Following further investigation, an alternate approach to the project has been identified that will minimise the impact on the community and reduce the size of the construction works.

The new approach will see a direct drilling of the wall to install the pipe required for dam drainage. This will significantly reduce the construction footprint and limit the need to remove any trees from the dam wall, subject to the final extent of boring works, while still achieving the same drainage outcome.

As a result, there will be no need to relocate and underground the overhead powerlines running through the reserve.

In 2021, a risk assessment was conducted by ENGENY Water Management on behalf of Banyule Council using the Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD) guidelines. The assessment concluded that the dam needed repair.

This project will restore the ageing dam wall structure to reduce water levels, relieve drainage, control potential stormwater surges and take water pressure off the existing dam wall.

Scope of works:

• Improve drainage to Pecks Dam
• Minimise the impact of construction works on the local environment
• Maintain the general look and aesthetic of this bushland setting
• Control risk associated with any future potential of dam wall failure

Impacts to residents:

• Access restrictions to the Reserve during construction may be experienced. Further updates and timelines will be made public as they become available.

Pecks Dam is a 1.04 hectare reserve that is part of a series of smaller reserves in Montmorency that form a habitat corridor. Its main attraction is the dam. It is a mix of conservation and recreation areas, and is managed by Banyule's Bushland Management Unit with assistance from local volunteers.

Water system

The dam is 664m2 and approximately 8m deep when full. Over the years it has been used for swimming, fishing, yabbying and boating.

In 2015, Banyule City Council and Melbourne Water completed a project that uses storm water as a rain garden. Rainwater is collected from the streets above the dam and is filtered through the garden. The goal is to replenish water to the dam, which has suffered from drought and water diversion in the past.

History

During the 1890s, the area was a favourite painting place for Heidelberg School artist Walter Withers.

The dam was dug out in the early 1900s to service the surrounding farmland. It is named after the Peck family who lived in a mud brick house next to the dam from the 1950s to the 1970s.

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