18 December 2012

Cotter Dam Expansion drawing to a close

| johnboy
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roller compacted concrete

Actew Water have announced the last roller compacted concrete has been laid on the expanded Cotter Dam.

Canberra’s great wall, the Enlarged Cotter Dam is nearing completion, with the final load of Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) laid in the early hours of Saturday morning.

This is a significant milestone for the ACT and Queanbeyan community who will benefit from the improved water security the new dam will provide for generations to come.

The wall has all but reached its full height of 80 meters, with the detailed curved concrete cap, which helps control the flow of water over the top of the dam, being the next stage.

Some work remains in 2013 on areas like the concrete structures running down the sides of the dam and in the stilling basin at its base.

The rest of the dam structure and related works will be completed by autumn next year, with the remainder of the rehabilitation, demobilisation and commissioning work due for completion in the winter.

And they’ve even got fun facts for us:

    — 365,000 cubic meters of Roller Compacted Concrete was used to build the bulk of the new dam.

    — 1,000,000 tonnes of rock was used to manufacture the RCC. This was mined and crushed on site, dramatically reducing the associated construction truck traffic and haulage kilometers on the neighbouring roads.

    — The quarry the rock came from will eventually be located under the full supply level of the new dam and will also be used for fish habitat as the new reservoir fills.

[Photo courtesy Actew Water]

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Roundhead89 said :

and in Qld a bunch of greenies and NIMBYs forced the Beattie government to scrap the proposed Mary River dam.

You didn’t mention all the National voting farmers in your rant.

Pandy said :

Could ACTEW build a new Cotter pub too?

+100000000000000000000000

enrique said :

Chop71 said :

Thanks for the stats, although you missed a few like completion dates and budget over runs etc.
Noting like grandstanding with only 1/2 the facts. It’s like your media releases are written in a political style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&hl=en-GB&v=AuJrEBtmM1Q

Give them a break would you.

Quality is remembered long after budgets and schedules are forgotten.

Well done to our friends at ACTEW – thanks to their fairly decisive action we now have a secure water supply in Canberra for generations to come.

Other organisations could learn from ACTEW when it comes to turning major infrastructure from an idea into reality. Could be worse, we could have ended up with study-upon-study-upon-consultation and millions spent with nothing to show for it.

Here’s to engineers and their ability to quietly deliver those things we take for granted everyday!

We shouldn’t forget that this project was proposed during the drought when the greenies were flying high and stopped Labor state governments around the country from building new dams or expanding existing ones. The Brumby government in Victoria shelved plans for a new dam and in Qld a bunch of greenies and NIMBYs forced the Beattie government to scrap the proposed Mary River dam.

In an uncharacteristic display of staring down The Greens and other feral leftists, the Stanhope government bit the bullet and went ahead with the project. I’ll never forget the pride I felt when I read a letter in the Herald Sun from someone who on holiday in the ACT saw ACTEW’s TV ad saying that the Cotter Dam project would secure Canberra’s water supply and asking why the Victorian government could not follow our lead.

Gungahlin Al4:45 pm 19 Dec 12

Great to see it almost done. But you do realise the need to now fill it will doom us to a decade-long drought now don’t you? Murphy…

johnboy said :

I think it’s fair enough to want to establish the ecosystem before letting the public loose on it.

That is kind of the point. They will never let the public loose on it. But at least we can have the warm and fuzzies knowing they thought of the fish.

“The quarry… will also be used for fish habitat as the new reservoir fills.”

This is the bit I find intriguing. I like that they have considered local native fish species, but at the same time it is disappointing that recreational anglers will never be allowed near them as per Googong Dam.

I think it’s fair enough to want to establish the ecosystem before letting the public loose on it.

as much as it pains me to say this, at least the thing is done. The workers worked around the clock to complete it. Lets hope we get some rain to fill it.

I’m all for them building the dam. I’m all for development.
What I don’t like is being told how wonderful it is while I have to pay for these bells and whistles.

If they are going to praise themselves in glory why not tell us the whole truth about what it costs and how much over budget it ran?

dungfungus said :

NoImRight said :

dungfungus said :

enrique said :

Chop71 said :

Thanks for the stats, although you missed a few like completion dates and budget over runs etc.
Noting like grandstanding with only 1/2 the facts. It’s like your media releases are written in a political style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&hl=en-GB&v=AuJrEBtmM1Q

Give them a break would you.

Quality is remembered long after budgets and schedules are forgotten.

Well done to our friends at ACTEW – thanks to their fairly decisive action we now have a secure water supply in Canberra for generations to come.

Other organisations could learn from ACTEW when it comes to turning major infrastructure from an idea into reality. Could be worse, we could have ended up with study-upon-study-upon-consultation and millions spent with nothing to show for it.

Here’s to engineers and their ability to quietly deliver those things we take for granted everyday!

“Well done to our friends at ACTEW – thanks to their fairly decisive action we now have a secure water supply in Canberra for generations to come”……………………………….
Er, forgive me for raining on your parade but ACTEW are in the business of supplying water to tratepayers and our new, massive water costs will remind us for many years how big the budget overruns have been. A lot of people at ACTEW get paid huge salaries and I think they are overpaid for the work and responsibility they have.
Next thing you will be praising ACTION for getting the buses to run on time.
And don’t speak too soon about the “quality” aspect either – it hasn’t filled with water yet.

So we bitch when they dont do something and we bitch when they do.

I didn’t make any “bitching” remarks at all. I simply alluded to the fact that it should not be anything out of the ordinary for ACTEW to build a dam for water security as that is what they are supposed to do. The fact that the project went well over budget while the bosses there continue to draw their over-generous, non-performance linked salaries is another matter. If you have ever risked a dollar of your own you may start to understand what I am driving at. Anyway, you seem to be happy to pay increases for your water supply as you didn’t say anything to the contrary (yet).

You dont see that as bitching? LOL……just LOL

As pointed out above some things cost and someone has to pay. We use the water so who else should pay? Ze Germans?

NoImRight said :

dungfungus said :

enrique said :

Chop71 said :

Thanks for the stats, although you missed a few like completion dates and budget over runs etc.
Noting like grandstanding with only 1/2 the facts. It’s like your media releases are written in a political style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&hl=en-GB&v=AuJrEBtmM1Q

Give them a break would you.

Quality is remembered long after budgets and schedules are forgotten.

Well done to our friends at ACTEW – thanks to their fairly decisive action we now have a secure water supply in Canberra for generations to come.

Other organisations could learn from ACTEW when it comes to turning major infrastructure from an idea into reality. Could be worse, we could have ended up with study-upon-study-upon-consultation and millions spent with nothing to show for it.

Here’s to engineers and their ability to quietly deliver those things we take for granted everyday!

“Well done to our friends at ACTEW – thanks to their fairly decisive action we now have a secure water supply in Canberra for generations to come”……………………………….
Er, forgive me for raining on your parade but ACTEW are in the business of supplying water to tratepayers and our new, massive water costs will remind us for many years how big the budget overruns have been. A lot of people at ACTEW get paid huge salaries and I think they are overpaid for the work and responsibility they have.
Next thing you will be praising ACTION for getting the buses to run on time.
And don’t speak too soon about the “quality” aspect either – it hasn’t filled with water yet.

So we bitch when they dont do something and we bitch when they do.

I didn’t make any “bitching” remarks at all. I simply alluded to the fact that it should not be anything out of the ordinary for ACTEW to build a dam for water security as that is what they are supposed to do. The fact that the project went well over budget while the bosses there continue to draw their over-generous, non-performance linked salaries is another matter. If you have ever risked a dollar of your own you may start to understand what I am driving at. Anyway, you seem to be happy to pay increases for your water supply as you didn’t say anything to the contrary (yet).

dungfungus said :

Er, forgive me for raining on your parade but ACTEW are in the business of supplying water to tratepayers and our new, massive water costs will remind us for many years how big the budget overruns have been. A lot of people at ACTEW get paid huge salaries and I think they are overpaid for the work and responsibility they have.
Next thing you will be praising ACTION for getting the buses to run on time.
And don’t speak too soon about the “quality” aspect either – it hasn’t filled with water yet.

Get a life man. Who else would build this stuff for us? And why shouldn’t we pay for it? This stuff doesn’t just magically appear. They put a lot of effort into the work they do, made possible by years of education and experience.

dungfungus said :

enrique said :

Chop71 said :

Thanks for the stats, although you missed a few like completion dates and budget over runs etc.
Noting like grandstanding with only 1/2 the facts. It’s like your media releases are written in a political style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&hl=en-GB&v=AuJrEBtmM1Q

Give them a break would you.

Quality is remembered long after budgets and schedules are forgotten.

Well done to our friends at ACTEW – thanks to their fairly decisive action we now have a secure water supply in Canberra for generations to come.

Other organisations could learn from ACTEW when it comes to turning major infrastructure from an idea into reality. Could be worse, we could have ended up with study-upon-study-upon-consultation and millions spent with nothing to show for it.

Here’s to engineers and their ability to quietly deliver those things we take for granted everyday!

“Well done to our friends at ACTEW – thanks to their fairly decisive action we now have a secure water supply in Canberra for generations to come”……………………………….
Er, forgive me for raining on your parade but ACTEW are in the business of supplying water to tratepayers and our new, massive water costs will remind us for many years how big the budget overruns have been. A lot of people at ACTEW get paid huge salaries and I think they are overpaid for the work and responsibility they have.
Next thing you will be praising ACTION for getting the buses to run on time.
And don’t speak too soon about the “quality” aspect either – it hasn’t filled with water yet.

So we bitch when they dont do something and we bitch when they do.

King_of_the_Muppets11:46 am 19 Dec 12

gooterz said :

Great we spend all this money on the dam and now its just going to sit there!

Do you expect it to get up and dance?

enrique said :

Chop71 said :

Thanks for the stats, although you missed a few like completion dates and budget over runs etc.
Noting like grandstanding with only 1/2 the facts. It’s like your media releases are written in a political style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&hl=en-GB&v=AuJrEBtmM1Q

Give them a break would you.

Quality is remembered long after budgets and schedules are forgotten.

Well done to our friends at ACTEW – thanks to their fairly decisive action we now have a secure water supply in Canberra for generations to come.

Other organisations could learn from ACTEW when it comes to turning major infrastructure from an idea into reality. Could be worse, we could have ended up with study-upon-study-upon-consultation and millions spent with nothing to show for it.

Here’s to engineers and their ability to quietly deliver those things we take for granted everyday!

“Well done to our friends at ACTEW – thanks to their fairly decisive action we now have a secure water supply in Canberra for generations to come”……………………………….
Er, forgive me for raining on your parade but ACTEW are in the business of supplying water to tratepayers and our new, massive water costs will remind us for many years how big the budget overruns have been. A lot of people at ACTEW get paid huge salaries and I think they are overpaid for the work and responsibility they have.
Next thing you will be praising ACTION for getting the buses to run on time.
And don’t speak too soon about the “quality” aspect either – it hasn’t filled with water yet.

Chop71 said :

Thanks for the stats, although you missed a few like completion dates and budget over runs etc.
Noting like grandstanding with only 1/2 the facts. It’s like your media releases are written in a political style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&hl=en-GB&v=AuJrEBtmM1Q

Give them a break would you.

Quality is remembered long after budgets and schedules are forgotten.

Well done to our friends at ACTEW – thanks to their fairly decisive action we now have a secure water supply in Canberra for generations to come.

Other organisations could learn from ACTEW when it comes to turning major infrastructure from an idea into reality. Could be worse, we could have ended up with study-upon-study-upon-consultation and millions spent with nothing to show for it.

Here’s to engineers and their ability to quietly deliver those things we take for granted everyday!

Pork Hunt said :

The photo looks like a scene from Pillars of the Earth…

What? You mean complete crap…

Could ACTEW build a new Cotter pub too?

Sigh, it has been almost 10 years since I drew a pint and chips around that smokey fireplace. Sniff.

Great we spend all this money on the dam and now its just going to sit there!

The photo looks like a scene from Pillars of the Earth…

Forget the stats.

I was very impressed with the damn wall and am cursing myself for not photographing the magnificent view I had of the damn dam wall when I went past it the other day.

Quite impressive, to say the least.

Great job, done under difficult and unpredictable conditions. Well done.

Thanks for the stats, although you missed a few like completion dates and budget over runs etc.
Noting like grandstanding with only 1/2 the facts. It’s like your media releases are written in a political style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=AU&hl=en-GB&v=AuJrEBtmM1Q

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