Kris Croft: Waimea Community Dam progress

This three year project is eight months into construction. The $104.4M project is delivered by Fulton Hogan and Taylors Contracting in a joint venture on behalf of Waimea Water Ltd a joint venture between Tasman District Council and Waimea Irrigators. The dam, 30km South West of Nelson, was conceived after multiple droughts in the region over the past 15 years which put severe pressure on the local community and businesses, including horticulture and agriculture. The project will involve over 100 people working across several specialist areas.

The photograph shows the project team working on the foundation treatment of the dam plinth. The construction process involves excavation to sound rock level, cleaning of rock to remove all loose material and any traces of dirt, removal of clay seams and defects, geo-mapping and a stringent sign off process by the designer. Following the release of the foundation rock dental concrete and grout is placed in any identified rock defects. Once all defects are treated the placement of site concrete can commence, followed by the installation of rock anchors and the construction of the reinforced concrete plinth and waterstops.

Bespoke in-house-designed climbing formwork at the Waimea Community Dam

The plinth is a 7m wide and 300m long concrete structure which provides the watertight seal between the dam face and the dam foundation. This challenging scope of work is greatly increased by being located on a 55% gradient. In this photo, the team are placing the site concrete (up to 500mm thick) using a custom designed and build top shutter and the new GTC1200 Mantis Crane.