Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, already has one new reservoir and construction on a second is well under way.
Riverina Water is constructing two 11 mega litre reservoirs on Willans Hill to provide safe and reliable water to the growing city well into the future.
Each reservoir is about 40m wide and 10m tall with a combined capacity of 22 million litres – nearly nine Olympic swimming pools’ worth of quality drinking water.
Riverina Water Chairperson, Councillor Greg Verdon, said, “Wagga and our wider region are growing and we have planned well to meet those needs through new infrastructure such as this.
“There has been extensive long-term planning and significant works to get to this stage, including on-site blasting to help remove 60,000 tonnes of dirt and rock.
“When complete, about 1300 cubic metres of concrete will have been used to build both reservoirs.”
While the new reservoirs are two of the largest recently
constructed by Riverina
Water, the open reservoir constructed in 1950s has a total capacity at 40ML.
Director Engineering, Bede Spannagle said switching to tanks reduces issues such as leaking and evaporation with the ageing open reservoir.
“The new reservoirs are enclosed with an aluminium roof, which is a much more secure and efficient system.
“A combined capacity of 22ML allows water to be turned over more frequently and is more efficient than the old open reservoir.
“What we currently have is a large concrete pond that is exposed to wildlife and the sun, which also makes it costly to maintain due to using more chlorine.”
The two reservoirs at Willans Hill, due for completion in August 2020, and the Gleonoak 2 Reservoir completed in December last year, are part of a $5.5 million package of works.
