Townsville and Thuringowa will be 21 thousand megalitres of water better off with the upgrade of Ross River Dam.

NQ Water has received the design specifications of radial gates which will augment the height of the spillway and give the dam around nine per cent more storage capacity.

The installation of gates in time for the 2005/2006 wet season is stage two of the upgrade.

NQ Water Chairman Ian Hamilton said additional work to reinforce the buttress has also been approved and at around $150,000, can be accommodated in the existing budget.

"There will be a series of three gates, each standing 4.3m spanning the 40m spillway," Mr Hamilton said.  

"Each gate will act independently and the design incorporates multiple back up systems allowing them to be operated automatically or manually. This increases the flexibility and safety of gate operation.

"Taking into account the loss of water through evaporation, the decision adds capacity equal to four months supply to Townsville and Thuringowa. That's a significant buffer against the need to pump from the Burdekin Falls Dam in the very dry times."

Welcoming the pending radial gates installation Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier in North Queensland Lindy Nelson-Carr said the issue of water storage capacity was second only to safety of the dam in the overall works strategy.

"I am encouraged by the way this vital project is progressing and by the spirit of cooperation between the State Government and NQ Water who are committed to keeping the community fully informed of progress of the various upgrade stages," Ms Nelson-Carr said.     

A decision to increase capacity was recommended by the project manager, contract engineering consortium GHD/MWH, and endorsed by an expert peer review panel employed to scrutinize the upgrade.