North South Interconnection System Project

In 2011, SA Water awarded the NSISP project to the SOMETHIGN Alliance, comprising MWH (now Stantec), Parsons Brinckerhoff (now WSP), and Tonkin Consulting.

A a key member of the executive leadership team, Mark Simister supported the delivery team through a dynamic and complex mobilisation phase. He was also accountable for ensuring the right technical engineering and digital staff were made available to the integrated project team and ensuring outstanding outcomes were achieved within a constructive and collaborative culture. This included making sure MWH (now Stantec) provided resources with the right skills and mindset to the project, at the right time, for efficient and effective delivery.

The NSISP involved the construction of four new major pipelines totalling 32 km in length, three new pump stations, five valve stations and a series of other works throughout the Adelaide metropolitan network at over 100 sites.

The many benefits delivered by this project include:

• Most of Adelaide now has a more reliable water supply from at least two sources. This flexibility means the State is better able to manage drought, growth within the city’s population, and any failures within the system.
• Interconnection of the Adelaide water distribution network has improved system flexibility so SA Water is better able to respond to impacts on supply including by switching between the systems in the north and south.
• Desalinated water can now be delivered across the whole metropolitan network. Enabling broad access to this non-climate dependant water supply has helped to ensure Adelaide continues to have a secure water supply in the future and is able to meet increases in demand.

The North South Interconnection System Project (NSISP) won the Construction/Engineering Projects >$100,000,000 category at the 2013 Australian Institute of Project Management SA Project Management Achievement Awards.