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Geotech was engaged as Principal Contractor by Orange City Council to increase Suma Park Dam’s storage capacity and make the dam compliant with dam safety standards. The construction of these works was carried out under asbestos conditions due to the dam being founded on naturally occurring asbestos rock. Part of the works required an obsolete earthen saddle dam to be upgraded with an auxiliary fuse plug structure. Geotech identified a risk that the fuse plug structure may affect structural performance in a flood event, and so proposed the design and construction an alternative concrete fuse gate structure – an approach that was approved by council. The concrete structure is able to be maintained and routinely tested to ensure its operational capabilities, providing security to the City of Orange.

Disciplines covered

• Increase storage capacity by raising concrete spillway by one metre.
• Increase dam’s maximum flood capacity by three metres with precast L-shaped parapets.
• High Capacity Post Tensioned Anchoring works at dam toe and abutments.
• Construction of a 90m long precast and cast in-situ concrete Fuse Gate Auxiliary spillway to replace obsolete saddle dam (including foundation and abutment earthworks).
• Complex slab overlay drainage and concrete slab overlay works.
• Road construction.
• Outlet Tower mechanical and structural steel upgrade works (including design, fabrication and installation).