Community update at Inverell meeting tomorrow on Copeton Dam upgrade

Representatives from State Water will hold a meeting in Inverell tomorrow to update the community on the $60 million Copeton Dam safety upgrade.
Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay welcomed the initiative to ensure the community is well informed about the progress of the project.
“By any standard it is a major upgrade and given the significance of Copeton Dam to the region it is good to see that the detailed planning stage is now complete.
“Tomorrow’s meeting will provide an outline of how the upgrade will progress when work starts in March next year.
“It’s pleasing to see many local subcontractors, suppliers and retailers in the Inverell and surrounding region will be engaged in the project during the construction phase.”
The upgrade includes construction of a fuse-plug spillway at Diamond Bay to enable the dam can withstand an extreme flood.
Already, work is underway to relocate the Copeton Waters State Recreation Park to make way for the new spillway
The work is scheduled to be completed by December to ensure the community will not lose recreation space during the construction phase.
“It’s important to ensure critical infrastructure like Copeton Dam meets the new safety standards, and I’m pleased to see this major upgrade progress,” Mr Torbay said.
“I also welcome the efforts of State Water to keep the dam open for recreation during construction wherever possible,although there may be some times where access near the dam wall will be limited for public safety.”