CONSTRUCTION of the new Apex Road reservoir remain on schedule according to Gunnedah Shire Council (GSC).
Beginning in late January, works to the new $2.5 million four-megalitre reservoir have included excavation, the construction of a new retaining wall and concreting works.
GSC acting director of infrastructure services Dan Noble told The Namoi Valley Independent the project was still on schedule for completion in October this year.
“We did have some issues early on with certification of the soil and just making sure it was clean and could be reused,” Mr Noble said.
“We managed our way through that and so we are on target for completion in early October of this year.”
Mr Noble said most of the current works to the project revolve around concreting.
“The retaining wall is 100 per cent complete now and the bulk earthworks have been completed also,” he said.
“So we now have a contractor constructing the blinding layer of concrete which sits underneath the base slab for the new tank and the ring beam comes in after that.
“So really there is a lot of concrete coming up here at the moment.”
The acting director said the site’s retaining wall was one of the largest in the region.
“We are pretty proud of the retaining wall I must admit,” he said.
“The structural engineers out of Tamworth tell us it’s probably the second largest retaining wall in the region of that type.
“By spending that little bit of extra money on that retaining wall it will allow us to easily and better monitor the new reservoir throughout its 80-to-100-year design life.”
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The region’s recent dry conditions have aided the progress of the project but have created dust issues for nearby residents.
“We have had a few little issues with dust throughout the project,” Mr Noble said.
“We have been aware of our residents up here and we are trying to keep them in the loop with the progress of the works and the contractor has been very proactive in trying to manage those issues.
“I am pretty happy to say that they have been managed well to date.”
Mr Noble said it was unlikely weather would impact the projects progress going forward.
“I think we are probably past most of the unknowns now,” he said.
“The bulk of the earthworks was probably were most of the unknowns were and we are pretty confident our contractor now can continue to push ahead with the building of the walls and the new tank and establishing the site.”
The cost of $2.5 million will be covered by GSC from their water budgets.
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
