Paradise Dam Improvement Project – Earlier Works

Earlier Works

2013-2014 works

A Dam Safety Review and Comprehensive Risk Assessment at Paradise Dam was conducted following a record flood event in January 2013. Engineering assessments identified areas of the dam that could be future strengthened to withstand extreme weather events.

Stage 1 of works included:

• strengthening and additional concrete protection to the base of the primary spillway
• downstream protection of the left-hand side dam wall
• construction of an access and drainage culvert.

Works milestones

• Flood repair works carried out in 2013 and 2014
• Further improvement works completed in mid-2017.

Essential Works

The Essential Works, which reduced pressure on the dam wall in the case of a significant flood event, were a short-term risk reduction measure while a longer-term dam remediation plan was confirmed.

These works reduced the risk of dam failure to a 1 in 5000-year event. Prior to the works, the dam failure risk was a 1 in 200-year event, such as the community experienced in 2013.

Preparation activities for the Essential Works commenced in April 2020 and lowering of the spillway commenced in May 2020 and was completed in September 2020, with final pours for the spillway’s concrete crest completed at the end of January 2021.

The final ancillary activities for the Essential Works were completed in early-2022.