Cooloolabin Dam on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland will be upgraded as part of Seqwater’s Dam Improvement Program.
The upgrade of the dam, located near Yandina, will involve the construction of filter buttresses to strengthen the embankments on either side of the dam’s spillway and the lower part of the largest saddle dam.
Work is scheduled to begin in September 2017 and expected to take about six months to complete.
Seqwater Chief Executive Officer, Jim Pruss, said the Dam Improvement Program allowed South East Queensland’s drinking water storages to continue to operate safely into the future.
“All of the dams to be upgraded are part of the SEQ Water Grid, delivering safe, secure and cost effective water to 3.1 million people across the region each day,” Mr Pruss said.
“Dams are long-life assets and require continual assessment, monitoring and maintenance.
“Over the years, there have been advances in dam design and we now have a greater understanding of extreme weather such as floods and earthquakes.
“Seqwater’s Dam Improvement Program is about ensuring that our dams are able to continue to operate safely in the future, continue to provide drinking water supply and help manage the impacts of extreme weather and flooding events.’’
Dam upgrades have been prioritised in a staged program to give Seqwater time to scope, design and plan, while maintaining public safety, security of water supply and delivering best value for money.
“Our dam assessments and planned upgrades to date have been endorsed by the Queensland Dam Safety Regulator and reviewed by independent dam experts,’’ Mr Pruss said.
“Dams are large public infrastructure and maintaining their ongoing safety is paramount.’’
The upgrade will not impact or interrupt water supply security for the Sunshine Coast and recreational facilities will remain open during the work.
