Leaky dam to be decommissioned

A LEAKY dam in Torquay North will be decommissioned after Southern Rural Water (SRW) refused an application to retain it.

About 100 residents from Pintail Drive, Druids Glen, Lowtide Drive, and Cosy Avenue were evacuated from their houses for two days in early October 2020 after water from the dam flooded the backyards of three nearby properties.

There have been interim arrangements to manage the 171-megalitre dam at 1075 Horseshoe Bend Road since then, and SRW issued a notice of contravention under the Water Act in March to the owner for not having a licence.

The owner then applied for a licence in April, which was assessed in August by an independent panel of experts.

The panel received written and verbal submissions from the dam owner, who was represented by senior legal counsel and an experienced dam safety engineer, as well as local residents.

Handing down its findings on September 30, the panel found the safety of the dam in its existing configuration could not be demonstrated.

As a result, SRW refused to grant the application made by the dam owner on October 21 and issued legal notices requiring the dam’s water height to be reduced to ground level and the dam’s walls decommissioned to avoid any future public safety risk.

“That doesn’t mean it’s an unsafe dam now, it means the work hasn’t been done to demonstrate that it is safe, so on that basis, it can’t be licensed,” SRW managing director Cameron FitzGerald said.

He said there were different ways to manage the water level of an urban dam.

“The key issue is that it’s all about the risk, and proximity to households clearly changes the risk profile.

“The independent panel did conclude that, in their opinion, the engineering controls that might need to be added to the dam would likely be pretty expensive.”

Mr FitzGerald held a meeting on October 21 with a committee representing people affected by the leak to update them on the latest developments.

“They were appreciative of both the process and the outcome,” Mr FitzGerald said.

“For me, as an independent statutory authority, we need to demonstrate a good and open and accountable process, and I think we’ve made sure that everybody had the opportunity to have their view aired and considered; I think the independent panel did a great job of that.”

The owner has the right to appeal the decision at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, but Mr FitzGerald said he was unsure if the owner would do so.

For more information, including the independent panel’s full report, head to Southern Rural Water’s website.