Lock 5 reopened for traffic after river refurbishments

Boats, kayaks and all other River Murray vessels can once again safely navigate through Paringa’s Lock 5, following the completion of major maintenance works by SA Water.

Refurbishments to the 120-metre-long concrete structure included removing and resealing the hydraulic gates at each end of the lock, replacing internal valves that control water levels in the chamber and repairing sections of the concrete lock floor.

The site has been closed for access since late April, with the lock chamber required to be drained of its 8-million-litre capacity to safely allow works to be carried out.

SA Water’s Manager Engineering and Assets Nigel Rutherford said the upgrades will benefit the lock’s operation into the future.

“This has been the largest upgrade completed at Lock 5 in more than a decade, and to have the site reopened ahead of the busy summer period is a positive outcome for the hundreds of river users looking to traverse down the mighty River Murray over the coming months,” Nigel said.

“Given the popularity of the lock, we carefully planned the project to ensure it was strategically timed for completion during winter, to minimise disruption to the community where possible.

“The scope of works has been complex, with large, heavy-duty cranes required carefully lift the 18-tonne hydraulic gates out of the lock onto the adjacent construction laydown area for repairs.

“At the same time, our crews removed and replaced all 12 internal valve doors from the bottom of the lock chamber, with each valve weighing around 500 kilograms.

“With hydraulic gates reinstalled and given a comprehensive clean and repainting of protective coating, we commenced a slow and steady refill of water into the lock chamber, which took around 1 week in total to complete.

“We’d like to thank the community for their patience throughout the lock’s closure, while we completed these critical upgrades as quickly and safely as possible.

“This project has been delivered by our Maratala works crew, and I’d like to acknowledge their ongoing commitment and efforts put in to completing this important work”.

Public access to the Lock 5 grounds, including the historic Bunyip barge, remains temporarily closed while construction crews safely remove the project’s large construction machinery from site, with the area expected to reopen in late October.

On behalf of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, SA Water manages Locks 1 to 6 in South Australia as well as Lock 7 at Rufus River and Lock 8 at Wangumma in New South Wales, and Lock 9 at Kulnine in Victoria. The utility also operates barrages at Goolwa, Mundoo, Boundary Creek, Ewe Island and Tauwitchere.

For more information on SA Water’s network of locks and weirs, visit sawater.com.au.