Upper Yarra Reservoir
| Upper Yarra Dam | |
|---|---|
The reservoir, during the 2007 drought | |
Upper Yarra Dam Location of the dam and reservoir in Victoria | |
Interactive map of Upper Yarra Dam | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Greater Melbourne, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°40′27″S 145°53′54″E / 37.674072°S 145.898459°E |
| Purpose | Water supply |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1948 |
| Opening date | 1957 |
| Built by | Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works |
| Operator | Melbourne Water |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Earth fill dam |
| Impounds | Yarra River |
| Height (foundation) | 89 |
| Length | 610 |
| Dam volume | 5660 |
| Spillways | 1 |
| Spillway type | Uncontrolled |
| Spillway capacity | 3,392 m3/s (119,800 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Upper Yarra Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 204,895 ML (166,111 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 337 km2 (130 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 750 ha (1,900 acres) |
| Maximum water depth | 77 m (253 ft) |
| Normal elevation | 360 m (1,180 ft) AHD |
| Website melbournewater.com.au | |
| [1][2] | |
The Upper Yarra Reservoir is a reservoir formed by the Upper Yarra Dam, an earth-filled embankment dam across the Yarra River, located at Reefton, near Warburton, east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Completed in 1957 for the supply of potable water for Greater Metropolitan Melbourne, water from the reservoir also supplies towns in the upper Yarra Valley, and feeds into Silvan Reservoir.
The reservoir and dam are operated by Melbourne Water.
Dam and reservoir overview
Dam
The earth-filled dam wall is 89 metres (292 ft) high and 610 metres (2,000 ft) long. When full, the resultant reservoir has a storage capacity of 204,895 megalitres (166,111 acre⋅ft) and covers 750 hectares (1,900 acres), drawn from a catchment area of 337 square kilometres (130 sq mi). The uncontrolled spillway has a discharge capacity of 3,392 cubic metres per second (119,800 cu ft/s).[1] The dam was completed in 1957,[3] initially for the purpose of preventing flooding downstream.
Reservoir
The management of 157,000 hectares (390,000 acres) of Melbourne's forested water catchments of the Upper Yarra, such as the Watts (Maroondah), were vested in the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) in 1891. In 1928, the Upper Yarra catchment was permanently added for water supply purposes.[4][5] Approval to construct the dam was granted in the early 1940s, however, due to World War II, work did not start until 1948.[6][7][8] John L. Savage, an American engineer, consulted on the construction of the dam,[9] under the direction and supervision of Albert Francis Ronalds, the chief engineer of the Board of Works.[10]
When the Upper Yarra Reservoir was completed the total storage capacity of Melbourne's system was tripled to nearly 300,000 megalitres (240,000 acre⋅ft).[2] The Upper Yarra Reservoir is also supplied by water transferred from the Thomson River Dam.[11]
During the 2000s, severe drought in south-eastern Australia resulted in low water levels in the reservoir, which on 5 January 2007 was approximately half full. As of 22 July 2013, the reservoir was approximately 47 per cent of capacity.[12] By late September 2021, the reservoir was approximately 93 per cent of capacity.[13]
Located adjacent to the reservoir is the Upper Yarra Reservoir Park, managed by Parks Victoria, where camping and hiking are permitted.[14]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Register of Large Dams Australia-2015" (Excel. Requires download. Row 523). ANCOLD. January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Upper Yarra Reservoir Factsheet" (PDF). Melbourne Water. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
- ^ "Board of Works £1½m. 5¼% loan". The Argus. Victoria, Australia. 17 January 1957. p. 10. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
... the board would spend £3 million this financial year on the Upper Yarra dam....This would bring these large projects near to completion…
- ^ "Upper Yarra Watershed". Healesville and Yarra Glen Guardian. Victoria, Australia. 25 February 1928. p. 3. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
- ^ Moulds, F. R. (1991). The Dynamic Forest – A History of Forestry and Forest Industries in Victoria. Richmond, Victoria: Lynedoch Publications. p. 232. ISBN 0646062654.
- ^ "Our Water Supply". The Age. No. 30, 142. Victoria, Australia. 6 December 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
...They planned to use the Upper Yarra catchment, but, suddenly the demands of War halted their plans…
- ^ "Upper Yarra Reservoir". The Argus. No. 29, 214. Victoria, Australia. 10 April 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Upper Yarra Dam Project". The Age. No. 26, 495. Victoria, Australia. 16 March 1940. p. 30. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
- ^ "U.s. Dam Expert Arrives". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 32, 422. New South Wales, Australia. 26 November 1941. p. 10. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
- ^ Ronalds, Beverley F. "Ronalds, Albert Francis (Bert) (1913–1999)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Thomson Reservoir". Melbourne Water. n.d. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ "Upper Yarra Reservoir". Melbourne Water.
- ^ "Water storage levels". Melbourne Water. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ^ "Upper Yarra Reservoir Park". Parks Victoria. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
Further reading
- Smith, Val (1995). Upper Yarra Dam: a pictorial history. Wesburn.
- Tunaley, Shirley (2007). Upper Yarra Dam: a 1950s construction town. Yarrambat.
External links
- "Upper Yarra Reservoir". Melbourne Water. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- "Upper Yarra Dam". Victorian Places. 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2026.