Waste ~ diversion from landfill

• Leed Construction reused all the spoil generated by excavation works. 750 m³ of spoil was transported to the Western Freight Management Site.
• Overall the project utilised VENM (insitu material) as a replacement to importing fill at Renshaw McGirr Way, Eugowra Rd, Nash St, Fieeld Rd and in the paddocks on Akuna Rd. In doing so Leed avoided the use of sand and DGB20 as bedding for a total of 4.3 kms.
• Mulched trimmed branches on Eugowra Rd. This resulted in a 12m3 mulch stockpile.
• Segregation of wood waste from general construction waste. This resulted in chipping of over 1 tonne of wood waste.
• Segregated PVC pipes from general waste to send over 100 PVC offcuts to an appropriate recycling facility.
• Leed segregated office and lunchroom waste through signing up for council kerb side waste collection. Through this initiative Leed diverted around 73% of its site amenities waste from the landfill.
• Leed reused several culverts left behind by previous contractors.

Replacing potable with non-potable water

Leed utilised brick pit water rather than potable water for dust suppression and compaction. In doing so, Leed avoided using over 3 million litres of potable water.

Amount of trees saved

The Review of Environmental Factors compiled at the design phase of the project allowed for the removal of 31 mature trees. However, Leed did not remove any trees throughout over project life. Rather than removing trees Leed moved the pipeline and trimmed trees.

School engagement

Leed engaged with all schools in Parkes and raised their needs to PSC in a timely manner. Leed worked with Parkes East School and Holy Family School to get them connected to the RWRM. Leed liaised with Middleton school throughout the project and donated their empty plastic bottles to the school. Through the return and earn school Middleton school year 3 & 4 students were able to pay for their school bus fare to Dubbo (Appendix 1). Leed raised Parkes Public School concerns relating the limitation of content for the Wiradjuri teacher. This concern was raised in an internal meeting and Leed decided to champion the idea of a Wiradjuri-inspired garden as part of value-add to the project.

Workforce Sustainability

Leed takes sustainability very seriously especially its project manager Kevin Turner. Through continuous sustainability education Leed ensures its workforce have the capacity and capability to make decisions in a way that considers the environmental, social and economic impacts. In Parkes Leed conducted 5 presentations on topic related to the project including renewable energy, climate change in the Parkes region, sustainability and recycling. These presentation were well received with local contractors contributing to thought-provoking discussions.

CO2 reductions over project life

Leed strived to minimise its CO2 footprint on the projects. Through replacing fuel-powered machinery with battery-powered machinery, as well minimising its material usage, Leed reduced its total CO2 emissions by 87 tonnes of CO2.

Parkes Shire Council is also working in partnership with the contractor, John Holland, to achieve a sustainability rating for both the water and sewage treatment plant projects through the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA). The ISCA rating scheme offers a voluntary sustainability performance evaluation of the planning, design, construction and operation of all infrastructure asset classes.

To date only two water treatment facilities and one sewage treatment plant have been certified under the scheme. Our projects have been registered to pursue Infrastructure Sustainability As Built and Operation ratings. The projects will be tracked collaboratively throughout construction and commissioning and the costs of pursuing the rating will be shared between Council and the contractor. Accordingly a joint sustainability policy and a joint sustainability management plan have been developed for the combined projects.

Key activities in relation to sustainability and the ISCA rating have included:

Parkes Shire Council worked in partnership with the contractor, John Holland, to achieve a sustainability rating for both the water and sewage treatment plant projects through the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA). The ISCA rating scheme offers a voluntary sustainability performance evaluation of the planning, design, construction and operation of all infrastructure asset classes.

To date only two water treatment facilities and one sewage treatment plant have been certified under the scheme. Our projects have been registered to pursue Infrastructure Sustainability As Built and Operation ratings. The projects will be tracked collaboratively throughout construction and commissioning and the costs of pursuing the rating will be shared between Council and the contractor. Accordingly a joint sustainability policy and a joint sustainability management plan have been developed for the combined projects.

Key achievements in relation to sustainability include:

Parkes Shire Council, in partnership with the contractor, John Holland, worked to achieve a sustainability rating for both the water and sewage treatment plant projects through the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA).

The ISCA rating scheme offers a voluntary sustainability performance evaluation of the planning, design, construction and operation of all infrastructure asset classes. To date, only two water treatment facilities and one sewage treatment plant have been certified under the scheme. Our projects have been registered to pursue Infrastructure Sustainability as Built and Operation ratings. The projects will be tracked collaboratively throughout construction and commissioning and the costs of pursuing the rating will be shared between Council and the contractor. Accordingly a joint sustainability policy and a joint sustainability management plan have been developed for the combined projects.

Key activities in relation to sustainability and the ISCA rating have included:

Sustainability outcomes summary

Parkes Shire Council undertook a Climate Risk and Adaptation Assessment for the Recycled Water Rising Main Project in March 2019.

In 2016, for the first time, global temperatures were confirmed to have risen by 1oC since preindustrial levels. The Paris Climate Change Accord (effective 4 November 2016) seeks to limit climate change to under 2oC with a target of 1.5oC. Seeking to achieve these targets presents a significant challenge and even at 1oC we are already experiencing considerable changes with the earth’s climate and weather systems (UNFCC, 2017).

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC, 2013) states with high confidence that Australia is already experiencing impacts from recent climate change, including a greater frequency and severity of extreme weather events, an increase in record hot days, a decrease in record cold days and increases in global GHG concentrations.

Based on the initial risk assessment, by 2030 the proposed works will contain two (2) very high risks and eight (8) high risks. These will increase to four (4) very high risks and twenty (20) high risks by 2070 representing approximately 59% of the total assessment. It is noted that three (3) risks were identified as only being applicable to the construction phase and therefore not included in the 2070 risks.
Key risks relate to the:

• Loss of power resulting from extreme events;
• Risk to health and safety of staff needing to undertake work during extreme events; and
• Isolation and/or loss of access to assets during extreme rainfall events, flood events or extreme storms.

A full copy of the report is available here