The securing of a reliable water supply for a prospective mine in the North West Queensland Mineral Province is usually one of the most influential factors in determining the mine's feasibility._x000D_
The Ernest Henry Mine required a reliable water supply to serve a demand estimated at feasibility stage to be up to 20 ML/day. Numerous options were considered before a decision was made to construct a 113 km long pipeline from Lake Julius as this was the most cost effective, reliable source of supply._x000D_
The North West Queensland Water Pipeline is a multi-user, Queensland government funded project initially supplying up to 7000 ML/year of water from Lake Julius to Ernest Henry Mine, with provision made for expansion to serve future users in the region._x000D_
This paper discusses the history of the pipeline's development, together with a summary of the scheme's design features. Environmental and licensing requirements, construction and operational issues are also discussed.