Manton Dam is a small concrete

arch dam An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengthe ...

on the Manton River, approximately south of Darwin, Northern Territory in Australia. The dam was originally constructed by the

Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

to provide a reliable supply of fresh water to Darwin, completed in 1942. The reservoir itself is now mostly used for recreation, such as fishing, boating and

water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...

, surrounded by a conservation area for native flora and fauna.

Current status

The much larger Darwin River Dam was commissioned in 1972, with Manton Dam retained for emergency supply. Since then, the

Power and Water Corporation Power and Water Corporation, trading as PowerWater, is a Government of the Northern Territory owned corporation in the Northern Territory of Australia. PowerWater is the Northern Territory's premier provider of electricity, water and sewerage s ...

has maintained the dam and infrastructure in an inactive state. Since 1989, the Manton Dam Recreation Area has been open to the public within the portfolio of Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife. Although camping and swimming are not permitted, it is a popular venue for recreational water sports. The reservoir is divided into three distinct zones, allowing separation between high speed watercraft like

jet skis A personal watercraft (PWC), also called water scooter or jet ski, is a recreational watercraft that a rider sits or stands on, not within, as in a boat. PWCs have two style categories, first and most popular being a runabout or "sit down" wh ...

, an area for towing skiers and an area for kayaks, canoes, and sailing. The lake is also stocked with various fish species, with fishing permitted in all zones. The environment around the dam is an excellent habitat for

crocodiles Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant memb ...

, which Parks and Wildlife regularly patrol and survey to trap and remove many of these animals, especially during the wet season. In February 2014, an experimental

hydroelectric generator Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is 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 renewable sources combined and ...

was installed by the

in partnership with

Charles Darwin University Charles Darwin University (CDU) is an Australian public university with a main campus in Darwin and eight satellite campuses in some metropolitan and regional areas. It was established in 2003 after the merger of Northern Territory University ...

's Centre for Renewable Energy. Outputting roughly 4kW, the small generator is connected to the mains power grid to take advantage of seasonal releases and spillages during the wet season, and is the first of its kind in the Territory.

Future re-use

Power and Water Corporation's 2013 Darwin Region Water Supply Strategy outlines plans to reactivate Manton Dam to supply water in order to mitigate shortages before 2025, extracting up to per year to meet growing demand. In 2019, it was estimated that associated works would cost $122 million. A 2018 report prepared by the CSIRO included a detailed investigation of potential dam sites to meet the future needs of the region. This report found that while Manton Dam could provide a short-term solution until a much larger storage can be created, there are some concerns over water quality.

References

{{reflist Dams in the Northern Territory Dams completed in 1942 1942 establishments in Australia Darwin, Northern Territory

Current status

Future re-use

See also

References