A photograph of the Barron River near Barron Gorge Power Station. The river is dotted with rocks and trees.

Kuranda Weir Recovery Project

Published: 07 February 2024

Updated: 21 January 2026

Project earns recognition from engineering peers

The Kuranda Weir Recovery Project has been named an Outstanding Nomination in the Engineers Australia QLD’s Project of the Year Award for 2025. CleanCo submitted a joint entry with GHD for the award – a category that was highly competitive, with 10 other nominations.

Thank you to Engineers Australia for this recognition, and to our broader CleanCo team, project partners, Traditional Owners and the Kuranda community for your ongoing collaboration and support.

Background

When ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper crossed the Queensland coast in December 2023, the weather system impacted many North Queensland communities and essential service infrastructure, including CleanCo’s Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station.  

Extremely high water levels in the Barron River caused significant damage to critical infrastructure at the Kuranda Weir which stores water required for power generation. As a result, the Barron Gorge Power Station was rendered inoperable.

Throughout 2024, CleanCo worked to successfully complete the following critical infrastructure repairs:

  • Make the site safe
  • Construct a temporary rock wall (coffer dam) to allow safe access to rebuild the weir embankment and enable operations to resume at the power station (Phase A)
  • Resume operations at the power station
  • Construct a weather resilient, permanent concrete wall to replace the earthen embankment (Phase B).

Phase A and B of the permanent rebuild at Kuranda Weir are now complete. The new concrete wall marks a significant step in strengthening the weir’s resilience and ensuring the reliability of the Barron Gorge Hydro Power Station.

With this phase of construction of the wall now complete, any safety risks associated with activities in the bed and banks of the Barron River have been resolved.

Phase C

Key milestones of Phase C including raising the permanent dam wall to its final height were completed in late 2025.

Works are now focussed on installing a retaining wall to further strengthen the embankment and protect against dam seepage. This involves drilling and installing reinforced columns deep into the ground, a process known as river piling.

These works are expected to start late February and will be carried out over a six-week period between 7:00am and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.

During this period, nearby residents may notice construction related noise and localised vibration near the Kuranda Weir site.

Major concrete works are scheduled for completion by February, followed by river piling works, with final infrastructure repairs and revegetation of cleared areas to be completed by September 2026.

Recovery

We are working closely with authorities including the Wet Tropics Management Authority, Department of Resources and the Department of Development, Manufacturing and Water. We are also working alongside Traditional Owners, the Djabugay People, who are monitoring the project and providing cultural heritage advice.   

Contact

If you have any concerns or would like more information, please contact CleanCo directly at info@cleancoqld.com.au or community@cleancoqld.com.au