SA Water: Major safety upgrade to Mount Bold Dam ‘more than 10 years in the making’
A major upgrade to Mount Bold Dam will allow the release of water at a more steady rate – minimising potentially dangerous impact for downstream residents.
SA News
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A major upgrade to South Australia’s largest dam will enhance its safety by introducing a three-stage spillway that will allow the release of water at a more steady rate.
A new concept animation was released today by SA Water that revealed the proposed design for the Mount Bold Dam.
It features a three-stage spillway along the dam crest – with a primary spillway slot 3m wide by 5.6m high – which will replace a series of gates that currently control the release of water.
SA Water’s general manager of sustainable infrastructure Amanda Lewry said the upgrade had been more than 10 years in the making.
“Our upgrade of Mount Bold Dam is the culmination of years of planning and will be one of the largest capital projects in our history once completed,” she said.
“To elevate the dam’s safety, we’ll be constructing significant concrete protection downstream of the dam to reduce the risk of erosion, while strengthening the wall with new concrete to increase its capacity to withstand earthquakes and extreme flood events.
The new design will enhance the current gated system, which is a series of eight gates that are remotely controlled to release water.
“This is more efficient due to the dam’s ability to temporarily store more water and release it at a rate that’s three times slower compared to having all the gates open,” she said.
She said the dam’s primary spillway would release water until a ‘one in one hundred year’ event occurred, which would activate the other two spillways.
“Inherently, this will provide the dam with a greater ability to minimise the impact to residents downstream by releasing water more steadily.
“We’re now optimising our concept as part of the detailed design phase, with scope for further refinement to ensure we’re delivering a cost-effective project.”
Major construction is expected to start in coming years and take several years to complete.
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