Keepit Dam in airspace operations

Keepit Dam7 December 2010 – 11:30AM

In anticipation of heavy rain expected later this week, Keepit Dam has commenced airspace operations.

The dam is currently storing 96.5% of capacity, and the team will be releasing water at a rate of 11,600ML per day in order to reduce this storage level to 95%.

The current inflows into the dam are around 6,030ML per day.

State Water Acting Water Delivery Manager Scott Barber said that creating an airspace is the safest option for both the community and the dam structure.

“Having sufficient airspace in the dam means that we have greater control of the dam outflows in the event of heavy rainfall. We are obviously thinking a few steps ahead to decide the best option for the community, but also for the dam infrastructure.

“At the moment, the target airspace is 20GL, which means we need to get the storage down to 95% of capacity,” said Mr Barber.

Mr Barber added that all reports from the dam staff on site indicate that operations are running smoothly.

“The dam infrastructure is operating well, and the guys are monitoring the situation closely. At this stage, everything seems to be working to plan,” he said.

For information on flood warnings, please contact the State Emergency Service on 132 500 or visit the website www.ses.nsw.gov.au.