Dam wave fear

By Dion Teasdale
HEALESVILLE and Yarra Glen residents could be wiped out by a 100-metre tsunami-like wave, a local businessman has warned.
The wave of water could be unleashed on the Yarra Valley if the dam wall at the Maroondah Reservoir, east of Healesville, bursts, according to Maroondah View Motel owner Rob O’Connor.
Mr O’Connor, who has 40 years of experience working as a concrete construction and dam inspector, said he feared the Maroondah dam wall was not structurally sound.
“The dam was completed in 1920 and was only meant to last 40 years. It was extended upwards in the 1970s and it has not been properly upgraded since,” he said.
“There are leaks on the wall and plants growing out of the cracks in its surface. If it bursts, the populations of Healesville and Yarra Glen will be wiped out.”
Mr O’Connor said that despite numerous phone calls to Melbourne Water and the office of Environment Minister John Thwaites over the past six months, he had yet to be assured of the structural integrity of the wall.
“I lie in bed at night wondering if the wall might break. Is it safe? Who is monitoring it? Do we need to be afraid? Do the people of the valley need an evacuation plan?” he said.
Mr O’Connor said the extension to the dam wall in the 1970s was not structurally sound and that the wall needed to be assessed and reinforced as a priority.
“The dam doesn’t ever fill to capacity because the extension to the wall in the 1970s is not secure,” he said.
“I’ve been asking this question – why does the spillway open when the dam is only half full? It’s because the wall isn’t strong enough to handle that volume of water.”
However, a spokesman for Mr Thwaites strenuously defended the integrity and safety of the dam wall.
“The Maroondah Reservoir wall is maintained to above Australian standards,” he said.
“In recent decades, major work has been undertaken to strengthen and reinforce the wall.
“Melbourne Water does not have any concerns about the dam’s structural integrity,” he said.
Mr O’Connor said he did not take much comfort in the Government’s assurances.
“The Government is like an emu with its head buried in the sand and is behaving like every government before it,” he said.
“It has inherited this problem and it isn’t looking at it with the full attention it deserves.
“The Government needs to sit up and place the welfare of people living in the Yarra Valley first.”
Mr O’Connor said he became concerned about the dam wall after noticing the deterioration of the surrounding park and toilet and kiosk facilities.
“I started looking into lease arrangements on the kiosk at the park three years ago, and in that time I’ve seen the park, like the dam wall, suffer from neglect,” he said.
“The dam and the park are over 80 years old and they are going to waste.
“Unless something serious is done to improve the dam wall and upgrade and maintain the park, the next step will be to close it down.”
Mr O’Connor said he is concerned residents in the Yarra Valley have taken the safety of the dam wall for granted.
“It is time for the people of Healesville and Yarra Glen to start asking questions and start seeking assurances from the Government,” he said.
“We need the Government to show us what plans it has for the ensuring the safety of the dam and the ongoing life of the surrounding park.”
Mr O’Connor urged anyone interested in forming a “Future of the Park” group to contact him on 5962 4154.