Little Para Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Little Para Reservoir is a reservoir
in South Australia
serving the city of Adelaide
. It was built between 1974 and 1977, costing A$11.5 million, and commissioned in January 1979.
The reservoir is built in the path of the Little Para River
and is used for water storage and flood mitigation. As the Little Para's catchment is insufficient to fill the reservoir, it is mainly used to store water pumped from the River Murray. Periodically water is released from the reservoir into the river, enabling refreshing of ground water.
Overlooking the reservoirs is a public park with tennis courts, playgrounds, public toilets and information about the initial construction of the dam. Although much of the current amenities have fallen into disarray due lack of maintenance and public abuse.
the reservoir is closed to the public, due to the 2008 upgrade.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
serving the city of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. It was built between 1974 and 1977, costing A$11.5 million, and commissioned in January 1979.
The reservoir is built in the path of the Little Para River
Little Para River
The Little Para River is a seasonal creek running across the Adelaide plains of South Australia, whose catchment fills reservoirs that supply some of the water needs of Adelaide’s northern suburbs...
and is used for water storage and flood mitigation. As the Little Para's catchment is insufficient to fill the reservoir, it is mainly used to store water pumped from the River Murray. Periodically water is released from the reservoir into the river, enabling refreshing of ground water.
Overlooking the reservoirs is a public park with tennis courts, playgrounds, public toilets and information about the initial construction of the dam. Although much of the current amenities have fallen into disarray due lack of maintenance and public abuse.
2008 upgrade
In June 2008 the reservoir was closed to the public so the dam wall could be strengthened and increased by 1 metres (3.3 ft). Construction of a new fusegate spillway system was also carried out. Complaints were raised that "millions of litres of water" were released into the ocean until the reservoir was at 68 percent to enable the construction to proceed.the reservoir is closed to the public, due to the 2008 upgrade.