This is Yass Valley Council’s preferred option for securing a sustainable water supply for Yass. Initial investigations have determined that raising the dam wall by three metres is feasible, cost effective and would create additional storage of 1500 ML.

The estimated cost for construction is $8.8 million, while the total cost of the project would be around $13 million. This would cover additional requirements such as construction of a new Morton Avenue bridge, improvement of upstream fish passages, land acquisition and river riparian improvements.

Council has engaged the Department of Commerce to carry out the design, prepare tender documents and project manage the design phase. The target completion date remains December 2011, with land acquisitions and environmental issues considered to be the biggest threat to meeting this target.

Pipeline from ACT -

Although technically feasible, cross border issues and political barriers have meant the pipeline is no longer considered a realistic option in the short term.

Off river storage -

Because Yass Dam overflows regularly, another dam at a site three kilometres upstream of Yass dam could be built to harvest and store a proportion of the high flows in Yass River. Water would then be released back to Yass River during dry times. The proposed dam would store 450ML of water and would cost an estimated $8.5 million.

Council investigations indicate the cost/benefits of this project do not compare favourably with raising the Yass Dam wall.