Driving Innovation in Urban Utility Infrastructure
Urban Utilities’, Water North Zones Program addresses the critical need for reliable and efficient water infrastructure in growing urban environments.
Project Overview
As the exclusive delivery partner for Urban Utilities, Diona is at the forefront of the Water North Zones Program (WNZP), a comprehensive six-year collaboration aimed at renewing and upgrading water network infrastructure across key areas including the Lockyer Valley, Somerset Council, and Brisbane CBD. Since 2007, Diona has collaborated with Urban Utilities on projects building a strong partnership and expertise in water and sewer network infrastructure.
Project Need
The WNZP addresses the critical need for reliable and efficient water infrastructure in growing urban environments. The program includes a wide range of projects, including trunk and reticulation water mains, reservoirs, and facilities, employing a collaborative model to drive customer-centric solutions and maximise value.
Project Solution
Diona’s approach in the WNZP includes Early Contractor Involvement, design, construction management, and commissioning across various project stages. The program employs innovative methods and technologies, such as a 3D augmented reality model, to enhance community engagement and operational efficiency. The emphasis on sustainable practices, including a significant reduction in carbon emissions and near-total diversion of materials from landfill, demonstrates Diona’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
Key Aspects
- 38,317m of water pipelines
- 80 streets
- $40m spend with local business
- 142 local businesses engaged
- 12% savings passed on to Urban Utilities
- 25% carbon reduction on pipeline renewals in roads
- 7% of materials diverted from landfill
- 8 Urban Utilities Crew of the Quarter Awards
- 2 industry award wins
- 9 industry presentations (Ozwater, Qwater and No-dig Downunder)
Value Add | Benefit
Innovation and Efficiency
Diona’s innovative approaches have led to substantial savings, with a 12% cost reduction and a target of $20 million in savings over the program’s life. Innovative techniques like the DionAR Augmented Reality Application and customer-centric water isolations have set new industry standards.
Environmental Leadership
Achieving a 25% reduction in carbon emissions and diverting 99.7% of materials from landfill, the program stands as a testament to sustainable construction practices.
Community and Stakeholder Engagement
The program’s success is also attributed to effective stakeholder engagement, reflected in multiple awards and commendations for community care, innovation, and environmental leadership.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Utilisation of PowerBI dashboards and spatial data tools for project tracking and risk management has enabled informed and timely decisions, enhancing overall program efficiency.
Collaborative Excellence
Recognised with several industry awards and presentations, the program exemplifies how collaboration and innovation can lead to exceptional outcomes in urban utility projects.
ESG Alignment
Through the Water North Zones Program (WNZP), Diona showcases its dedication to environmental stewardship, utilising innovative methods like 3D augmented reality models and sustainable construction practices. This leads to substantial reductions in carbon emissions and minimal material waste, aligning closely with ESG objectives and fostering the long-term health and resilience of the environment.
The project’s focus on community engagement and stakeholder involvement demonstrates Diona’s commitment to social responsibility. Through customer-centric solutions and innovative tools like the DionAR Augmented Reality Application, Diona enhances community engagement and addresses stakeholders’ needs, fostering positive relationships and inclusivity, in line with ESG principles.
The project’s success is also attributed to effective governance and collaborative excellence. By utilising collaborative models and fostering partnerships with various stakeholders, Diona ensures that the project is delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest standards of quality. This commitment to collaborative excellence aligns with ESG principles of governance and highlights Diona’s ability to drive positive outcomes through effective collaboration and partnership.
By renewing and upgrading water network infrastructure, the project is ensuring access to clean and reliable water, essential for sustainable development.
Through its innovative methods and technologies, such as 3D augmented reality models and sustainable construction practices, the project promotes innovation and enhances infrastructure.
By improving water infrastructure in urban areas, the project contributes to creating sustainable and resilient cities.
The project’s emphasis on sustainability and minimising material waste aligns with Goal 12 by promoting responsible consumption and production practices.
Achieving significant reductions in carbon emissions demonstrates the project’s contribution to mitigating climate change.
Through collaboration with Urban Utilities and other stakeholders, the project exemplifies Goal 17 by fostering partnerships to achieve sustainable development objectives.
Key Projects under the WNZP
- Brisbane CBD Mains Renewals WP02: Charlotte Street, Creek Street, Coronation Drive, and Tank Street.
- Upper Roma and Boomerang Streets – Brisbane CBD
- Elizabeth Street – Brisbane CBD: 1 km stretch from George Street to Creek Street
- Queen Street – Brisbane CBD: After more than 14 weeks of night shifts, the upgrade works on Queen Street included four network connections, 18 property connections, and over 500 meters of new pipeline, enhancing water supply to numerous businesses and residents. Despite challenges like storm clean-ups and coordinating with events like the FIFA Women’s World Cup, our team has demonstrated how important collaboration, and a one-team approach is.
Tanker Filling Stations: Helidon, Grantham, and Glenore Grove
Construction and commissioning of three new water filling stations for commercial and residential use in 2024. These stations are crucial for providing bulk water to key rural areas in Queensland, ensuring that farmers and residents have access to our most precious resource, especially during prolonged dry periods.
Esk Reservoir Project
Constructing a new 1.5ML water reservoir and pipeline to improve the reliability and resilience of the water supply network servicing the township. Additionally, we have completed a concrete footpath along Highland Street, transitioning into a winding gravel walk through woodlands.
Kilcoy Reservoir Upgrade
Using diver-assisted internal connection work, we’re minimising risks to water quality and maintaining full operational capacity during works at the Kilcoy Reservoir Upgrade.
Russell Terrace Pump Station Upgrade
Installation of a new Grundfos booster pump set, accumulator tanks, and an updated electrical system.
Awards & Recognition
Winner: Project Value $2-5m – Brisbane CBD Mains Renewal project
Winner: Project Value $2-5m – Brisbane CBD Mains Renewal project
Finalist: Category 1 – Urban Utilities WNZP WP08 Upper Roma and Boomerang Street project
- Q4 2023 Safety First award – WP11 Elizabeth Street Water Main Replacement
- Q4 2022 Team Player award – Refocus Restart session that prioritised psychological safety and wellbeing
- Q4 2022 Safety First award – improvement to site signage in the Brisbane CBD mains renewal project
- Q2 2022 Safety First award – All Team Stop for Safety – ‘Diona has adopted a Stop for Safety approach which involves all crews coming together to pause, reflect and reassess how they do things and why. Bringing the crew together with the rest of the project team and stakeholders also contrib-utes to their psychological safety by making them feel supported and part of the team.’
- Q2 2022 Innovator award – All Team Design Efficiency – ‘The WNZP team working in partnership with UU has generated significant insights on commercial, customer, construction and design efficiency. The resulting output was the development of a suite of analytic tools and dashboards, that are widely used and pivotal to the program.’
- Q1 2022 Team player award – WP010 ECI Team – Teamwork makes the dream work – ‘Making exceptional efficiencies, the Diona WP010 reduced the ECI timeframe down from the expected 5 to 6-month timeframe down to just under 3 months! Part of this all-team approach to ECI included making improvements to the quality of the output along with the community engagement team completely redesigning the community strategy, aligning with UU’s refreshed brand and values.’
- Q1 2022 Environmental leader award – Project Team Environment – Carbon Baseline – ‘This team has been set up for the purpose of reducing the construction footprint. Working closely with the University of Queensland, UU and Mott McDonald, the team have been analysing 8 different construction techniques applied to the WNZP to calibrate carbon models, drive carbon-based decision making and contribute to securing a future for the planet.’
- Q1 2022 Innovator award – WP008 CBD Team – Augmented Reality – ‘Using Augmented Reality (AR) technology, the Wp008 team developed an interactive app feature to educate the community on what lives beneath our feet. Launched in the Queen Street Mall in June 2022, the feature is the first of its kind for Urban Utilties and there’s hopes to utilise this innovation for future water education modules.’
- Q1 2022 Customer care award – WP010 Team – Supporting Local Businesses – ‘When traffic detours took customers away from a nearby coffee shop, which had already been affected by floods and Covid, Diona worked closely with the business to ensure the impacts were kept to a minimum along with a coffee happy hour.’
