Cochrane Dam is a minor earthfill 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 spillway across Georges Creek, located in the

South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

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 main purpose of the dam is to supply water for hydro-power at the downstream Brown Mountain Power Station and for

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 ...

purposes. 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 Cochrane Lake.

Location and features

Completed in 1958, the Cochrane Dam is a minor ungated dam, located approximately north-west of the village of

Bemboka Bemboka is a town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located on the Snowy Mountains Highway, in the Bega Valley Shire local government area, south of the state capital, Sydney. At the , the Bemboka gazetted lo ...

. The dam was built by Thiess Bros Pty Limited on behalf of Pacific Power as water storage to assist the control of water flows to the Brown Mountain Power Station, and to supply water for irrigation in the

Bega Valley The Bega Valley Shire is a local government area located adjacent to the south-eastern coastline of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was formed in 1981 with the amalgamation of the Municipality of Bega, Imlay Shire and Mumbulla Shire, wit ...

. The dam wall constructed with of earth fill is high and long. At 100% capacity, with a full supply level of RL910.13, the dam has a storage capacity of of which is active storage. The catchment area of Cochrane Lake is . The uncontrolled concrete spillway is capable of discharging at maximum flood level.

Brown Mountain Power Station

run-of-the-river Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amou ...

and now, conventional 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 ...

, called Brown Mountain Power Station, is located on the eastern escarpment of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

inland from Bega and downstream from the dam wall, on the

Bemboka River The Bemboka River, a perennial stream of the Bega River catchment, is located in the Monaro and South Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The Bemboka River rises in the Kybeyan Range, that is part of the Great D ...

. The power station commenced generating electricity in 1943 and was originally owned and operated by the Bega Valley County Council (since merged). Brown Mountain Power Station was initially commissioned with five high pressure turbo generators, with a generating capacity of of electricity, generated from the run-of-the-river of Bemboka River. Later, the creation of the Cochrane Dam, regulated flows of water on the Rutherford Creek to the Brown Mountain Power Station and to meet the irrigation requirements of the Bega Valley catchment. In 2006 an A$6 million upgrade of facilities at the power station was completed with the installation of a new generating unit, supplied with water from Cochrane Dam. Unit 3 was upgraded with automatic controls; and water supplied from Rutherford Creek for power generation. Units 1, 2, 4 & 5 were decommissioned. Following completion of the project, the station has a total generating capacity of . Brown Mountain Power Station is connected to the 66 kV transmission line running between

Cooma Cooma is a town in the south of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway, connecting Bega with the Riverina. At the , Cooma had a po ...

and Bega substations.

References

{{EnergyNSW , state=autocollapse Dams completed in 1958 Dams in New South Wales Embankment dams

Location and features

Brown Mountain Power Station

See also

References