To meet current safety standards, the dam will need be raised and extended within the reserve. The spillway also needs to be replaced and constructed out of concrete to ensure safe operation. Once complete, the dam bund will extend past the carpark on Pedlar Street, on the Mount View Road edges of the reserve, and the overall height will be raised by up to 2.6 metres.
The upgraded dam is designed to manage stormwater during a 100 year storm event and safely manage flows beyond this. Water will only pond in the reserve in large events and will not fill higher than the ground level of surrounding properties.
As part of the work to rebuild the dam, Council’s Sports, Recreation and Environment team have been considering ways to enhance the reserve while the rebuild is taking place. Those considerations include removal of exotic or pest plant species and planting more natives, extra drainage for sportsfields, restoration of wetland areas, upgrades to nearby play spaces and new connections to existing shared paths to better connect nearby residential areas.
During construction, access to parts of the reserve will be restricted to ensure the safety of the public. Large vehicles and machinery will need to enter and exit the park via Nairn Road. This route uses the least local roads with the fewest directly affected properties. Signage and traffic management will be in place during the construction period.
The carpark at Pedlar Street will also be used for site management buildings during the construction period.