WaterNSW is to transfer water from Windamere to Burrendong dam via the Cudgegong River to secure vital supply in the Macquarie valley. Burrendong Dam is currently at 1.8 per cent of capacity and experiencing acute drought conditions, with chronically low inflows in the past 12 months and a predicted storage capacity of 1.2 per cent by the end of January. [...]
Level two water restrictions will commence across the Lower Hunter, starting in early 2020 as the region sees the lowest dam levels in almost 40 years. The restrictions come as a result of a hot summer and dry conditions forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology, and will go ahead if predictions are correct. This would be the first time level [...]
With local dams suffering significant water shortages, WaterNSW is meeting with customers and other water users in the state’s far north and far south coasts to discuss the future of water usage and availability. Toonumbar Dam near Kyogle in the state’s north sits at 28 per cent of storage capacity, down from 95 per cent at the start of the [...]
SA Water has completed a $94 million safety upgrade of the Kangaroo Creek Dam in the Adelaide Hills, after nearly four years of construction. Work began in January 2016 and focused on significantly widening and strengthening the dam’s concrete spillway – which carries water safely to the River Torrens if the water level exceeds the dam’s full supply – as [...]
An independent inquiry will be held following the release of technical reports which detail the structural and stability issues of Paradise Dam. Queensland’s Natural Resources Minister, Dr Anthony Lynham, announced that former Supreme Court judge John Byrne AO would head a transparent, fully-independent inquiry into the dam’s structural and stability issues. “The government has been listening to the Bundaberg community,” [...]
Three states across the east of Australia have seen a number of councils and water utilities impose tighter water restrictions due to the severity of the drought. Sydney Water will move to level 2 restrictions – effective 10 December – two months earlier than expected. This will affect councils and communities spanning from Newcastle to the Illawarra, and west to the [...]
New South Wales Water Minister, Melinda Pavey, has welcomed the Water Supply (Critical Needs) Bill 2019 passing through State Parliament. Mrs Pavey said the temporary legislation would allow the New South Wales Government to fast-track water infrastructure projects where there is a critical town water supply need for the next two years. “With 98 per cent of NSW in drought [...]
Monitoring what wildlife species are living in Melbourne’s waterways has become easier, safer and more reliable, with an innovative – and animal-friendly – approach implemented by Melbourne Water. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a relatively new technology that eliminates the need to catch, see or hear animals in a waterway, because the trace DNA in a simple sample of water can [...]
Somerset residents will have the opportunity to play an important role in planning the upcoming Somerset Dam upgrade. Seqwater is establishing a Community Reference Group, which will work collaboratively with the bulk water supplier to develop and implement a voluntary Social Impact Management Plan for the project. The group will help identify potential impacts of the upgrade and ways to [...]
Water releases from Bundaberg’s Paradise Dam have commenced, ahead of the upcoming 2019-20 wet season, to reduce the dam’s water storage level to 42 per cent. While the dam is safe under normal and current forecast weather conditions, detailed investigations have shown that there are issues with the dam in the unlikely event of another 1-in-200-year event like 2013. Reducing [...]
The Queensland Government will give the green light for further assessment of the $5 billion Hells Gates Dam proposal to help the project progress. Natural Resources Minister, Dr Anthony Lynham, announced that the state would sign a bilateral agreement with the Commonwealth to progress further assessment. “I know our three local Members of Parliament in Townsville and the people of [...]
Western Australia’s Kununurra Diversion Dam has received a new gantry crane in a $4.1 million State Government funded project to replace the previous 50-year-old piece of irrigation infrastructure. The 7m, 65 tonne steel crane will ensure the ongoing operation of the Kununurra Diversion Dam, which diverts and regulates the flow of water from the Ord River into the Ord Irrigation [...]
South East Queensland’s (SEQ) water grid will provide security of supply as the North Pine Water Treatment Plant goes offline for maintenance and upgrade works. Natural Resources Minister, Dr Anthony Lynham, said the SEQ grid will be used to supplement north Brisbane’s water supply over June and July. “The water grid will be used to move water from the Sunshine [...]
Enhancing the safety of dams and securing reliable water supplies are top priorities of the Queensland Government’s 2019-20 Natural Resources, Mines and Energy budget. Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Dr Anthony Lynham, said more than $600 million was being invested with the focus on both renewable and non-renewable natural resources, delivering safe, secure, affordable and sustainable energy and [...]
Melbourne’s water storages have been replenished with water from Victoria’s Desalination Plant, securing the city’s supply and helping to avoid strict restrictions. Victorian Minister for Water, Lisa Neville, said the largest ever order of 125GL would start to reach Cardinia Reservoir from 11 June 2019 and be delivered progressively over the following year. “Water is now flowing into our storages [...]
South East Queensland's Somerset Dam hydroelectric plant is back producing renewable energy after the completion of a major $11 million refurbishment. Queensland Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Dr Anthony Lynham said the $11 million restoration of the Somerset plant had increased its capacity from 3.2 to 4.1 megawatts, adding to Queensland’s renewable energy generation. “Somerset Dam will remain [...]
As part of a scheduled maintenance program, TasWater plans to lower the water level in Risdon Brook Dam. The maintenance will involve the removal of vegetation from within the dam, which will help improve the water quality. The work will take place over several weeks with parts of the walking track closed during the movement of heavy machinery and for [...]
As part of an $18 million upgrade to secure Redland City’s water supply, works at the Leslie Harrison Dam in Queensland have been completed three months ahead of schedule. Member for Capalaba, Don Brown, said that the Leslie Harrison Dam provides around 25 per cent of the Redland City water supply and is an important asset for the growing community. [...]
While dam failures are rare in Australia, the catastrophic ramifications of poor management have been felt as recently as January 2019, with the collapse of the Vale Tailings Dam in Brazil and the consequent loss of hundreds of lives. Committed to mitigating risks, Melbourne Water undertakes regular inspections and tests on its dams to not only protect these key assets, [...]
For South East Queensland’s bulk water authority, Seqwater, influencing community and industry to use water efficiently and wisely is a major focus. The region has welcomed an additional one million residents over the past 15 years, and is facing further significant population growth and an increasingly changing climate. Seqwater knows that providing safe, secure and affordable tap water now, and [...]
The New South Wales (NSW) Government has committed to progressing investigations into the raising of the Wyangala Dam, with WaterNSW set to start work in the near future. The 10m raising of the wall was identified in WaterNSW’s Lachlan Valley Security Study as a preferred option for improving drought and flood management in the region. The study found that raising [...]
Upgrade options are being considered for some of South East Queensland’s most important dams, with engineers using scale models of the proposed upgrades to test ideas for large-scale engineering projects. Inside a warehouse in Manly, NSW, Seqwater dam engineers have been working with the University of New South Wales’ Water Research Lab team to evaluate the spillway upgrade options and [...]
Australia has a long history of dealing with drought — but is enough being done to cement the country’s valuable water stores? Waterproof dams that stand the test of time are integral to Australia’s water future, but require expert concrete work, solid knowledge of the sector and futuristic concrete technology to be effective for generations to come. National supplier of [...]
With severe drought conditions impacting several regions and water storages in New South Wales, WaterNSW will begin a bulk water transfer from Split Rock Dam to Keepit Dam between October and December 2018. The bulk water transfer is necessary to meet customer water demand in the Lower Namoi Valley downstream of Keepit Dam. Under the scheduled release, a maximum of [...]
This opinion piece was contributed by Warwick Lorenz, Managing Director of Australian Pump Industries. Australia is currently affected by serious drought, which in some parts of the country is now in its fourth year. Australia is a strong agricultural producer with over three million square miles of territory, inhabited by over 24 million people. Sixty per cent of that population [...]
The ACCC’s Water Monitoring report has found that 2016-2017 was a primarily stable period for the Murray-Darling Basin. Good water availability and favourable seasonal conditions across much of the Murray-Darling Basin resulted in increased water deliveries: up 27 per cent for on-river infrastructure operators (IOs) and 12 per cent for off-river IOs. The report found transformation of irrigation rights, and [...]
As prolonged drought conditions threaten the water security of the Hunter region in NSW, Hunter Water has initiated plans to build a temporary desalination plant and other water saving measures to try and help secure the future of the region’s vital resource. Water management Hunter Water sought approval from the Department of Planning to construct the plant on Hunter Water land [...]
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