Major Projects Quarterly Update – September 2026
By Jacob Gerke, General Manager Major Projects

Tasmanian Irrigation is continuing construction on two new irrigation projects – the Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme and the Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme Augmentation. We are also advancing the planning and approvals applications for the Greater South East Irrigation Scheme. Each project is jointly funded by the Australian Government (through the National Water Grid Fund) Tasmanian Government and by irrigators through the purchase of water entitlements.

Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme

The final section of pipe has been lowered into the ground on the Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme (NMIS), ensuring the project remains on track to be ready to deliver water on 1 October.

The 152.4 kilometres of underground pipeline will have the capacity to supply
25,500 megalitres of high-surety irrigation water to farmers throughout this highly productive region.

You can read more about the laying the final piece of pipe here: Final Pipeline Section Laid for Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme - Tasmanian Irrigation.

The last piece of pipe is lowered into the ground

Tasmanian Irrigation was pleased to welcome irrigators to have a firsthand look at the Poatina buffer dam and pump station during a farmer field day. The project team was onsite to share detail about the scheme, lead tours of the infrastructure and provide information about customer contracts and Farm Water Access Plans (Farm WAPs).

Attendees also had the opportunity to meet Tasmanian Irrigation’s Board Chair Kate Vinot, CEO Mike Sylvester and project engineers, as well as ask questions ahead of the scheme moving into operation. The beautiful weather at Poatina and the strong engagement from irrigators and staff made the field day a successful event.

NMIS Project Manager Jacob Tierney with local farmers at the field day

With construction substantially complete, commissioning activities are continuing across the scheme. Tasmanian Irrigation thanks all landowners, contractors and team members for their ongoing collaboration to ensure first water flows in time for the 2026/27 irrigation season.

Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme

Construction of SWISA continues to progress, with more than 30 kilometres of pipeline now installed.

Wet conditions are being carefully managed by the project team and contractors as work continues across the scheme. Environmental and engineering teams also remain busy with pre-clearance surveys and pipeline realignments to protect environmental values, including established trees.

A recent onsite barbecue brought together Tasmanian Irrigation staff, contractors and local farmers, providing a great opportunity to discuss the works and continue building strong relationships.

SWISA Project Manager John and members of the Farm Water Access Plan team attended FarmX at Deloraine, where they answered questions about the project and supported irrigators with their Farm WAPs.

Greater South East Irrigation Scheme
Planning and design work for the Greater South East Irrigation Scheme (GSEIS) continues to progress, with a focus on environmental assessments and the Meadowbank pump station design.

Environmental contracts have been awarded to Pinion, Entura and Envirodynamics, with the consultants undertaking impact assessments to support the project’s environmental approvals.

The GSEIS team recently hosted a full-day planning workshop with environmental, heritage and engineering consultants to coordinate the significant body of work underway to support project approvals. The collaborative session focused on integrating technical studies, managing project dependencies and identifying opportunities to avoid environmental impacts through design. Field investigations and specialist assessments continue across the project area as planning for the scheme progresses.

The design of the Meadowbank pump station is also currently out to tender, marking another important step in progressing the scheme’s technical design.