2003 – Increasing Storafe Capacity at Dartmouth Regulatory Dam with Fusegates: The Construction Stage

Bill Hakin, Peter Buchanan, Doug Connors, Darren Loidl

To allow greater flexibility in their generation and hence a better response to the peaks in electricity demand, Southern Hydro decided to increase the Full Supply Level of Dartmouth Regulatory Dam by 3.5m using labyrinth Fusegates.

The Regulating Dam is located on the Mitta Mitta River, approximately 8 km downstream of Dartmouth Dam. It is a 23 m high concrete gravity structure with a 60 m long central spillway section. The dam forms the storage required for regulating releases from the Dartmouth Power Station back to the Mitta Mitta River, so as to satisfy environmental requirements.

Although this is the second Fusegate project in Australia it is unique in that difficult access conditions determined that construction in mild steel would be the most appropriate. Initial civil works involved construction of a flat sill to replace the Ogee spillway crest so that it could support the Fusegates. The installation contractor devised an ingenious method for installing the huge structures over the top of the gate-house which blocks direct access to the spillway. Design was very much undertaken with the installation method in mind to ensure a high quality project with minimum contractual risk.

This paper discusses the construction stage of this very interesting spillway modification.

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