Australian utility TasWater has commenced upgrade work on the Mikany Dam, with contractor Gradco set to start site preparation in February.
The dam, built in 1972, is fed by the Deep and Muckeye Creeks catchment and is the main source of water for the communities connected to the TasWater network.
“At the time, the construction of the dam adhered to dam regulations but now an upgrade is needed to provide greater water security for the region,” TasWater Project Manager for the Capital Delivery Office Colm O’Sheehan said.
Once complete, the dam will not only guarantee supply into the future, but also improve its flood capacity. Currently, the spillway at Mikany has the capacity of outflow during a one in one-hundred-year Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) flood event. Once complete, capacity will be improved to a one in ten-thousand-year flood event, complying with recent Australian national dam safety standards.”
Weather depending, the project is expected to be completed by the end of August 2021.
