Murray Irrigation’s iconic Lawson Syphons have a new water control solution. The 60 year old wheel-operated radial regulating gates have been replaced with AWMA ULF Undershot Roller Gates.
The new regulator gates allow automated water control through the twin 3.6m diameter syphons that extends 700m under the Edward River at Deniliquin, NSW.
Manufactured from grade 304 stainless steel the new gates at Lawson Syphons have a design life of 50 years, reducing long term maintenance and infrastructure costs for Murray Irrigation. Each gate spans 5.5m in width, weighs in excess of 2600kg and includes a series of integral side rollers to minimise lift forces required to open and close the gate.
Operation shall be via AWMA’s cable drive hoist system coupled to 415VAC electric actuators and integrated back to Murray Irrigation’s operations centre via their dedicated telemetry network.
Design, engineering, manufacture and testing services for the gated infrastructure were all carried out by AWMA, ‘Australian-made’ in northern Victoria.
The Lawson Syphons is a remarkable engineering initiative commissioned in 1955, which resulted in a water control structure that diverts the canal under the Edward River, to deliver irrigation water to the agricultural areas west of Deniliquin.
Ongoing works continue as part of Murray Irrigation’s Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program (PIIOP) Round 3 project, which has received approval for funding of up to $114.8 million from the Australian Government.
