Googong Dam is a minor ungated earth and rock fill with clay core embankment dam with concrete chute spillway plus a nearby high earthfill saddle embankment across the

Queanbeyan River The Queanbeyan River, a perennial stream that is part of the Molonglo catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Monaro and Capital Country regions of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, in Australia. The ...

upstream of

Queanbeyan Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the ...

in the Capital Country 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 country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. The dam's purpose includes

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. Th ...

for

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

and Queanbeyan. 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 contr ...

is called Googong Reservoir. Googong Dam was created through enabling legislation enacted via the passage of the ''Canberra Water Supply (Goodong Dam) Act, 1974''.

History

green ban A green ban is a form of strike action, usually taken by a trade union or other organised labour group, which is conducted for environmentalist or conservationist purposes. They were mainly done in Australia in the 1970s, led by the Builders La ...

was briefly imposed by the

Builders Labourers Federation The Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) was an Australian trade union that existed from 1911 until 1972, and from 1976 until 1986, when it was permanently deregistered in various Australian states by the federal Hawke Labor government and some ...

for a few days until adequate assurances that marine life in

Lake Burley Griffin Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River, which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle, was dammed. It is named after Wal ...

would not be harmed.

Location and features

Completed in 1979, the Googong Dam is a minor dam on the Queanbeyan River and Bradleys Creek and is located approximately south of the city 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

Icon Water Icon Water Limited, trading principally as Icon Water, is a water and wastewater public utility that is an Australian Capital Territory-owned corporation. The company provides drinking water and wastewater services to the ACT. Icon Water is also ...

. The dam wall height is and is long. At 100% capacity the dam wall holds back of water at AHD. The surface area of Googong Reservoir is and the catchment area is . The ungated concrete chute spillway is capable of discharging . 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 deep and 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 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 high, and a range of other enhancements to meet extreme flood events. In 2016 with more regular spillway overflows, the dam's managing authority Icon Water, installed a 240m floating safety barrier, with authorised vessel access gate, across the spillway, to improve safety for waterway users.

References

External links

* * * {{Rivers of the Australian Capital Territory , state=autocollapse Dams in New South Wales Earth-filled dams Dams completed in 1979 Embankment dams Murray-Darling basin Green bans

History

Location and features

See also

References

External links