PROJECT
Cressbrook Dam
Toowoomba Regional Council's Cressbrook Dam was upgraded to be upgraded to meet the requirements of the Guidelines of Acceptable Flood Capacity (AFC) for Dams (ANCOLD 2000), to improve the dam's ability to withstand extreme events. The project included the planning, procurement and delivery of the works, completed late 2025.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Location
Toowoomba, Queensland
Client
Toowoomba Regional Council
Project Value
$250 - $300 million
Contract Period
2022 - 2025
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) carried out a project to improve dam safety at Cressbrook Dam. The safety upgrades were to meet the Dam Safety Condition Schedule issued by the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water (DRDMW), which requires Council, as the owner of the dams, undertake appropriate works to meet the requirements of the Guidelines of Acceptable Flood Capacity (AFC) for Dams (ANCOLD 2000). Council was required to undertake and complete the minimum safety upgrade works by October 2025.
The project improved the long-term viability of the dam assets so that they could continue to:
- Safely pass excess volumes of water during periods of extreme rainfall.
- Meet modern engineering design standards
- Improve community safety and water supply security
- Comply with the safety requirements set out in the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 (Qld).
The project aimed to deliver the upgrades without impacting the security of the drinking water supply.
CPM was engaged to provide variety of roles to manage the planning, procurement and delivery phases for Cressbrook Dam Safety Upgrade. These roles included Project Director, Project Manager, Design Interface Manager, Project Engineer, Constructability Advisor, Project Advisor and Project Administration.
The CPM team supported TRC through each phase of the project to ensure the selection of the delivery model met the key risks for the project and ensuring that the project met the value for money objectives set by Council.
CPM SCOPE OF WORK
CPM was engaged to manage and lead the scope development, contractor selection from tender through to award and subsequently ensure works were executed in accordance with the contract requirement.
Activities included:
- Program and Project Management requirements
- Design management of a number of consultants, managing RFIs, technical scope development and day-to-day contract management
- Development of strategic procurement strategy that managed the program and project risk and ensured value-for-money outcomes for the client
- Stakeholder engagement, including relevant Shareholding Minister Departments, Local Governments, residents, and businesses
- Project controls - scheduling, budget control, risk management and reporting
- Investigated all necessary statutory approvals and work through the approval pathways
- Delivery of the project in line with Toowoomba Regional Council's project governance requirements.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
- Although there were significant time constraints for delivery, whilst still in the early planning phase opportunities to undertaken works in parallel are being investigated to minimise activities in later stages. e.g. undertake non-sacrificial work in the early planning phase that is required in future phases of delivery.
- Early stakeholder engagement was undertaken to facilitate with the relevant approvals.
- Identification of a delivery model which would facilitate the time constraints on the project and manage the risk profile for Council.
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