AN $18 million upgrade of Leslie Harrison Dam to secure Redland City's water supply has been completed three months ahead of schedule.
"Leslie Harrison Dam provides around 25 per cent of the Redland City water supply and is an important asset for this growing community,'' Member for Capalaba Don Brown said.
"This is the first major upgrade of the dam in more than 30 years and will enable it to better withstand extreme weather events.
"The dam was built in the 1960s, to '60s engineering and safety standards. Since then there have been significant advances in dam design and a greater understanding of the impact of extreme weather events.
"When the dam was built, the population of the Redlands was just 12,500 people. Today it is close to 150,000, so it's great to see the Palaszczuk Government making this kind of investment in the region's water supply," Mr Brown said.
Natural Resources Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said the dam transformed to meet modern standards in line with Seqwater's Dam Improvement Program.
Dr Lynham told State Parliament this morning that the project would provide 59 fulltime jobs.
"This is just part of the Palaszczuk Government's $863 million commitment to water infrastructure since December 2017, that has created 1643 jobs for Queenslanders.''
As part of the upgrade, the dam wall was strengthened and widened to make it more resilient to extreme floods and extreme events, while the concrete spillway was anchored into the bedrock to increase resilience.
Seqwater engaged with the community to provide information about the project and seek feedback on proposed construction traffic routes.
"Following extensive consultation with the local community, we constructed a temporary 'military-style' bridge - similar to those used globally for humanitarian emergencies - over Tingalpa Creek to allow site access while keeping the majority of construction traffic off local streets," Seqwater CEO Neil Brennan said.
"The temporary bridge also reduced the environmental impacts associated with the creek crossing and helped carry more than 14,000 loads of construction materials to the site.''
The upgrade began in June 2018. Over the next two months Seqwater will complete restoration works and remove equipment and temporary infrastructure, including the bridge.
Seqwater will hold community days on June 15-16 for tours of the upgrade woks. Registrations can be made through the Seqwater website.
Editors please note: Images, including stills, timelapse and drone footage of the dam is available at https://bit.ly/2VBjYXv
