Aquatech Consulting is a small firm of consulting engineers based in Narrabri NSW. Aquatech Consulting specialises in the investigation, design and construction supervision of water resources and irrigation projects and the assessment and improvement of irrigation water use efficiency. Aquatech provides consulting services directly to their own clients and also provides specialised irrigation engineering back-up to 18 other independent consultants throughout eastern Australia for the measurement and improvement of irrigation water use efficiency. While based in the north-western New South Wales and south-western Queensland Irrigation Areas, Aquatech undertakes projects throughout Australia and overseas.

Typical projects undertaken by the firm have included:

  • Measurement and evaluation of irrigation system performance (surface, sprinkler and drip) using the Irrimateä service

  • Provision of whole farm water balance and water management services using WaterTrackä. Feasibility studies for irrigation development potential

  • Design of specialised water control and measurement structures

  • Repair and re-development of existing irrigation systems

  • Whole farm planning of water conservation and irrigation development for properties ranging from a few hundred hectares to several thousand hectares. Work includes location and investigation of storage sites, pump sites, irrigation areas, most suitable form of irrigation, etc.
  • Complete farm irrigation system design and construction supervision (pumps, channels, field levelling, tailwater return, etc.) for areas ranging from less than 100 hectares up to several thousand hectares

  • Evaluation of existing Group irrigation schemes, for both public and private sector clients, including rationalisation of delivery and drainage systems

  • Feasibility assessment and detailed design of projects using sewage effluent for irrigation, for both inland and coastal cities, including evaluation of best irrigation method

  • Performance specification, detailed tender evaluation and hydraulic design of centre pivot and lateral movement irrigation projects for up to 90 hectare machines

  • Pumping station site selection, design, tendering and construction supervision. Investigation of pumping problems, ranging from inadequate flows to structural failure

  • Soils investigation and testing, design and construction supervision for large ring tank earthen water storages up to 27 000 megalitres

  • Performance specification, tender evaluation and hydraulic design analysis of drip and mini spray irrigation projects of several hundred hectares

  • Design of flood protection and flood mitigation work and the assessment of the impact of development on floodplains, including one and two dimensional computer modelling

  • Environmental studies for proposed irrigation, flooding and drainage and water storage projects involving Review of Environmental Factors and Environmental Impact Statements

  • Legal work as expert witnesses for irrigation and water resources issues in courts and land boards

  • Design of cotton module storage yards including surface drainage to protect modules and truck access

  • Determination of optimal size of on-farm water storage based on historical river flows and water use, for ring tanks from 1500 to 5600 megalitres, using a storage simulation model developed in-house

  • Design of prawn farms in northern Queensland, ranging from 25 to 200 hectares, and Overseas work for irrigation development projects in Mongolia, China, Papua New Guinea, and East Africa

  • Assessment of surface runoff from irrigated farms, with reference to the impact of pesticides and nutrients on the riverine environment

  • Workshop facilitation, training and adult education for fellow professionals, university students, farmers and unemployed