Sideling Creek Dam

Project details

Fulton Hogan was selected in 2017 by Seqwater to complete the repairs and upgrades to the Sideling Creek Dam. Following design approvals, construction began in June 2018 and finished in May 2019. The upgrade plan cost $18 million, coming in under the budgeted $24 million for the project.

Background

Seqwater performed a number of dam safety reviews in 2012 – 2014 within South East Queensland. Sideling Creek Dam was chosen to be a part of Seqwater’s Dam Improvement Program as it connects to the recreational Lake Kurwongbah and supplies drinking water to the Moreton Bay region.

Requirements

The upgrades for Sideling Creek Dam were focused on strengthening the dam wall and spillway to improve safety and to comply with current engineering standards and safety. Features identified within the design included: installing a new filter buttress along the downstream shoulder of the main dam as well as stabilising weighting berm; raising the height of the spillway guide walls and upper chute walls on both sides of the spillway and reinforcing the concrete buttressing. Constructing a pre-excavated dissipator downstream of the spillway to manage erosion, protect the structure and improve fish migration downstream; and reinstating the slot in the spillway to allow the dam to be restored to its full supply level. Fulton Hogan needed 14,000 tonnes of a specially designed sand to be apart of the downstream face of the embankment.

Our solution

The specially designed sand for this project had to be highly tested for PSD (grading), Density, Degradation, Permeability and Sand Castle to ensure that it was better than compliant based on the specifications.

River Sands provided a 2A Filter Sand which was used in the construction of the weighting berm along the main embankment as a filter and to provide additional strength for the dam wall. Our 2A Filter Sand underwent testing prior to the project being awarded, to ensure a better-than-compliant match with the requested specifications.

Source: Seqwater

How we did it

To meet the extensive testing requirements for each batch, ensuring the product was better than compliance with the requested specifications, River Sands performed a number of tests within our on-site ISO 9001 Quality laboratory. We also worked with external laboratories to confirm the results and streamline the sampling and approval process for each batch.

Additionally, we used the space within our sandplant to stockpile approved batches of 2A Filter Sand ready for delivery. River Sands was also able to perform the specialised blending onsite to meet the required specifications.

The benefits

By using River Sands products, Fulton Hogan was assured of the quality of the sand and its reputation within the industry from other successful projects. Our efficiency within the manufacturing, testing and approval process guaranteed we were within the time constraints of the project timeline. Our team worked closely with the project site management to ensure there was sufficient product throughout the construction timeline, this was greatly assisted by our ability to stockpile approved batches at the sandplant.

As a result of using our 2A Filter Sand, the Sideling Creek Dam upgrades will function for a long period of time.

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