Cardinia Reservoir

Cardinia Dam
The control tower and dam walls near the embankment
Cardinia Dam Location of the dam in Victoria
Interactive map of Cardinia Dam
Country	Australia
Location	Greater Melbourne, Victoria
Coordinates	37°58′17″S 145°25′8″E
Purpose	Water supply
Status	Operational
Construction began	May 1970 (1970-05)
Opening date	1973 (1973)
Construction cost	A$11.4 million
Built by	Fluor Construction
Designed by	Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation
Owner	Melbourne Water
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Rock-fill dam
Impounds	Cardinia Creek and off-stream
Height (foundation)	86 m (282 ft)
Length	1,542 m (5,059 ft)
Dam volume	5.15×10^6 m3 (182×10^6 cu ft)
Spillways	1
Spillway type	Uncontrolled
Spillway capacity	12 m3/s (420 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates	Cardinia Reservoir
Total capacity	286.911 GL (232,603 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area	2,800 ha (6,900 acres)
Surface area	1,295 ha (3,200 acres)
Normal elevation	494 m (1,621 ft) AHD
Cardinia Dam Power Station
Coordinates	37°57′6″S 145°23′54″E
Operator	Pacific Energy
Type	Conventional
Annual generation	3.5 MW (4,700 hp)
Website melbournewater.com.au

The Cardinia Reservoir is a water supply reservoir formed as a result of the Cardinia Dam, a rock-filled embankment dam – and a series of seven supporting diversionary and saddle dams – across the Cardinia Creek and off-stream flows, located in Emerald–Clematis–Dewhurst in south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Completed between 1970 and 1973 at a cost of more than A$11.4 million, the dam wall impounds 287 GL (233,000 acre⋅ft) of water storage that is one of the principal sources of potable water for Greater Melbourne. The reservoir and dam are owned and operated by Melbourne Water.

Reservoir and dam overview

As Melbourne's water supplies struggled through the 1960s the need for additional water storage became evident. Cardinia Creek ran from the Dandenong Ranges to Western Port, passing through some small but well-defined hills south of the outer suburb of Emerald. This site was chosen as being suitable for a new reservoir. In 1966, plans for the construction of the Cardinia and Thomson reservoirs were accepted by the Victorian Government. Construction of the Tarago Reservoir was completed between 1966 and 1969 and it was built by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission of Victoria (SR&WSC) to improve the capacity of the water supply system to meet the ever increasing demand for water in the district. By 1967, Melbourne struggled through a severe drought and water restrictions were imposed in the summer of 1967–68. As a result, plans for construction of Cardinia and Thomson reservoirs were advanced.

Dam description

Looking from east to south along the main dam wall

The Cardinia Reservoir was created via the construction of one large rolled earth-fill and rock-fill embankment to serve as the Cardinia Dam wall, and several other saddle and diversionary dams in nearby hills. Built by Fluor Construction and engineered by the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation under contract to the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW), the dam wall height is 86 metres (282 ft) and the main embankment is 1,542 metres (5,059 ft) long. The two saddle dams are between 10 to 16 metres (33 to 52 ft) high and between 323 to 1,219 metres (1,060 to 3,999 ft) long, respectively. The height of the five diversionary dam walls range from 14 to 25 metres (46 to 82 ft) and their length ranges from 85 to 305 metres (279 to 1,001 ft). When full, the Cardinia Reservoir impounds 286.911 gigalitres (232,603 acre⋅ft) and covers 1,295 hectares (3,200 acres), drawn from a catchment area of 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi). The ungated uncontrolled spillway is capable of discharging 12 cubic metres per second (420 cu ft/s).

Reservoir description

Panoramic view looking east

Construction of the dam was completed in 1973, following which it took another four years to fill, including substantial water transfers from the Silvan Reservoir, via a pipeline, and, when in operation, water from the Victorian Desalination Plant. Water from Cardinia supplies Melbourne's southern and south-eastern suburbs, and the Mornington Peninsula.

As part of the Victorian Government's policy that fluoride should be added to all public water supplies, construction began on local fluoridation plants. In 1981, following continued demand for potable water on the Mornington Peninsula finally exceeded the district's ability to meet its own water supply needs. Despite upgrading of existing facilities, water from the MMBW reservoir at Cardinia was first used to supplement local water supplies. Export of "Australia Pure", a bottled water from Cardinia Reservoir, commenced in 1993 to several European countries and the United States.

In 2012, the Victorian Government allocated $1 million for landscaping work to create a recreational area including picnic areas, playgrounds, carparks and walking tracks in the surrounds of the reservoir.

Hydroelectric power station

The 3.5-megawatt (4,700 hp) Cardinia Dam Power Station, a conventional hydroelectric power station at the outlet of the pipeline generates electricity as water is transferred to the Cardinia Reservoir. The power station is operated by Pacific Energy.

See also

• List of reservoirs and dams in Victoria
• List of power stations in Victoria

External links

• "Cardinia Reservoir Park". Parks Victoria. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011.
• "Cardinia Reservoir and Catchment: Cardinia Reservoir Park – Information Kit" (PDF). Parks Victoria. March 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2011.