Emu Swamp Dam – Severn River Queensland

The proposed Emu Swamp Dam would provide a potential 10,500 megalitre urban and irrigation water supply from the Severn River. GeoDrill Australia was engaged to carry out a preliminary site investigation and packer testing requiring HQ & NQ holes drilled at 65-degree inclination up to 70m deep.

Challenge
The scope of work was undertaken in remote dense forest with strict environmental requirements. The geology consisted of fresh granite from surface, with an underground fault visually identifiable at ground level. Extreme water loss during the coring process created significant challenges combined with weather conditions that varied from -7 degrees freezing overnight to bushfire hazards during the days.

Solution
GeoDrill Australia utilised a Comacchio GEO 405 to minimise the footprint (1.7m wide x 5.8m long) to navigate through dense forest and outcropping granite. Drilling HQ from surface then reaming HWT casing to target depth. A triple packer system was used to isolate fractured zones to test permeability for the proposed dam. A wire line televiewer was then utilised to carry out surveys.

The GeoDrill Australia team worked closely with the supervising engineering consultant & local fire brigade ensuring that the safety of everyone was not compromised during the bushfire threat.

‍