Googong Dam

Googong Dam

Googong Dam wall and reservoir, 2006
Location of the Googong Dam in
New South Wales
Country Australia
Location Queanbeyan, New South Wales
Coordinates 35°24′54″S 149°15′04″E / 35.41500°S 149.25111°E / -35.41500; 149.25111Coordinates: 35°24′54″S 149°15′04″E / 35.41500°S 149.25111°E / -35.41500; 149.25111
Purpose Water supply
Status Operational
Opening date 1979
Owner(s) Commonwealth of Australia, Actew Water (manage)
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Embankment dam
Impounds Queanbeyan River
Height 66 m (217 ft)
Length 417 m (1,368 ft)
Dam volume 818 m3 (28,900 cu ft)
Spillways 2
Spillway type Converging chute
Spillway capacity 10,500 m3/s (370,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates Googong Reservoir
Total capacity 121,083 ML (2.6635×1010 imp gal; 3.1987×1010 US gal)
Catchment area 873 km2 (337 sq mi)
Surface area 696 ha (1,720 acres)
Normal elevation 663 m (2,175 ft) AHD

Googong Dam is a minor ungated earth and rock fill with clay core embankment dam with concrete chute spillway plus a nearby 13 metres (43 ft) high earthfill saddle embankment across the Queanbeyan River upstream of Queanbeyan in the Capital Country region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes water supply for Canberra and Queanbeyan. The impounded reservoir is called Googong Reservoir.

Googong Dam was created through enabling legislation enacted via the passage of the Canberra Water Supply (Goodong Dam) Act, 1974 (Cth).[1]

Location and features

Completed in 1979, the Googong Dam is a minor dam on the Queanbeyan River and Bradleys Creek and is located approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of the town of Queanbeyan on the lower reaches of the river. The dam was built by Thiess based on designs developed by the Commonwealth Department of Construction; and is now managed by ACTEW Water.[2][3][4]

The dam wall height is 66 metres (217 ft) and is 417 metres (1,368 ft) long. At 100% capacity the dam wall holds back 121,083 megalitres (4,276.0×10^6 cu ft) of water at 663 metres (2,175 ft) AHD. The surface area of Googong Reservoir is 696 hectares (1,720 acres) and the catchment area is 873 square kilometres (337 sq mi). The ungated concrete chute spillway is capable of discharging 10,500 cubic metres per second (370,000 cu ft/s).[2][4] Successive flood events in 1978 and through the 1980s resulted in extensive erosion in the unlined section of the spillway chute, including a large erosion hole, up to 19 metres (62 ft) deep and 25 metres (82 ft) wide, in the upper part of the spillway chute. Staged remedial works were undertaken in the 1980s to protect the eroded structure. Remediation of spillway facilities occurred during from 2006 through to 2010 that resulted in an increase in the capacity of the spillway, construction of walls in the spillway chute extension up to 17 metres (56 ft) high, and a range of other enhancements to meet extreme flood events.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. "Canberra Water Supply (Goodong Dam) Act". AustLII database. Australasian Legal Information Institute. 1974. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Register of Large Dams in Australia" (Excel (requires download)). Dams information. The Australian National Committee on Large Dams Incorporated. 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  3. "Googong Dam". Water & Sewerage Systems: ACT Water Supply System: The Water Network: Water Storage. ACTEW Water. 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 "Googong Dam Spillway Upgrade". Projects. GHD Group. 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  5. "Googong Dam Spillway Remediation". Our Projects: Other Projects. ACTEW Water. 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
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