Wungong Dam

Wungong Dam
The dam in 2024
Wungong Dam
Location of the dam
in Western Australia
Interactive map of Wungong Dam
CountryAustralia
LocationBedfordale, Western Australia
Coordinates32°12′03″S 116°03′51″E / 32.2007°S 116.0643°E / -32.2007; 116.0643
PurposePotable water supply
StatusOperational
Opening date1979
OwnerWater Corporation
Dam and spillways
Type of damRock-fill dam
ImpoundsWungong Brook
Height65 m (213 ft)
Length460 m (1,510 ft)
Dam volume1,723×10^3 m3 (60.8×10^6 cu ft)
Spillway typeChute spillway
Spillway capacity445 m3/s (15,700 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
CreatesWungong Reservoir
Total capacity66 GL (54,000 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area132 km2 (51 sq mi)
Surface area330.5 ha (817 acres)
Official nameWungong Dam
TypeCity of Armadale Municipal Inventory
Designated1 December 2008
Reference no.18963

The Wungong Dam is a rock-fill embankment dam across the Wungong Brook, located in the Darling Range, in Western Australia. It is situated 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of Churchman Brook Dam. The dam Island isted on a local hertiage register.

Overview

The creation of the dam was announced in March 1923 by Premier James Mitchell as part of the Hills Water Supply Scheme, along with Churchman Brook Dam and Canning Dam. The scheme was intended to rectify severe water shortages in metropolitan Perth.[1] A pipehead dam was built on the brook in 1925 and construction of the current dam commenced in 1975. A number of farms that had been established within the catchment of the dam were resumed and their built infrastructure demolished. The completed dam was opened in 1979.[2]

The dam is 65 metres (213 ft) high and 460 metres (1,510 ft) long.[3] The resultant 59.8-gigalitre (15.8-billion-US-gallon) reservoir draws from a 132-square-kilometre (51 sq mi) catchment area.[4][5][2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Gregory, Jenny. "A Spirit of Bolshevism?: Perth's Water Crisis of the 1920s". Journal of Urban History. 46 (1): 89–90. doi:10.1177/0096144217692989.
  2. ^ a b "Wungong Dam". Western Australia State Heritage Register.
  3. ^ "Register of Large Dams Australia-2015" (Excel. Requires download. Row 560). ANCOLD. January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Wungong Dam Capacity". Water Corporation. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Wungong Dam, Perth WA | Walks, Picnic Area, Directions & Facilities". Water Corporation. Retrieved 11 October 2023.