Silvan Reservoir
| Silvan Dam | |
|---|---|
The reservoir, viewed from Kalorama | |
Silvan Dam Location of the dam and reservoir in Victoria | |
Interactive map of Silvan Dam | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Silvan, Dandenong Ranges, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°49′40″S 145°24′20″E / 37.827887°S 145.405576°E |
| Purpose | |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1926 |
| Opening date | 7 July 1931 |
| Designed by | Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works |
| Operator | Melbourne Water |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Earth fill dam |
| Impounds |
|
| Height | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Length | 650 m (2,130 ft) |
| Width (base) | 219 m (719 ft) |
| Dam volume | 1,610×103 m3 (57×106 cu ft) |
| Spillway type | Uncontrolled |
| Spillway capacity | 40 m3/s (1,400 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Silvan Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 40.58 GL (32,900 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 9 km2 (3.5 sq mi) (off-stream storage) |
| Surface area | 334 ha (830 acres) |
| Maximum water depth | 43 m (141 ft) |
| Normal elevation | 242 m (794 ft) AHD |
| Silvan Reservoir Power Station | |
| Operator | Melbourne Water |
| Commission date | 2008 |
| Type | Mini-hydro |
| Turbines | 2 MW (2,700 hp) Kaplan-type |
| Installed capacity | 1.8 MW (2,400 hp) |
| Annual generation | 11 GWh (40 TJ) |
| Website melbournewater.com.au | |
| [1][2][3] | |
The Silvan Reservoir is a reservoir created by the Silvan Dam, an earth-filled embankment dam across the Stoneyford Creek, located in Silvan, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of Melbourne, in the Dandenong Ranges of Victoria, Australia. Completed in 1931, the reservoir is fed by off-stream sources and is used to supply potable water for Greater Metropolitan Melbourne and for the generation of hydroelectricity.
The reservoir and dam are operated by Melbourne Water.
Dam and reservoir overview
Dam
A severe drought in 1914 forced the state government to search for a new water supply to handle Melbourne's ever-increasing needs. Construction took place between 1926 and 1931, and the reservoir was officially opened on 7 July 1931.[4]
The earth-filled dam wall is 40 metres (130 ft) high, 650 metres (2,130 ft) long, and 219 metres (719 ft) wide at the base. When full, the resultant reservoir has a storage capacity of 40.58 gigalitres (32,900 acre⋅ft), is 43 metres (141 ft) deep, and covers 334 hectares (830 acres), drawn from a catchment area of 9 square kilometres (3.5 sq mi). The uncontrolled spillway has a discharge capacity of 40 cubic metres per second (1,400 cu ft/s). In 1983, the dam wall started to show cracks and remedial works were completed in 1986, that included adding a rock-fill face to the downstream dam wall.[1][2][5][4]
Reservoir
The catchment area for the reservoir is quite small, resulting in the Silvan Reservoir fed by off-stream sources from other reservoirs. Water for the Silvan Reservoir is transferred from the Upper Yarra, O'Shannassy and Thomson (via Upper Yarra) reservoirs. In turn, the Silvan Reservoir directly supplies water to many of Melbourne's eastern suburbs, as well as other off-stream storage reservoirs, including Cardinia and Greenvale.[6]
The picnic ground at the Silvan Reservoir Park is managed by Parks Victoria.[3]
Hydroelectric power station
In 2008, a 2-megawatt (2,700 hp) mini-hydro power station was installed adjacent to the dam wall,[7][8] that generates approximately 11 gigawatt-hours (40 TJ) annually.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Register of Large Dams Australia-2015" (Excel. Requires download. Row 452). ANCOLD. January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ a b Silvan Reservoir profile, Melbourne Water, archived from the original on 25 May 2011, retrieved 10 September 2010
- ^ a b "Silvan Reservoir park", Parks Victoria, retrieved 15 September 2010
- ^ a b Ritchie, E. G. (October 1934), "Melbourne's Water Supply Undertaking" (PDF), Journal of Institution of Engineers Australia, 6: 379–382, archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011
- ^ Silvan Reservoir fact sheet, Melbourne Water, archived from the original on 25 August 2010, retrieved 10 September 2010
- ^ "Silvan Reservoir: Melbourne's Hydraulic Heartbeat". Melbourne Water. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ^ "Melbourne Water Mini-Hydro Projects". Entura. April 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ^ "Hydropower: Power stations". Melbourne Water. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
External links
Media related to Silvan Reservoir at Wikimedia Commons
- "Silvan Reservoir". Melbourne Water.
- Sugarloaf Pipeline South-North Transfer: Preliminary Business Case Summary (includes schematics). Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (Report). Victorian Government. 2016. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-1-76047-354-9. Retrieved 12 May 2026. This article incorporates text from this source, which is by State of Victoria available under the CC BY 4.0 license.