Daracon Group Named as Finalists in the 2023 Earth Awards

The finalists for the 2023 Civil Contractors Federation NSW (CCF NSW) Earth Awards have been announced, and Daracon Group's work on the Kooragang Island Waste Emplacement Facility – Eastern Ponds (KIWEF) has made the shortlist.

The KIWEF project was delivered for the client, the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation. It was situated near the Ramsar-listed Hunter Estuary Wetlands, which is an important habitat for the protected Green and Golden Bell Frog. The site was environmentally sensitive.

Daracon ensured compliance with all EPA regulatory requirements and began work on the fifth and final stage of the closure project in 2021. Over a 12-month period, they established works to support similar levels of vegetation and surface water flowing to the surrounding ponds. This was done to ensure that habitat areas with a reduced contaminant load did not migrate from the fill material to the surrounding environments.

The Eastern Ponds stage presented an even more challenging prospect than earlier stages due to the extreme adversity of the terrain, record seasonal rainfall occurring in a swampy area, and the added complexity of managing protected wildlife across a 4Ha project area that required ecologically sensitive remediation.

The CCF NSW Earth Awards celebrate civil construction companies that excel in project and construction management, innovation, people development and training, quality, safety, environment, and stakeholder management.

The winners of the 2023 CCF NSW Earth Awards will be announced at Luna Park's Big Top on June 16.

Video Credit: Repairing the environment at Kooragang Island from HCCDC on Vimeo.