More delays for reservoir project
FURTHER delays mean it will be another six months before the Ross Creek reservoir refurbishment is complete — almost a year after originally planned.
Issues with the structure of the 150yearold Dunedin dam mean the project has been delayed by about two months so contractors can repair the problem.
Dunedin City Council 3 Waters group manager Tom Dyer said the delay was caused by deformities in the original clay membrane in the centre of the dam wall, which meant it was not as structurally sound as first thought.
‘‘That clay had deformed over time and wasn’t exactly where we thought it would be, so we fixed that by using a clay slurry to fill the gap that had appeared, so it’s all sorted now,’’ Mr Dyer said.
Most of the engineering work was now expected to be finished in October, which meant Burma Rd would be repaired and reopened after that, he said.
By the end of the year the crest track would be reopened and a new bridge built over the dam’s spillway.
The extra work meant the cost of the project would increase from its $8.6 million budget, but by how much was not yet known.
‘‘We still have got some additional work which was not expected which took about two months to fix, so there will be a cost increase associated with that.’’
As the dam safety regulator, the Otago Regional Council had been advised of the issues with the dam and had allowed a minor variation to the building consent to fix the problem, Mr Dyer said.
Landscaping and art work would be started at different times during the next year, and the council expected to award the contract for that work in September.