Winter rains send reservoir relic back to the depths

Winter rainfall has re-submerged the historic Batchelor's Bridge in the Kangaroo Creek Reservoir, after it was temporarily revealed during a planned emptying of the Adelaide Hills water storage earlier in the year.

Kangaroo Creek is now at around four per cent of capacity - or around 680-million-litres - as natural inflow gradually begins to refill the reservoir.

The mostly-intact Batchelor's Bridge was one of six built in the area between 1912 and 1925, around 40 years prior to construction of the dam.

SA Water's General Manager of Asset Operations and Delivery Mark Gobbie said the rare sight of the bridge attracted unprecedented public interest.

"We estimate around 10,000 people travelled to the look-out on nearby Gorge Road over the three to four months the bridge was visible - everyone from infrastructure enthusiasts to history buffs to descendants of those who built the bridge," Mark said.

"The picturesque natural surroundings at Kangaroo Creek and the sheer size of the dam already make it a popular tourist destination, but it was impressive to see how many people took the opportunity to see a piece of South Australia's history, while they still could."

The 28.8 metre-long bridge was built to convey Gorge Road users across the Torrens, but was abandoned in 1966, just prior to construction of Kangaroo Creek, with the road's current alignment built higher into the mountain side.

"Bringing the dam to zero per cent of capacity this year allowed our contractors to work on a 10,500 square-metre concrete slab on the upstream face of the embankment," Mark said.

"As the water level rises again, crews will work on the other side of the embankment, widening its base with 180,000 of the 300,000 cubic metres of rock blasted from the dam spillway.

"It may take another year or so for the reservoir to naturally refill to pre-emptying levels, but until then, the flexibility of our water network means customers usually provided drinking water from Kangaroo Creek can be supplied through another part of the system."

The $94 million Kangaroo Creek Dam safety upgrade began in early 2016 and is on track for completion in late 2019. The upgrade will help SA Water better manage any major floods and increase the dam's ability to withstand earthquakes, aligning it with updated safety guidelines set by the Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD).

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