Ben Chifley Dam
Encyclopedia
Ben Chifley Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam
across the Campbells River
in New South Wales
, Australia
. It is located 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) upstream of Bathurst
.
The dam supplies potable water to the city of Bathurst. Water is released into the Campbells River which flows into the Macquarie River
before being captured at the water treatment facility at Gorman's Hill, a suburb of Bathurst.
It is 34.4 metres (112.9 ft) high and 455 metres (1,492.8 ft) long and holds back 30,800 megalitres of water when at full capacity. It has a 455 metres (1,492.8 ft) long side-channel concrete spillway and six plug auxiliary fuse plug spillway.
on 10 November 1956. The dam then succeeded Winburndale Dam
as the potable-water supply for Bathurst. Winburndale Dam had been built in 1934 with an expected life of 20 years. Since completion of Ben Chifley Dam, Winburndale has been used to supply raw water for park watering and industrial use.
Plans to upgrade the Ben Chifley Dam commenced in 1989 after it was realised it did not meet the New South Wales Dam Safety Committee's safety recommendations and could fail in the event of a severe flood. A flood in August 1998, the worst recorded in 175 years, caused water to run over the spillway at a depth of 2.74 metres (9 ft), just 0.1 metre (0.328083989501312 ft) below the level at which the wall was expected to fail. An evacuation plan was implemented downstream.
Construction to upgrade the dam started in 1999. The top of the wall was raised by 5.4 metres (17.7 ft) and the spillway was extended by 30 metres (98.4 ft), increasing the dam's capacity from 16,000 megalitres to 30,800 megalitres.
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
across the Campbells River
Campbells River
The Campbells River is a river of the state of New South Wales in Australia. It flows from Vulcan State Forest near Mount David to its confluence with the Fish River South of Bathurst where it becomes the Macquarie River....
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is located 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) upstream of Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
.
The dam supplies potable water to the city of Bathurst. Water is released into the Campbells River which flows into the Macquarie River
Macquarie River
The Macquarie River is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales. Its headwaters rise in the central highlands of New South Wales near the town of Oberon. The river travels generally northwest past the towns of Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Narromine, and Warren to the Macquarie Marshes...
before being captured at the water treatment facility at Gorman's Hill, a suburb of Bathurst.
It is 34.4 metres (112.9 ft) high and 455 metres (1,492.8 ft) long and holds back 30,800 megalitres of water when at full capacity. It has a 455 metres (1,492.8 ft) long side-channel concrete spillway and six plug auxiliary fuse plug spillway.
History
Construction of Ben Chifley Dam started in 1948 and was completed eight years later. It was officially opened by the Premier of New South Wales, Joseph CahillJoseph Cahill
John Joseph Cahill was Premier of New South Wales in Australia from 1952 to 1959. He is best remembered as the Premier who approved construction on the Sydney Opera House, and for his work increasing the authority of local government in the state.-Early years:Joe Cahill, as he was popularly known,...
on 10 November 1956. The dam then succeeded Winburndale Dam
Winburndale Dam
Winburndale Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Winburndale Rivulet in New South Wales. Its height is 22 metres and holds back 1,700 megalitres of water. The dam is situated within the Winburndale Nature Reserve, East of Bathurst, New South Wales...
as the potable-water supply for Bathurst. Winburndale Dam had been built in 1934 with an expected life of 20 years. Since completion of Ben Chifley Dam, Winburndale has been used to supply raw water for park watering and industrial use.
Plans to upgrade the Ben Chifley Dam commenced in 1989 after it was realised it did not meet the New South Wales Dam Safety Committee's safety recommendations and could fail in the event of a severe flood. A flood in August 1998, the worst recorded in 175 years, caused water to run over the spillway at a depth of 2.74 metres (9 ft), just 0.1 metre (0.328083989501312 ft) below the level at which the wall was expected to fail. An evacuation plan was implemented downstream.
Construction to upgrade the dam started in 1999. The top of the wall was raised by 5.4 metres (17.7 ft) and the spillway was extended by 30 metres (98.4 ft), increasing the dam's capacity from 16,000 megalitres to 30,800 megalitres.