What governs your site. Project approvals, design documents, regulator requirements, SDS and manufacturer instructions, and engineering advice govern the site-specific approach. This guide is general information for planning and discussion. It does not set doses, discharge limits or compliance outcomes for any site.
Use this as a scoping worksheet
Collect the available project documents and site details before the first scoping discussion. Note the source, date and owner for each item, and mark missing information as unknown rather than filling gaps with assumptions.
The checklist separates information the project team can gather from questions that need representative testing, a site inspection or engineering review. Having a drawing, estimate or approval on hand does not by itself verify how the basin, water or dosing arrangement will perform.
Start with the project and basin information
Share the location, programme and work sequence alongside the latest basin and catchment information. If the basin arrangement or work fronts are expected to change, include the planned stages and likely timing.
For release requirements, provide the current project approvals and any relevant regulator correspondence or monitoring plan [1][2]. The project team should identify which conditions apply; this guide does not interpret or replace them.
Keep sample information and review needs visible
For representative water samples, record where and when each sample was taken, recent rainfall or site activity, and which runoff or work area it represents. Agree sample handling and test scope with the testing provider; a sample from one condition may not represent every inflow or stage [4].
Flag questions about changing water quality, flow measurement, basin hydraulics, mixing, chemical selection, dosing duty, storage, utilities and release conditions for the relevant testing or engineering review. A desk checklist cannot establish these conditions or guarantee a site outcome.
Pre-mobilisation checklist
Gather and document for project scoping
- Site name, street address or coordinates, state or territory, principal contractor and site contact.
- Target mobilisation date, construction and earthworks programme, work stages, expected duration and dates when catchments or work fronts change.
- Latest basin and catchment drawings or as-builts, including cells, dimensions or available volume, inlet and outlet positions, baffles, access points and planned changes.
- Known or estimated inflow range, sources and timing; any available flow measurements, rainfall context and the method used to estimate flow.
- Representative water sample details: sample location, date and time, rainfall or site activity, and the catchment or work area represented. Confirm sample collection and handling arrangements.
- Applicable project approvals, release points, release conditions, monitoring and reporting requirements, and the person responsible for confirming the current requirements.
- Station location options, delivery and vehicle access, ground or footprint constraints, security, operating hours, site induction and any access restrictions.
- Available power or generator arrangements, communications, safe cable and hose routes, and any constraints on station relocation.
- Chemical storage area and capacity constraints, delivery access, secondary containment arrangements and the current SDS and manufacturer instructions for any product under consideration.
- Named roles for operating the station, shift handover, checks and records, sampling, replenishment, maintenance, escalation and out-of-hours response.
Flag for representative testing or engineering review
- Which chemistry and workable dose range suit the actual site water: assess through agreed representative sampling and jar testing, not assumption.
- Whether sample results represent the expected range of water conditions and work stages; identify where additional sampling may be needed.
- Whether inflow estimates, measurement methods and expected variability are adequate to select and assess a dosing arrangement.
- Whether basin hydraulics, inlet arrangement, mixing location, flow path and settling volume suit the intended treatment duty.
- Station format, pump and control duty, injection arrangement, utilities, delivery route and relocation plan against the confirmed site constraints.
- Storage, containment, chemical compatibility, handling and safety arrangements against the applicable SDS, manufacturer instructions, site requirements and regulations.
- How the proposed approach relates to project approvals and release conditions; refer interpretation to the responsible environmental professional and design changes for engineering review.
Scoping decision points
- If: Basin drawings, approval conditions or programme details are missing or out of date
- Record the gap and identify the project owner who can confirm the current design basis and requirements before equipment or mobilisation assumptions are made.
- If: Water samples may not represent the planned catchments or changing work stages
- Agree a representative sampling plan and test scope before relying on jar-test observations.
- If: Inflow, basin hydraulics, station duty or storage arrangements remain uncertain
- Keep the uncertainty open for measurement, site inspection or engineering review; do not treat an estimate as a verified design input.
- If: The proposed setup or site conditions change after scoping
- Revisit the relevant information and testing or engineering review before proceeding on the earlier assumptions.
Limitations and caveats
- This checklist supports early project scoping. It is not a design, site inspection, sampling plan, approval interpretation or commissioning procedure.
- Testing and engineering review can inform decisions but do not promise a particular treatment result, release outcome or compliance status.
- Project approvals, regulator requirements, site safety requirements, SDS and manufacturer instructions take precedence for the specific site.
- Project approvals, design documents, regulator requirements, SDS and manufacturer instructions, and engineering advice govern the site-specific approach. This guide is general information for planning and discussion. It does not set doses, discharge limits or compliance outcomes for any site.
Sources
- [1] Queensland Government, Erosion and sediment control on construction sites (Reviewed 2 July 2026)
States that large construction sites in Queensland are subject to legal requirements, and that the procedural guides cover evolving technologies such as HES basins.
- [2] Queensland Government, Procedural guide for releases to waters from land development and construction sites 2500m² and greater (PDF)
The Queensland procedural guide for water releases from larger sites. Read it directly for the requirements that apply to your project.
- [4] Queensland Government, Queensland Monitoring and Sampling Manual 2018 (2018)
Queensland reference for monitoring and sampling practice.
Talk to an engineer about your basin
Send location, basin arrangement, programme and approval conditions. Sampling and jar testing may be part of scoping.