Are you curious about Canberra’s new dam? Would you like to watch the enlargement of Cotter Dam as it takes shape? Then visit ACTEW Corporation’s website for a window into the ACT’s biggest construction project.
ACTEW Managing Director Mark Sullivan today announced a new initiative: a ‘time lapse’ camera which captures daily action at the Cotter Dam worksite and makes it available to the public via ACTEW’s website.
“This new tool gives everyone in our community access to witness the spectacle that is dam building. You can see the grandeur, scope and rapid pace of the work that is happening to secure our water supply – without even leaving your home or office,” said Mr Sullivan.
“The pictures give a real feel for the daily conditions and atmosphere at the site and how rapidly it changes. You can see the engineers, constructors and machinery at work each day – up to 60 vehicles and 250 people will work to build the new dam over the life of the project, so it’s quite an amazing sight,” he said.
The landscape of the Cotter has changed dramatically since work began in November 2009. The embankment has been cleared, a rock crushing plant has been installed and work has begun on two subsidiary dams, called saddle dams, that will stop water escaping over low points around the perimeter of the reservoir.
Local documentary maker Richard Snashall has been capturing the work in detail since the dam project began in 2008. The time lapse camera images, along with Mr Snashall’s portfolio of documentaries, will capture the entire dam building process from beginning to end, including the environment, heritage and people that characterise the dam.
”The Enlarged Cotter Dam can be seen at face value as a remarkable construction project,” Mr Snashall explained, “however there are many layers to this story that I am attempting to capture and convey through our YouTube documentaries.”
“These stories reach back to the Indigenous history and beginnings of Canberra, then progress on to the vision, construction and environmental work that is happening right now,” he continued.
“Underpinning everything are the people stories, so my hope is that these films will live on as a comprehensive archive of the project and the Cotter Precinct,” Mr Snashall said.
Mr Sullivan said these two initiatives were developed in response to community feedback, which told ACTEW that the community wanted to be involved in the dam project as it happened.
“People told us they wanted to be included along the way – to understand what is involved, to see the new dam wall being raised and, eventually, the old dam being inundated,” he said.
Mr Sullivan encouraged anyone with an interest in the ACT’s biggest engineering project or the region’s water security to visit ACTEW’s website at www.actew.com.au and see the
time lapse photos and documentaries.
From August, there will be access to view the worksite directly from the Cotter Precinct, when the Cotter Dam discovery trail and viewing platform will open to the public.
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