Seaham Weir Refurbishment and Modification Project
We're upgrading Seaham Weir on the Williams River to improve safety, enable effective management of water flow, maintain the weir pool's water levels and improve fish passage.
About the Weir
The Seaham Weir is located on the Williams River, 600m north east of the Seaham township.
The Weir is more than 50 years old and consists of a rock weir, concrete spillway, flow control gates and a fishway. The Weir structure crosses the Williams River creating a large pool protected from tidal saline water. The Weir pool is an important freshwater source that feeds into Grahamstown Dam, providing drinking water to the communities of Newcastle and the Lower Hunter.
Project Objectives
The works will include:
- safety and compliance refurbishment of the existing weir gates
- installing four new low flow weir gates on the eastern side of the Weir to allow smaller releases of water when needed
- installing a new fishway on the eastern side of the Weir for improved fish passage both up and down the River.
This project is part of Hunter Water’s program to replace and upgrade water and wastewater-related assets across the Region. Hunter Water looks forward to continually improving the infrastructure that delivers quality outcomes for both the community and the environment in which we live.
Project Timeline
The general program of design and construction is follows:
- Refurbishment of existing gates: late August to December 2021
- Low flow gates and fishway design phase: August to November 2021
- Construction of low flow gates and fishway: November 2021 to July 2022
Frequently asked questions
FACT SHEET
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Contact us if you would like to learn more about the Seaham Weir Refurbishment and Modification Project.