The project began in March 2016. The $8.5 million upgrade is designed to ensure the long term safety and durability of the water supply of the southern Shoalhaven.

Shoalhaven Water director Carmel Krogh said she is proud of the completion of the project.

“The dam upgrade is a major milestone for Shoalhaven Water,” she said.

“It will ensure we have adequate water supply for the southern Shoalhaven in the future.”

Porters Creek Dam is 11 kilometres west of Lake Conjola in Morton National Park, and was engineered by Gutteridge Haskins and Davy and constructed by Leed Engineering and Construction.

The project consisted of 4500 cubic metres of concrete buttress, 25,000 man hours and 14 sub-contractors.

An investigation into the dam’s post tensioning cables indicated the long term future of the dam could not be guaranteed, with Shoalhaven City Council resolving the upgrade commence in 2016.

The quality of personnel involved in the project deserved a high level of praise said Ms Krogh.

“This dam project is as much about people as it is about engineering,” she said.

“Not only has this project brought together technical and complex inputs from great teams of people but has also been fascinating from an historical perspective.”

Ms Krogh pointed to a common link between the construction of Porters Creek Dam and the upgrade 50 years later.

“The original dam was constructed in 1967 by Shoalhaven Shire Council and was designed and supervised by the engineering firm Gutteridge Haskins and Davy (GHD),” she said.

“A young 17-year-old named Laurie Andrew started his working life at that time as a trainee surveyor on that dam project.

“Fifty years later GHD designed the upgrade and that same Laurie Andrew works for Shoalhaven City Council and acted as council’s site supervisor for the upgrade”. 

As part of the dam upgrade, 3.6 kilometres of Porters Creek Road was also sealed.

A time capsule has also been installed with newspapers and material from Ulladulla High School students, to be opened in 2067.