Tom Gersekowski, Nicholas Thomas-Kinsella
Often, the extent of required works for the preparation of a dam foundation is not fully realised until the foundation is exposed during construction. This inherent uncertainty and the exacting standards required for the preparation of a dam foundation can impact the project schedule with additional incurred costs, which risks unfavourable outcomes for the dam owner and contractor.
Constructed from June 2019 to December 2020 Charleston Dam is one of the most recently constructed High Consequence Category water dams in Australia. Located approximately 450 km south-west of Cairns, the zoned earthfill embankment is approximately 600 m long, 22 m high, and provides a 11,000 ML storage for water supply to nearby townships. However, the construction experienced delays to the original program due to longer than anticipated foundation preparation times. A key characteristic of the project was that the contractor had limited experience in the construction of dams.
This paper reviews the lessons learned through construction via observations of the contractor’s work methods, culminating in suggestions to mitigate construction project delivery risks for similar dam projects, by promoting a variant of the early contractor involvement contract arrangements.
The findings are based on the author’s observations onsite who maintained a full-time site presence during the construction of Charleston Dam.
$15.00
ANCOLD is an incorporated voluntary association of organisations and individual professionals with an interest in dams in Australia.
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