SMEC and EMM Consulting have been appointed by WaterNSW to support the delivery of the Dungowan and Mole River Dam projects. Both projects have been fast-tracked as critical state significant infrastructure to improve water security and flood resilience, and will be led and delivered by WaterNSW.
The Dungowan Dam project scope includes the replacement of the current dam with a larger dam that will significantly improve water availability and security for the Peel Valley, which includes the regional city of Tamworth and its surrounding townships.
This project has been highly anticipated by the local community and will secure additional water for town water supply and agricultural use; a vital WaterNSW initiative in supporting the long-term development of this drought affected region.
SMEC has also been engaged by WaterNSW to undertake the planning and design development for the business case of the proposed Mole River Dam, located in the Border Rivers catchment on the New South Wales and Queensland border. The dam is anticipated to be able to provide increased water security for the community, agriculture and the environment.
SMEC and EMM have a strong partnership and are currently working together on the Snowy Hydro Scheme Expansion Project, known as Snowy 2.0.
“Learnings from our work on the multi-billion dollar Snowy 2.0 will be applied to the WaterNSW Dungowan and Mole River Dam projects and provide direct benefits to communities across New South Wales. These projects are an important part of Australia’s future ability to build resilience, safeguard water security and improve flood management,” said James Phillis, SMEC’s Chief Executive Officer, Australia & New Zealand. “We’re proud to be supporting WaterNSW and all stakeholders, including local Aboriginal partners and organisations, to successfully deliver these critical infrastructure projects.”
EMM’s Managing Director and CEO Luke Stewart added “Our team’s preliminary involvement on both sites has enabled an intimate background knowledge on the identification of key issues, risks, solutions and opportunities. We are thrilled to be leading the environmental and planning consulting services, partnering with SMEC’s specialist engineering team to provide integrated delivery of the engineering and environmental outputs.”