Warren Reservoir valve upgrade

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Warren Reservoir, located south of Williamstown in the Barossa Valley, was constructed in 1914 and plays a key role in supplying drinking water to the local community through the Barossa Water Treatment Plant system, along with irrigation water to some growers in the area.

In addition to its water supply function, the Warren Reservoir Reserve is one of several reservoirs open for recreation, promoting the health and wellbeing of active, thriving communities while continuing to provide safe, reliable and affordable water services.

Within the reservoir and its surrounding reserve, visitors are now able to enjoy different recreational activities including bushwalking, picnicking, mountain biking, fishing, and kayaking. A well-established fish stocking program that is run with the ongoing support of RecFish SA has resulted in the creation of a highly popular recreational fishery, with many thousands of people visiting the reservoir each year to partake in this popular pastime.


Warren and South Para Reservoir Reserves



Reservoir upgrade project

Warren Reservoir continues to perform well since its original construction construction, however the intake and scour valves located in the dam wall have reached the end of their useful life and require upgrading.

To enable this proposed upgrade to be undertaken, the reservoir’s water level must be temporarily lowered to close to zero per cent capacity during the works. Bringing the water down this low will enable the works to be completed safely and efficiently, ensuring the reservoir can return to full operational capacity as quickly as possible. While the reservoir is temporarily empty, we’ll also be performing a detailed investigation of the structures that are normally underwater, to help inform our understanding of the dam as part of our long-term dam safety upgrade program.


Managing environmental impacts during construction

During construction, the reservoir will be drained with potentially only a few residual water pools remaining. Flora and fauna assessments have been undertaken to understand the species surrounding the construction footprint of the reservoir outlet upgrade. We do not anticipate any significant impacts to vegetation around or within the reservoir while these works are underway.

We appreciate the importance of Warren Reservoir as a recreational fishery for the community and will be working with key stakeholders to minimise any potential impacts. This program of work includes fish monitoring, water quality modelling, fish relocation, as well as fish stocking once the reservoir is again operational.

Understanding the number of fish in the reservoir will allow us to predict oxygen levels in the remaining water while it is being drained. This will then influence how we can operate the reservoir that will help minimise additional stress or potential loss to the population before native species such as Murray cod, Silver perch and Golden perch (calloup) can be safely relocated to nearby South Para Reservoir.

Throughout this relocation phase, we will also take the opportunity to remove noxious species such as carp and redfin and seek to provide them to fish markets or suppliers who make products such as fertilisers.

Following the completion of the upgrade, once the water levels have returned to normal, we will re-stock the reservoir with a large number of native fish and again seek to return the reservoir to the excellent recreational fishery that it is today.


Community involvement

We have been working closely with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) alongside RecFish SA and their members to undertake a fish population study in the reservoir. This partnership will help us inform how and when the fish can be safely relocated to South Para Reservoir.

Engagement with these key stakeholders also involves the establishment of a working group to create opportunities for an integrated and collaborative approach to ongoing recreational fishery management at the Warren Reservoir. We will continue to engage with them and have recently held community sessions to discuss our plans with the wider public.


Current status, updates and next steps

On-water access at Warren Reservoir reopened to the public in early October 2023 and is teeming with 20,000 native fish, following the completion of our project to refurbish the dam’s intake and scour valves. Visitors to the reservoir reserve are now able to again enjoy a paddle on the water, along with access to the northern car park and kayak launch area.

While the original scope of works was anticipated for the valves to be replaced, once the reservoir was drained, we determined the valves could be returned to full functionality with some refurbishment of the valve opening and closing mechanisms, which still ensures the dam can continue safely operating for the foreseeable future.

Warren is one of the next dams under consideration as part of our long-term upgrade program, with the data from our study informing potential design options for this dam. While these investigations are underway, public access to the western section of the reserve will remain closed until late November 2023.





Warren Reservoir’s dam has also revealed a piece of local history, following a tip off from the local Williamstown & Districts Historical Society that it may still be intact, the Second South Para Bridge emerged from the water’s depths for the first time since the reservoir was initially filled more than 100 years ago.

Built in 1890, the 20-metre-long bridge provided a shorter crossing over the South Para River within the original family property of the reservoir’s namesake – John Warren.



Warren Reservoir, located south of Williamstown in the Barossa Valley, was constructed in 1914 and plays a key role in supplying drinking water to the local community through the Barossa Water Treatment Plant system, along with irrigation water to some growers in the area.

In addition to its water supply function, the Warren Reservoir Reserve is one of several reservoirs open for recreation, promoting the health and wellbeing of active, thriving communities while continuing to provide safe, reliable and affordable water services.

Within the reservoir and its surrounding reserve, visitors are now able to enjoy different recreational activities including bushwalking, picnicking, mountain biking, fishing, and kayaking. A well-established fish stocking program that is run with the ongoing support of RecFish SA has resulted in the creation of a highly popular recreational fishery, with many thousands of people visiting the reservoir each year to partake in this popular pastime.


Warren and South Para Reservoir Reserves



Reservoir upgrade project

Warren Reservoir continues to perform well since its original construction construction, however the intake and scour valves located in the dam wall have reached the end of their useful life and require upgrading.

To enable this proposed upgrade to be undertaken, the reservoir’s water level must be temporarily lowered to close to zero per cent capacity during the works. Bringing the water down this low will enable the works to be completed safely and efficiently, ensuring the reservoir can return to full operational capacity as quickly as possible. While the reservoir is temporarily empty, we’ll also be performing a detailed investigation of the structures that are normally underwater, to help inform our understanding of the dam as part of our long-term dam safety upgrade program.


Managing environmental impacts during construction

During construction, the reservoir will be drained with potentially only a few residual water pools remaining. Flora and fauna assessments have been undertaken to understand the species surrounding the construction footprint of the reservoir outlet upgrade. We do not anticipate any significant impacts to vegetation around or within the reservoir while these works are underway.

We appreciate the importance of Warren Reservoir as a recreational fishery for the community and will be working with key stakeholders to minimise any potential impacts. This program of work includes fish monitoring, water quality modelling, fish relocation, as well as fish stocking once the reservoir is again operational.

Understanding the number of fish in the reservoir will allow us to predict oxygen levels in the remaining water while it is being drained. This will then influence how we can operate the reservoir that will help minimise additional stress or potential loss to the population before native species such as Murray cod, Silver perch and Golden perch (calloup) can be safely relocated to nearby South Para Reservoir.

Throughout this relocation phase, we will also take the opportunity to remove noxious species such as carp and redfin and seek to provide them to fish markets or suppliers who make products such as fertilisers.

Following the completion of the upgrade, once the water levels have returned to normal, we will re-stock the reservoir with a large number of native fish and again seek to return the reservoir to the excellent recreational fishery that it is today.


Community involvement

We have been working closely with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) alongside RecFish SA and their members to undertake a fish population study in the reservoir. This partnership will help us inform how and when the fish can be safely relocated to South Para Reservoir.

Engagement with these key stakeholders also involves the establishment of a working group to create opportunities for an integrated and collaborative approach to ongoing recreational fishery management at the Warren Reservoir. We will continue to engage with them and have recently held community sessions to discuss our plans with the wider public.


Current status, updates and next steps

On-water access at Warren Reservoir reopened to the public in early October 2023 and is teeming with 20,000 native fish, following the completion of our project to refurbish the dam’s intake and scour valves. Visitors to the reservoir reserve are now able to again enjoy a paddle on the water, along with access to the northern car park and kayak launch area.

While the original scope of works was anticipated for the valves to be replaced, once the reservoir was drained, we determined the valves could be returned to full functionality with some refurbishment of the valve opening and closing mechanisms, which still ensures the dam can continue safely operating for the foreseeable future.

Warren is one of the next dams under consideration as part of our long-term upgrade program, with the data from our study informing potential design options for this dam. While these investigations are underway, public access to the western section of the reserve will remain closed until late November 2023.





Warren Reservoir’s dam has also revealed a piece of local history, following a tip off from the local Williamstown & Districts Historical Society that it may still be intact, the Second South Para Bridge emerged from the water’s depths for the first time since the reservoir was initially filled more than 100 years ago.

Built in 1890, the 20-metre-long bridge provided a shorter crossing over the South Para River within the original family property of the reservoir’s namesake – John Warren.



Page last updated: 06 Oct 2023, 07:32 AM