WaterNSW has restored function to critical inlet infrastructure at Lake Brewster that was extensively damaged during major flooding in late 2022.
The emergency work at Lake Brewster received urgent priority due to the lake’s importance as both a major water storage on the lower Lachlan River, and a significant environmental site, being an important pelican breeding area.
WaterNSW crews working extended shifts successfully completed the most urgent repairs, including more than one kilometre of inlet channel, used to control water flow into the lake.
The work to date has allowed water to be received into the lake, assisting with water quality, supporting a major pelican breeding event currently taking place, and helping replenish losses due to evaporation.
WaterNSW dam safety experts have assessed the wider damage and confirmed that the lake can be safely filled to 79.5% of capacity until repairs to the rest of the embankments are complete.
The preliminary works at Lake Brewster are only the first in what will be an extensive rehabilitation process.
Initial investigations indicate that much of the embankment network at Lake Brewster has incurred some degree of damage, and aerial inspections continue in consultation with dam safety experts to better understand the scale of the repair project.
The initial phase of the work to restore function to the most critical infrastructure has been completed efficiently and safely in a co-ordinated approach, WaterNSW said.
The emergency work was not only urgently needed, it also occurred in a comparatively remote location and required resources and materials to reach a site that was itself still recovering from extensive flooding, and for which access has been restricted by flood-damaged road networks.
