Construction continues for twin water reservoirs atop Wagga’s Willans Hill

May 06, 2020

One reservoir is already towering over central Wagga Wagga and construction on a second is well under way.

Riverina Water is constructing two 11-megalitre reservoirs on Willans Hill to provide safe and reliable water to the growing city well into the future.

Each reservoir is about 40m wide and 10m tall with a combined capacity of 22 million litres –nearly nine Olympic swimming pools’ worth of quality drinking water.

“Wagga and our wider region are growing and we have planned well to meet those needs through new infrastructure such as this,” Riverina Water Chairperson Councillor Greg Verdon said.

“There has extensive long-term planning and significant works to get to this stage, including on-site blasting to help remove 60,000 tonnes of dirt and rock.

“When complete, about 1300 cubic metres of concrete will have been used to build both reservoirs.”

While the new reservoirs are two of the largest recently constructed by Riverina Water, the open reservoir constructed in 1950s has a total capacity at 40ML.

Director Engineering Bede Spannagle said switching to tanks reduces issues such as leaking and evaporation with the ageing open reservoir.

“The new reservoirs are enclosed with an aluminium roof, which is a much more secure and efficient system,” he said.

“A combined capacity of 22ML allows water to be turned over more frequently and is more efficient than the old open reservoir.

“What we currently have is a large concrete pond that is exposed to wildlife and the sun, which also makes it costly to maintain due to using more chlorine.”

The two reservoirs at Willans Hill, and the Gleonoak 2 Reservoir completed in December last year, are part of a $5.5M package of works.

Work is continuing on the reservoirs based on advice from the NSW Government, with construction to be completed in August 2020.