The innovation and skill of people from Hydro Tasmania and Entura has been recognised at the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards (AEEA) Tasmania 2016.

Hydro Tasmania won the Infrastructure Project category for its Rowallan Dam upgrade.

Meanwhile, Entura and Tasmanian Irrigation won the Control Systems, Networks, Information Processing and Telecommunications category for the Meander Dam integrated water management system.

The CEO of Hydro Tasmania, Steve Davy, said it’s pleasing to have the company’s hard work and skill recognised after a particularly challenging year.

“We take dam safety and maintenance extremely seriously, so it’s pleasing to see the quality of our investments and expertise recognised at the highest level,” Mr Davy said.

“As Australia’s leading producer of renewable energy, we’re determined to keep our assets strong and contemporary in the decades ahead.

“I’d like to recognise the contribution of Shaw Contracting, Hazell Bros, Entura and AECOM (previously URS Consulting) who partnered with us on the Rowallan project. It was the first time such a complex refurbishment had been conducted on a live dam in Australia,” he said.

The Rowallan Dam is a 43-metre high earth and rock-fill dam on the Mersey River in Tasmania’s north.

Its upgrade cost $13.4 million over three years, and was finished in 2015. It extended the dam’s lifespan by up to 150 years (having been constructed in the 1960s), and made it more resistant to flooding and internal erosion.

“It’s also fantastic to see Entura recognised for its service to Tasmanian irrigators,” Mr Davy said.

“Entura’s reputation for finding innovative and sustainable solutions to engineering problems continues to grow at a national and global level,” he said.

The Meander Dam integrated water management system was designed, developed and delivered by Entura. It provides accurate, reliable and easy-to-use information to help Tasmanian Irrigation effectively manage its Meander Dam water storage and associated hydropower facility in northern Tasmania.

The system allows Tasmanian irrigation to deliver supply certainty to water users while also optimising power production, and ensuring dam safety.

The Meander Dam is the centrepiece of the Meander Valley Irrigation Scheme - one of the largest irrigation schemes in Tasmania. The dam was completed in 2007 and holds 43 000 megalitres of water, supplying five irrigation regions servicing pasture and cropping land.

There’s more information about the integrated water management system on Entura’s website.

The Australian Engineering Excellence Awards are run by Engineers Australia and widely regarded as Australia’s top engineering awards. There’s more information at www.excellenceawards.org.au.

Ends.

Released for Hydro Tasmania by Rowan Dix, (03) 62305330 / 0409 722359 / media@hydro.com.au.