East Bank Flood Resilience Program (EBFRP)
The East Bank Raw Water Pump Station (RWPS) is located at 58 Stumers Road, Mt Crosby, on the eastern bank of the Brisbane River.
The Mt Crosby East Bank Water Treatment Plant (WTP) is one of the most critical assets in the Southeast Queensland water network. It typically produces one‑third of the average daily demand across the Seqwater Grid and almost two‑thirds of the drinking water supply for Brisbane and Ipswich. The East Bank WTP is supplied solely from the East Bank Raw Water Pump Station (RWPS), located approximately 30 km southwest of Brisbane. The RWPS draws water from the Mt Crosby Weir on the Brisbane River.
An Energex substation adjacent to the RWPS services both the RWPS and the WTP. Constructed in the 1940s, the substation is now beyond its serviceable life and supplies power to Seqwater assets at an obsolete voltage level of 5.5 kV.
The East Bank WTP has poor flood immunity, estimated to be between a 1 in 100 Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP). This equates to a 0.5%–1% annual likelihood of inundation, which could result in system failure and prolonged loss of water supply, potentially leading to water restrictions and associated economic and social impacts.
In 2017, Seqwater commissioned studies into water supply and flood risk, resulting in the establishment of the East Bank Flood Resilience Program (EBFRP, or the Program). The Program aims to reduce flood risks to critical bulk water infrastructure at the historic East Bank RWPS site at Mt Crosby. The Program comprises several major projects, including construction of a new Mount Crosby Vehicle Bridge, a new Energex 11 kV Substation, civil enabling works, and the Critical Electrical Infrastructure (CEI) Upgrade Project.
Pensar has been engaged by the Principal (Seqwater) as the Main Contractor to deliver the CEI Upgrade. The CEI Upgrade includes:
• Connecting the East Bank Pump Station to the new 11 kV Energex Substation
• Providing minor improvements to flood immunity (e.g., new spares shed in a flood‑safe location)
• Delivery of new 11 kV pump motors and spares to replace ageing electrical assets
Project Background
Project Description
The Scope of the project is to replace all sixteen (16) AC motors currently installed at the Mt Crosby RWPS with new 11 kV motors. The cutover process for removing and installing the new motors will be staged to maintain continuous operation of the RWPS.
Figure 3 below shows the pump station layout, with Pump Halls A – F located through the centre of the building and housing the new 900 kW motors, and Pump Halls G and H located on opposite sides housing the new 1750 kW motors.
The cooling systems supplied with the new motors remain unchanged from the existing configuration. Pump Halls A – F contain four (4) water‑cooled and eight (8) air‑cooled motors, while all motors in Pump Halls G and H are water‑cooled.
The mechanical removal and installation of each motor pair will be led by i2i Technologies, the Mechanical Subcontractor. i2i Technologies will also provide mechanical support throughout the whole project including commissioning stages and performance verification through to final site acceptance by Seqwater.
