Hydro Tasmania has completed a $16million upgrade of the spillway gates at Meadowbank Dam in the Central Highlands.
The newly upgraded crest gates have seen extreme rainfall over the last few weeks and have performed well and as expected in these weather conditions.
The gates will allow Hydro Tasmania to better manage water levels for lake users and power station operations.
The works were carried out over two summers and Community Engagement Advisor Jane Alpine thanked local residents for their engagement with the project team.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support the community has shown us as we completed this critical work,” said Alpine.
“We know how important Lake Meadowbank is to the community. It offers something for everyone, from supporting key agriculture and tourism businesses to providing summer fun for the whole family.”
At Lake Meadowbank, the dam’s spillway is automatically controlled by two crest gates that sit on top of the dam wall.
The upgrade replaced the 20 4.2-tonne hydraulic cylinders that keep these hardworking gates moving with new lighter models from Europe.
After consulting with the community, the upgrades were split into two stages to minimise disruption during peak holiday and irrigation periods.
Works were also carried out with the water level as high as safely possible to lessen the impact on lake users.
“Doing the upgrades with the water level higher than usual meant we got a shower or two but we knew it was important for the community to be able to use the lake over summer,” said Hydro Tasmania Project Manager Andrew Rumsby.
As a gesture of thanks to the broader community, Hydro Tasmania contributed to the recently upgraded Dunrobin Park, including the installation of visitor interpretation.
The works are part of Hydro Tasmania’s $1.6 billion program of upgrades to optimise and modernise its hydropower network over the next 10 years.
