivity, for rural and urban communities, and for the environment.

Through the project ‘Extending the Coverage of the Groundwater Monitoring Network in Queensland’ DERM is required to construct 228 monitoring bores in priority groundwater systems across Queensland. The proposed bores will contribute significantly to the development and continuous improvement of Water Resource Plans (WRP) that deal with groundwater management.

Monitoring bores will be constructed in a range of geological environs including hard volcanic systems, moderately hard sedimentary systems, alluvial systems with boulders, alluvial systems with finer sediments, and sand islands. Each of these environs has specific requirements as to the methods, skills and equipment used by the drilling contractor to enable the effective construction of monitoring bores. Monitoring bore locations are scattered throughout Queensland with bores proposed for construction in ten different WRP areas across the state ranging from the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland to the Sand Islands of South East Queensland.

All monitoring bores will be constructed by licensed drillers under the supervision of trained departmental staff ensuring the requirements of the Minimum Construction Requirements for Water Bores in Australia are met.

The purpose of the proposed bores associated with this Invitation to Offer (ITO) is to provide data which will assist with the management and monitoring of groundwater resources in the Central and South Burnett, Upper Mary and Coalstoun Lakes areas.