News

Project Director appointed to Sunraysia Modernisation Project

Thu, 01 May 2014 06:04:00

An engineer with 35 years’ experience in the Australian and international water industry will oversee the biggest irrigation infrastructure upgrade in the Sunraysia region’s history.

Lower Murray Water has announced the appointment of Mike Walsh as Project Director for the $120 million Sunraysia Modernisation Project (SMP).
Mike Walsh has been involved in a series of major public water infrastructure projects and has worked in the private sector in the delivery of water and wastewater projects.  He is also the former managing director of Thames Water in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.
The Sunraysia Modernisation Project (SMP) is a joint initiative between the Commonwealth and Victorian State Governments and Lower Murray Water, with funding confirmed in December last year by Senator Simon Birmingham and Victorian Water Minister Peter Walsh. The implementation phase is now beginning, with the project due for completion by the end of 2016.
The SMP will be delivered at no cost to irrigators and will involve modernization of the region’s irrigation infrastructure.  The works program will include decommissioning channels, replacing pipes and pumps and delivering water access 365 days a year to 59% of the Sunraysia irrigation district.
“It’s an exciting project to be involved with because of the potential it offers to irrigation, horticulture and the opportunities it opens up for the region.
Preparatory work was already underway, with a briefing held recently for companies wanting to tender for construction and installation work and tenders now open for the delivery of the first of the project’s major developments. ,” Mr Walsh said.
The SMP implementation will include input from irrigators and other community stakeholders, in order to access local knowledge the project requires to succeed.
“We know from all the work we have done in the preliminary stages that the SMP offers enormous opportunities for Sunraysia’s economic future.
The SMP is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide the flexibility to transform our horticultural mix and secure the long-term future of our farm-based economy.
It’s a project I am passionate about and I’m pleased to be getting the chance to follow it through to delivery in this role,” Mr Walsh said