On 6 December 2023, the NSW and ACT ANCOLD Young Professionals (YP), in partnership with SMEC, held a site visit to Eurobodalla Southern Storage Dam site, an off-channel zoned clay core rockfill water supply dam currently under construction. The attendees were treated to a rare opportunity of witnessing a greenfield dam under construction.
Attendees attended a pre-site visit induction where Eurobodalla Shire Council (ESC) -the dam owner- spoke about the project’s key drivers, challenges of meeting the water supply needs of the local area, history of the project and associated funding, and long term plans for staged construction of the dam.
SMEC (the designer and construction technical supporter) presented the key design and unique project specific features of the dam, the unexpected and challenging foundation conditions encountered on site, and the ongoing construction challenges and achievements thus far.
After which, the tour of the ongoing construction site was facilitated by SMEC, where attendees witnessed the following:
The tour provided a fantastic opportunity for attendees to learn about dam construction, design changes due to unexpected site conditions, and the importance of collaborative working between the dam owner and designer.
Thank you to the Contractor Haslin and the contract manager Public Works Advisory for facilitating the site visit. Thank you to the presenters (Harvey Lane (ESC), Stephen Anderson (SMEC)), attendees, and the local YP organising committee for making this a successful event. Special thanks to Stephen Anderson and Malcom Spears (SMEC) for facilitating the tour and onsite Q&A during the event.
ANCOLD is an incorporated voluntary association of organisations and individual professionals with an interest in dams in Australia.
