Chaffey construction officially starts

Chaffey Dam storage custodian Nick Burr radioed the request to start excavating at a ceremony to recognise the commencement of construction on the Chaffey safety upgrade on Monday, 21 June 2010.

A crowd of around 30 people including landholders, officials, media, contractors and State Water representatives gathered on the dam wall to hear from State Water CEO George Warne and Member for Tamworth Peter Draper MP.

Some of the $8.6 million investment into the dam upgrade would be retained in the local community, Mr Warne said.

"This project will not only protect Chaffey Dam from extreme floods and earthquakes, it will inject funds into the Tamworth community through the hire of subcontractors and purchasing of supplies locally," Mr Warne said.

"John Holland are also undertaking the $146.4 million flood security upgrade at Keepit Dam which currently is employing 18 locals and expected to employee 40 once concrete pouring starts."

The Chaffey upgrade involves construction of a 35 metre-wide spillway and 4.5 metre high fuseplug to ensure the dam can withstand an extreme flood event.

"This is one of seven dam safety upgrades State Water is undertaking across regional NSW, with a total investment of more than $260 million across the state.

“These upgrades ensures dams throughout regional NSW comply with flood security regulations set by the NSW Dams Safety Committee.

“Our priority is to upgrade the dam to protect the community from extreme floods and earthquakes.

“It’s important to note the upgrade will not affect any future augmentation, which can still be carried out in addition to the upgrade.”

Construction is expected to begin around June and to be completed in 2011.

Media contact: Jane Urquhart (02) 6841 2087