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Dunedin City Council Dam Safety Projects

Dams are large-scale infrastructure that, by their nature, are designed with safety as the highest priority. While dams offer benefits including flood control, drinking water, irrigation supply, recreation, and power generation, it¡¯s important to be able to access consistent information about each dam within a portfolio. As Dam Safety Technical Advisor for a group of nine dams in the Dunedin region, we provide site inspections and reporting through the Dunedin City Council¡¯s Dam Safety Assurance Programme. Previously, we addressed several information gaps and requirements in the New Zealand Society on Large Dams guidelines for the Council¡¯s raw water supply dams and reservoirs.

Our range of services included drone and topographical surveys, geotechnical investigations and analysis, and flood and dam-breach studies. We also provided seismic hazard and performance assessments, dam safety documentation, and onsite monitoring of repairs and maintenance. Additionally, we developed emergency action plans and operations maintenance and surveillance manuals. From our surveys and investigations, we recommended specific dam safety project tasks or improvements. ?

A challenge when working with dams and reservoirs is that no two are the same. However, dams all require a level of inspection, assessment, maintenance, documentation and planning to provide consistent information and ongoing dam safety assurance. We¡¯ve helped the Council gain thorough and reliable knowledge about their dams to ensure they remain safe and functional for future use in supplying water to Dunedin.