Two Tasmanian Irrigation projects have been recognised nationally.

The project which doubled the summer irrigation capacity of the Winnaleah Irrigation Scheme in northeast Tasmania has been recognised nationally for excellence in civil construction.

The $10.8 million Winnaleah Irrigation Scheme Augmentation has been acknowledged with a national Earth Award by the Civil Contactors Federation for projects in the $5 million - $20 million category.

The award was presented at the weekend jointly to Tasmanian Irrigation and Shaw Contracting Pty Ltd.

TI’s Chief Executive Chris Oldfield said that the Winnaleah project was recognised for successfully managing the environmental and heritage challenges of the work. “The augmentation project is based on the heritage-listed Frome Dam and water race and involved a very careful crossing of the environmentally-sensitive Ringarooma River,” Mr Oldfield said.

“It is gratifying that the good work of Shaw Contracting and TI has attracted national attention for the quality and sensitivity of the achievement.” Also at the weekend, TI’s Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme in the northwest was a finalist in Australia’s premier environmental awards, the Banksia Foundation Awards.

“The Sassafras Wesley Vale project was one of just four projects throughout Australia selected as a finalist in the Banksia Water Category. It was pleasing recognition of our sustainability credentials to have been selected as a finalist, although the project did not go on to take out that category.”