Glenbawn Dam is a major ungated earth and rock fill with clay core embankment

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

with concrete chute spillway plus

fuse plug A fuse plug is a collapsible dam installed on spillways in dams to increase the dam's capacity. The principle behind the fuse plug is that the majority of water that overflows a dam's spillway can be safely dammed except in high flood conditions ...

s across the

Hunter River Hunter River may refer to: *Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia *Hunter River (Western Australia) *Hunter River, New Zealand *Hunter River (Prince Edward Island), Canada **Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, community on Hunter River, Canada ...

upstream of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

in the

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The dam's purpose includes

flood mitigation In environmental engineering, the flood mitigation involves the management and control of flood water movement, such as redirecting flood run-off through the use of floodwalls and flood gates, rather than trying to prevent floods altogether. It a ...

hydro-electric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

and conservation. The impounded

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

is called Lake Glenbawn. Glenbawn Dam was created through enabling legislation enacted through the passage of the . The Act appropriated

A£ The pound (Sign: £, £A for distinction) was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 14 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. As with other £sd currencies, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (denoted by the symbol s ...

as the estimated cost of construction of the dam.

Location and features

Commenced in late 1947 and completed in late 1957, the Glenbawn Dam is a major dam on the Hunter River and is the fourth largest earth-filled embankment dam in Australia by volume. The dam is located approximately east of the town of

Scone A scone is a baked good, usually made of either wheat or oatmeal with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans. A scone is often slightly sweetened and occasionally glazed with egg wash. The scone is a basic component of th ...

on the upper reaches of the river. The dam was built by the New South Wales Water Conservation & Irrigation Commission to supply water for irrigation and flood mitigation. The dam wall height is and is long. The maximum water depth is and at 100% capacity the dam wall holds back of water at AHD. The dam has an additional reserve capacity of to hold floodwaters that reduce flooding downstream. The surface area of Lake Glenbawn is and the catchment area is . The ungated concrete chute spillway is capable of discharging . An upgrade of facilities completed in 1987 took the height of the dam wall from to its current height. Glenbawn Dam is operated in conjunction with Glennies Creek Dam. The two dams supply water requirements along of the Hunter River from Glenbawn to the tidal reaches near

Maitland Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" (Old French, ''Maltalent''; Anglo Norm ...

. The name Glenbawn originates after a riverside property resumed for part of the storage area.

Power generation

A hydro-electric

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

generates up to of

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

from the flow of the water leaving Glenbawn Dam with an average output of per annum. The station was completed in January 1995. The facility is managed by

AGL Energy AGL Energy Ltd () is an Australian listed public company involved in both the generation and retailing of electricity and gas for residential and commercial use. AGL is Australia's largest electricity generator, and the nation's largest carbo ...

Recreation

The dam is a popular location for water skiing and fishing, both by boat and from shore. Located adjacent to the dam and the lake is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

; Lake Glenbawn State Park.

References

External links

* * {{Hunter Region places and items of interest , state=autocollapse Dams completed in 1958 Energy infrastructure completed in 1995 Dams in New South Wales Upper Hunter Shire Earth-filled dams Embankment dams Hydroelectric power stations in New South Wales Hunter River (New South Wales)

Location and features

Power generation

Recreation

See also

References

External links