Otago Daily Times

Strengthen­ing of dam wall almost finished

- TIM MILLER City council reporter tim.miller@odt.co.nz

WORK to strengthen the Ross Creek Reservoir dam wall is nearing completion.

The Dunedin City Council expects the main engineerin­g work on the dam to be completed within the next two months, before it is left to strengthen for a year.

Council planning and delivery manager Jared Oliver said the dam face had been rebuilt and work on the crest had started before a new concrete wave wall was installed.

The finished bank extended out further than the original, and provided greater stability, so more water could be kept in the dam, Mr Oliver said.

Thousands of tonnes of fill had been used in the project, he said.

‘‘This dam strengthen­ing project is an engineerin­g challenge, involving a massive amount of earthworks, but will provide a valuable backup water supply for the city in the long term.’’

The refurbishm­ent of the 150yearold facility had to be extended by about six months because contractor­s needed excavate deeper than expected to remove the old embankment material.

Poor weather and an archaeolog­ical discovery had also delayed the project.

Once the engineerin­g work had finished, the walking path along the crest would be opened, along with a new footbridge across the spillway channel.

Burma Rd would reopened.

The extra work meant the cost of the project had increased from

also be $6.6 million to $8.6 million.

Once constructi­on of the dam was completed the area would be landscaped and art incorporat­ed into the restoratio­n.

‘‘The Ross Creek area is already a great destinatio­n for runners and walkers and getting an artist involved in the restoratio­n will bring a creative element as well,’’ Mr Oliver said.

 ?? PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN ?? Massive job . . . Dunedin City Council planning and delivery manager Jared Oliver stands on the new crest of the Ross Creek Reservoir dam.
PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN Massive job . . . Dunedin City Council planning and delivery manager Jared Oliver stands on the new crest of the Ross Creek Reservoir dam.

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