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The Darwin River Dam is in Australia's 
The Darwin River Dam is an embankment-type dam. It is ungated with no spillway regulation possible. The dam relies on the annual wet season to be replenished. Toward the end of this season, the dam sometimes overflows. Most years spilling occurs, and is considered normal. Depending on rainfall amounts, this overflow can last from days to weeks.
The water in this dam is considered to be one of the most pristine on Earth. In order to preserve this quality, the catchment and reservoir policy prohibits recreational use with substantial penalties imposed for trespassing. Also, there is no ''The facts Darwin River Dam - A pristine environment - July 2008
/ref> The dam was formally opened by
Information about current water levels in the Darwin River Dam catchment
{{Darwin, Northern Territory landmarks Dams in the Northern Territory Dams completed in 1972 1972 establishments in Australia Darwin, Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
on the Darwin River. The water catchment it contains is the major source for the city of Darwin.
The dam can hold up to 259,000 megalitres of water () which is half the volume in Sydney Harbour or eleven times bigger than the Manton Dam
Manton Dam is a small concrete arch dam on the Manton River, approximately south of Darwin, Northern Territory in Australia. The dam was originally constructed by the Department of Defence during the Second World War to provide a reliable supp ...
.
The Darwin River Dam is an embankment-type dam. It is ungated with no spillway regulation possible. The dam relies on the annual wet season to be replenished. Toward the end of this season, the dam sometimes overflows. Most years spilling occurs, and is considered normal. Depending on rainfall amounts, this overflow can last from days to weeks.
The water in this dam is considered to be one of the most pristine on Earth. In order to preserve this quality, the catchment and reservoir policy prohibits recreational use with substantial penalties imposed for trespassing. Also, there is no ''Cabomba
''Cabomba'' is an aquatic plant genus, one of two belonging to the family Cabombaceae. It has divided submerged leaves in the shape of a fan (hence the vernacular name fanwort) and is much favoured by aquarists as an ornamental and oxygenating pl ...
'', an aquatic weed genus that can affect water quality./ref> The dam was formally opened by
William McMahon
Sir William McMahon (23 February 190831 March 1988) was an Australian politician who served as the 20th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1971 to 1972 as leader of the Liberal Party. He was a government minister for over 21 years, t ...
(Prime Minister at the time) on 29 June 1972. The cost of construction was $9 million.
See also
*Irrigation in Australia
Irrigation is a widespread practice required in many areas of Australia, the driest inhabited continent, to supplement low rainfall with water from other sources to assist in growing crops and pasture. Overuse or poor management of irrigation ...
* List of dams and reservoirs in Australia
Dams and reservoirs in Australia is a link page for any dam or reservoir in Australia.
Australian Capital Territory
There are three key water storage facilities located in the Australian Capital Territory. The fourth source of water for Canbe ...
References
External links
*Information about current water levels in the Darwin River Dam catchment
{{Darwin, Northern Territory landmarks Dams in the Northern Territory Dams completed in 1972 1972 establishments in Australia Darwin, Northern Territory