As ‘One ATC Williams’, our teams in regional areas are linked to our urban teams for company-wide sharing of skills and knowledge across all our projects. Using this approach encourages opportunities, inclusion, diversity, leadership and work-life balance for staff while allowing us to serve clients better than ever. Please enjoy these updates from our Singleton, Maroochydore and Hobart offices.
Hunter Valley Office Expands Again
By John Milsom – Principal Environmental Engineer/Office Manager
Our Singleton Office
With client relationships going back to the early 1990s, establishing a NSW base was a long time vision for ATC Williams, and we finally got there in early 2020. The Hunter Valley office is in Singleton, surrounded by vineyards, thoroughbreds, and farming – on the doorstep of one of the world’s most significant coal provinces.
The office continues to grow from strength to strength with five engineers on staff. In addition to John, Mitch and Adin, we were joined in May this year by Riddhesh Joshi (Engineer Level 3) and Glen Burton (Senior Associate) in July. We are fortunate to have a deep portfolio of jobs that span investigation and site characterisation, analysis and design, operational support, and construction. We are constantly looking for talent and would love to hear from civil, geotechnical and environmental engineers seeking opportunities in tailings management, minesite water management and facility closure.
First Vacation Work Program
ATC Williams has a proud tradition of providing tertiary students with opportunities to gain work experience while they complete their studies. Growth in the office will see our first undergraduate engineer commencing in November of this year. They will work full-time over the summer with the prospect of part-time work when lectures start in 2023.
Interstate and International Projects
Our Hunter Valley clients keep us busy; however, the “One ATC Williams” approach sees Singleton team members routinely involved in projects elsewhere in Australia and internationally. In the last 12 months, members of the Singleton team have visited sites all over NSW, Queensland, Mongolia and India.
Sunshine Coast shines across mining, water and waste
By Nick Brown, Principal Engineer/Office Manager and Mark Hawkins, Principal Geotechnical Engineer
The Sunshine Coast office has expanded our capabilities over the last year and will soon move upstairs to occupy level 3 of the Maroochydore office.
The Mining Team
Joel Eadie and the team have assembled an impressive mine closure portfolio and are undertaking landform evolution modelling projects. This year our team is joined by Mark Hawkins, a highly experienced Principal Geotechnical Engineer, strengthening our capabilities across all service areas.
Along with designing capping systems, closure planning and dams, we have undertaken civil infrastructure design projects for mine sites, including countless pads and over 20km of roadways in flood-prone, poor-quality subgrade areas. Locally we have supported the application for rehabilitation of the Gympie Gold Tailings System, which will be reprocessed and dry-stacked to become an eco-hub industrial subdivision.
The Water Team
Matthew Johnson has led a team utilising 2d flood modelling to set mine infrastructure for master planning and to reduce capital costs for Life of Mine roads through risk-based inundation assessments.
The Water Team has assisted the mining team with Water Balance Modelling for Progressive Rehabilitation and Closure Plans for mining projects and flooding and stormwater management on waste sites. In addition, they have designed some unique HES Basin systems, such as one for the closure of a 150ha Tailings Dam and a combined HES Basin/Water Quality Improvement Pond for the largest resource recovery site in the southern hemisphere (DA approved January 2022).
The Waste Team
Gavin Reeves and the waste team continue to service the Sunshine Coast and Noosa Councils. Our three graduates, who joined us in November 2021, are quickly becoming knowledgeable in the design and installation of geosynthetic liners. Notably, the recent completion of the construction works for the vertical expansion cell at Noosa and works beginning on the Bituminous Geomembrane (BGM) cap over the western batter of Cell 1.
Our landfill expertise assists many Australian councils with some big challenges. Our transfer station design and construction skills have facilitated master planning and concept design across the country for Fraser Coast Regional Council, Sunshine Coast Council Charters Towers Council, Mount Isa City Council and as far south as Wellington Shire Council in Victoria. In the Northern Territory, construction works for the Victoria Daly transfer station will commence soon. We continue to deliver transfer stations for Toowoomba Regional Council, notably the Yarraman Facility construction works is nearing completion and the Greenmount Transfer Facility DA. Stage 1 of Greenmount will be a landfill closure utilising a phytocap, set to commence in January 2023.
Strong start for Tasmanian Office
By Luisa Luengas – Associate Geotechnical Engineer/Office Manager
A Growing Client List
The Tasmanian office has presented a staggering 400% increase in staff levels since its inauguration in May 2021. All this growth is possible thanks to the continuous support from our long-term clients and new working relationships established with local players both in the mining and waste sectors.
Focus on inclusion and diversity
Based in Hobart, we have a varied talent pool at different levels of experience, ranging from 3+ years’ experience to 18+ years. We champion equality, inclusivity and diversity by maintaining a 50/50 balance between males and females and sharing different cultural backgrounds. This has allowed us to foster healthy relationships with our clients and stakeholders, provide a broader outlook on their expectations, and be better positioned to deliver quality outcomes.
Looking ahead
As we look towards 2023 and our second year since opening, we are excited to continue developing as a Tasmanian local Tailings, Water and Waste Engineering Consultancy by providing excellent client service and recruiting the best local talent.
