Work on the $50 million expansion of Chaffey Dam in Tamworth, New South Wales, is expected to begin in the next few months following the award of a contract to Australian construction firm John Holland.
The dam safety upgrade and augmentation contract, awarded by State Water Corporation, involves raising the dam wall with a reinforced earth embankment and 1.8m parapet wall and raising the morning glory spillway. The project will increase the dam’s storage’s capacity from 62,000ML to 100,000ML to secure water supply for the city of Tamworth and Peel Valley Water Users.
Project funding includes $18.03 million towards the dam safety upgrade component from the NSW Government, and $31.781 million for augmentation which is funded by the Australian Government National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns ($18.145 million), the NSW Government ($9.668 million) and Tamworth Regional Council ($3.968 million).
Work is expected to commence in the coming months and will take around two years to complete.
Image: Chaffey Dam morning glory spillway, courtesy of State Water Corporation
