The Warragamba Dam Raising Concept Design will look to increase the height of the existing dam, allowing it to be used for flood mitigation purposes that will benefit the downstream community of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley, which has been impacted by 20 moderate-to-major significant floods since 1960.
In May 2017, the NSW government released the Nepean Valley Flood Risk Management Strategy, providing a comprehensive long-term framework for the NSW government, local councils, businesses and the community working together to reduce and manage flood risk in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley.
The strategy concluded that raising Warragamba Dam by around 14m is the best infrastructure option to reduce flood risk from floodwaters from the Warragamba Dam catchment.
The Flood Strategy also includes a range of other infrastructure and non-infrastructure outcomes that must also be part of the solution for managing ongoing flood risk.
Other key elements of the Flood Strategy include programs to increase community flood risk awareness, new evacuation signage, improved flood forecasting, and integrating flood risk management with regional land use and emergency planning.
Stantec’s general manager for water in Australia Ashok Sukumaran said the company is extremely proud to work with WaterNSW and GHD on this exciting project.
“We have assembled a technical team who bring experience from dam raise projects completed around the world,” Sukmaran said.
“This mix of local and international expertise will deliver a complex design that meets safety standards and optimises the dam configuration for the purposes of flood mitigation.”
The services provided by the partnership of Stantec and GHD will include developing a cost-effective and safe design for raising Warragamba Dam, while addressing and mitigating any project impacts.
“Delivery for complex dams and hydropower projects is one of Stantec’s core strengths and we are proud to be able to bring the best of Stantec’s global expertise in dam raise designs to a major client in Australia,” said Mario Finis, global leader of WaterPower & Dams for Stantec.
The Stantec and GHD team combines relevant water infrastructure and engineering experience to create innovative designs with proven technologies.
Stantec has nearly 100 years of hydropower and dam experience including feasibility studies, detailed design and construction management from more than 5000 dam projects around the world.
GHD on the other hand has been working on dams since the company’s birth almost 90 years ago and has one of the largest dedicated dams engineering teams across the globe.
“To design the significant modifications needed for the new flood mitigation function, our team brings design and construction experience from major dam projects in Australia and internationally, as well as a track record of successfully delivering a variety of projects for WaterNSW,” said Steve Fox, project director at GHD.
Design services for the Warragamba Dam Raising Concept is expected to be completed by early 2019.
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