Parkes residents may have noticed Station Street and Cheney Park have been a hive of activity of late and it’s all part of the ongoing work to mitigate the salinity problem infecting the area.
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Parkes Shire Council has been carrying out the major works for a number of weeks, coming to a cost of $550,000.
The project has involved installing subsoil drains adjacent to and under Station Street, which are now completed and connect across the oval to direct water into a central pit.
Council’s extensive investigations have revealed and identified the area as a water table.
Cheney Park’s condition has been an ongoing discussion during council’s monthly meetings and was raised again during the June 26 gathering.
Council's Director Infrastructure Andrew Francis told the meeting mine shafts have also been discovered in the area.
Council’s Director of Works Services, Ben Howard, said at this stage the drains have shown a continual, steady flow of water trickling through the newly laid system and out to the surface drain near the Newell Highway, on the eastern side of Cheney Park.
The removal of the subsoil water will enable further road works to be carried out in the street and Mr Howard confirmed further subsoil works are to continue in Cheney Park over the coming months.
“We will be using a ‘herringbone’ design through the park which will follow the newly laid 300mm trunk line which runs from Station Street to the surface drain near the Newell Highway,” he said.
“A total of 675m of subsoil drainage lines have now been installed under Station Street as part of the project, which will assist in draining the subsurface water which is causing major failures on the street.
“Station Street is now fully open to traffic and residents, although road works ahead signs will remain up until works are fully complete.”
The next stage of the road works is scheduled to begin in August.
“The reason for the staged works is to allow the recently completed subsoil drains to carry out their primary function of removing the high amount of water currently sitting underneath the road pavement,” Mr Howard said.
These works will include reconstructing the road surface with new kerb and guttering, which council aims to have completed no later than the end of September.
Mr Francis said come the new financial year, a company from Wagga will conduct an electromagnetic survey on the salt, reaching depths of two metres across the entire area.
The company will also complete a full salinity hazard map for $5000 to $6000.
“That will form the addition lateral drainage works we want to put in place,” he said.
Water tests will also be conducted on the water flowing into the creek and down through PAC Park.
Parkes Mayor Cr Ken Keith OAM said the work was looking promising.
“It’s looking promising that we might be able to move that water down into the creek,” he said.
“As long as that water stops coming up we should be able to rehabilitate that area.
“Time will tell, we won’t get too excited just yet until we finish the work.”
Cr Louise O’Leary reminded her fellow councillors Cheney Park is a major sporting precinct for the town and that it’s salinity issue was impacting on sporting carnivals and events.
“It is an important venue to get right,” she said.
“We’ve just had the men’s championships and junior championships in hockey and it does bring those extra assets into the community.”
