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SA Water appoints WSP and Entura to support dams upgrade program

January 11, 2018

SA Water has appointed global engineering professional services consulting firm WSP and specialist power and water consulting firm Entura to support its ongoing program of dam safety upgrades.

WSP and Entura are partnering to work with and assist SA Water’s Assets, Dam Engineering and Delivery teams by providing Owner’s Engineering Services across some of the projects in SA Water’s dams upgrade program over the next three years.

These services include the provision of technical support and review during all stages of dam safety activities, advice to improve existing technical standards and guidelines, and identifying opportunities for innovation and standardised solutions.

The appointment follows Entura’s previous Dam Portfolio Risk Assessment for SA Water, which provided the foundation for SA Water’s current dam safety upgrade program. The program will help SA Water better manage any major floods and increase the dams’ ability to withstand major earthquakes, aligning them with updated safety guidelines set by the Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD).

SA Water owns 17 large dams and manages another two on behalf of the South Australian Government.

SA Water’s General Manager of Asset Operations and Delivery Mark Gobbie said the safe operation of its dams is of paramount importance, and the utility performs regular and extensive safety checks at all of these sites.

“Our ongoing dam safety upgrade program will ensure we can continue this safe management and align the sites with ANCOLD guidelines.”

WSP and Entura will be involved in the planning, design and construction of upgrades at several of SA Water’s dam safety upgrades, as well as some other minor dam-related projects.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with SA Water on their dam safety upgrade program to ensure their assets align with ANCOLD guidelines,” said WSP-Entura Project Director, Marius Jonker.

Entura brings a wealth of dam safety, design and construction support experience to the project. As part of Hydro Tasmania, Australia’s largest renewable energy producer and water manager, Entura draws on more than 100 years of experience of planning, building, managing and maintaining the many dams of Tasmania’s hydroelectric power system.

The firm has also undertaken detailed design for many of Australia’s key new dam projects over the past decade, including Wyaralong Dam and Bromelton Offstream Storage in Queensland, the Samson Brook Pipehead Dam in Western Australia, the enlarged Cotter Dam in the ACT, Suma Park Dam in New South Wales, and the Meander Dam in Tasmania.

WSP engineer projects that help societies grow for lifetimes to come by taking a holistic and sustainable approach to managing the use of water resources and infrastructure.