Kurwongbah Upgrade Project Report.

[rayke1938]

Copy of email fromSEQ water.

Cheers

Ray

Latest news Work is well underway to finalise the detailed design for the Sideling Creek Dam upgrade with construction planning starting later this year. The upgrade is expected to kick off in mid-2018, subject to Seqwater gaining the necessary project approvals, and will involve strengthening the main dam embankment (pictured right) and spillway to meet the Queensland Dam Safety Guidelines. We will be going out to market early next year to appoint a contractor to manage construction. We expect the upgrade will take about 12 months to complete, subject to weather conditions and other unforeseen delays. What is detailed design? Once we have approval to proceed with our preferred option, we can start designing the upgrade ready for construction. The detailed design phase involves finalising the size and shape of the improvements to be made, working out what materials we will need and in what order we will do the work. While the preliminary design gives us a broad idea of what we’re building, the detailed design provides all the information we need to allow our contractor to get to work. This phase of the project also involves safety and environmental assessments. We will provide more information about the design as planning progresses.

The spillway In 2015, a slot (pictured right) was cut in the dam’s spillway to lower the water level while detailed investigations were conducted to help us identify options for upgrading the dam. Lowering water levels is an industry accepted practice and helps to reduce water pressure and loads on the dam as well as increase the flood capacity. Once we’ve upgraded the dam, we will be reinstating the spillway and filling in the slot to allow the dam to be restored to its original full supply level. We will also be refurbishing the area below the spillway to help manage erosion and improve fish migration downstream. Keeping you informed We will be sending regular e-updates during the planning stage of this project to keep you informed. This is the best way for you to get the latest information, so if you know someone who might be interested in this project encourage them to subscribe too.

In other news... Future recreation changes Changes are happening at both Lake Kurwongbah and its neighbour Lake Samsonvale to improve access opportunities for recreation following a landmark water quality study. Last year, we announced we would be opening Lake Samsonvale to the public for paddle craft for the first time, as well as revising the current shared recreation arrangement on Lake Kurwongbah to allow public rowing, paddling and club skiing on the lake, seven days a week. Planning is currently in progress to introduce these changes at both lakes. We will continue to talk to key stakeholders throughout the planning process. Keep an eye on our website for updates or to find out more, email recreation@seqwater.com.au Sign up for free dam release alerts Sign up to be notified when Sideling Creek Dam is spilling and nearby North Pine Dam is releasing water through Seqwater’s dam release notification service. This free service provides subscribers with notifications by email, text messages to mobile phones or recorded messages to telephone landlines when gated dams are releasing water or un-gated dams are spilling. Register now to get dam alerts or download our new app from the App Store on your device. For more information w seqwater.com.au/damimprovement e communications@seqwater.com.au p 18