Mangrove Creek Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mangrove Creek Dam |
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 Location of the Mangrove Creek Dam in
New South Wales |
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| Country | Australia |
| Location | Central Coast, New South Wales |
| Coordinates | 33°12′54″S 151°07′04″E / 33.21500°S 151.11778°E |
| Purpose | Water supply |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1978 |
| Opening date | 1982 |
| Owner(s) | Central Coast Water Corporation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment dam |
| Impounds | Mangrove Creek |
| Height | 80 metres (260 ft) |
| Length | 380 metres (1,250 ft) |
| Width (crest) | 6 metres (20 ft) |
| Width (base) | 250 metres (820 ft) |
| Dam volume | 1,340,000 cubic metres (47,000,000 cu ft) |
| Spillway type | Concrete lined chute |
| Spillway capacity | 570 cubic metres per second (20,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 190,000 megalitres (6,700×106 cu ft) |
| Catchment area | 101 square kilometres (39 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 7 square kilometres (2.7 sq mi) |
| Maximum water depth | 65 metres (213 ft) |
The Mangrove Creek Dam is a really important dam in New South Wales, Australia. It's the main place where people on the Central Coast get their drinking water. This huge dam holds about 190,000 million litres of water!
It was built between 1978 and 1982. The dam collects water from the top part of Mangrove Creek. This creek then flows into the Hawkesbury River. The Central Coast Water Corporation looks after the dam. It provides about 93% of the water for 300,000 people living on the Central Coast.
Contents
Building the Dam: How it Works
The Mangrove Creek Dam is a special type called a concrete-faced rockfill embankment dam. This means it's a big wall made mostly of crushed rock, with a concrete layer on the front. This concrete layer acts like a seal to stop the water from leaking through.
Why Was the Dam Built?
The Central Coast population was growing, and more people needed water. So, the dam was built to store more water. This helped make sure everyone had a reliable water supply.
What is the Dam Made Of?
The dam was built using soft rock called sandstone and siltstone. These rocks were dug up from a quarry right near the dam. They were then crushed and packed down to form the main part of the dam wall. The dam also has special filters and drains inside. These help manage any water that might seep through the rock.
Dam Size and Spillway
The dam wall is about 80 metres (260 ft) tall, which is like a 25-story building! It's also 380 metres (1,250 ft) long. If needed in the future, the dam wall could be made even taller.
The dam has a spillway, which is like a giant slide for water. If the dam gets too full, extra water flows down this concrete chute. It's about 240 metres (790 ft) long and can let out a lot of water very quickly.
Where Does the Water Come From?
The Mangrove Creek Dam was designed to be a big storage dam. It doesn't collect water from a huge area. But the valley where it's built is perfect for holding a lot of water. The dam can store 190,000 megalitres (6,700×106 cu ft) of water. When it's full, the water can be as deep as 65 metres (213 ft)!
The area that collects water for the dam is about 101 square kilometres (39 sq mi). The region usually gets about 960 millimetres (38 in) of rain each year.
Water Levels and Saving Water
Sometimes, like during a long drought in 2007, the water level in the dam can get very low. In February 2007, it was only about 10% full! When this happens, local officials put water restrictions in place. This means people have to be careful with how much water they use. Water was even brought in from the Hunter River to help.
To make sure there's enough water for the future, a water plan was made in 2007. This plan looks at ways to get more water and use less.
Connecting the Dams
Between 2010 and 2012, a special link was built. This 21-kilometre (13 mi) Mardi-Mangrove Link connects Mangrove Creek Dam to Mardi Dam. It's made of two pipelines. These pipelines allow water from the Wyong River and Ourimbah Creek to be sent to the Mangrove Creek Dam for storage. This stops the water from just flowing out to the ocean. This link helps protect the Central Coast from long periods of low rainfall.
In 2022, after a lot of rain, the Mangrove Creek Dam reached 100% capacity. This was the first time it had spilled over since it was built in 1982!
Visiting the Dam: Fun and Rules
The dam is a popular spot for a day trip, especially for barbecues and picnics. It takes about 45 minutes to drive there from Gosford.
However, there are rules about where you can go. These rules help protect the water quality. They also protect the bushland, plants, and animals that live there. Some of these plants and animals are very rare. The rules also help protect important sites that show evidence of Aboriginal people living there a long time ago.
