South-East Queensland’s bulk water authority will meet with locals before it starts key stages of a dam upgrade.
Seqwater will host drop-in community information sessions for the Lake Macdonald Dam Improvement Project, ahead of major works that are expected to start in earnest in the middle of the year.
The project is expected to enhance water security and enable the dam to withstand extreme weather events into the future.
Minor works have already started, including aquatic fauna surveys and the construction of haul roads and office buildings.
Ongoing gradual lake lowering has also occurred since late last year.
The project is expected to support 150 jobs throughout construction, with John Holland appointed as the major contractor.
Seqwater executive general manager infrastructure, planning and capital delivery Sarah Dixon said the project would help ensure the longevity of the important local water source for generations to come.
“Seqwater is embarking on its largest-ever capital investment program, paving the way for a decade of enhanced water security and reliability for South-East Queensland, and the Lake Macdonald Dam Improvement Project is a vital part of this initiative,” she said.
“The project involves building a temporary upstream cofferdam to facilitate the safe construction of a new spillway, plus reconstruction of the existing earth embankments to ensure the dam meets modern regulatory requirements and continues to operate safely.
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“The upstream cofferdam will keep the lake water level as high as possible throughout construction to ensure that ongoing environment, recreation and community amenity is maintained.
“The upgrade is an important water security and safety project, and we encourage Sunshine Coast locals to drop-in to one of our information sessions where members of the project team can answer any questions.
The project is expected to support about 150 jobs and is expected to take about five years.
For updates, visit the Seqwater website.
Community information sessions are on Wednesday, February 5, 2.30pm to 5pm, at Cooroy Library; Saturday, February 1, 10am to 12.30pm, at Cooroy Memorial Hall; and Saturday, February 15, 9am to 11.30am, at Pomona Memorial Hall.
