Toorourrong Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Toorourrong Dam |
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 Location of the Toorourrong Reservoir in Victoria
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| Country | Australia |
| Location | Whittlesea, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°28′19″S 145°09′25″E / 37.47194°S 145.15694°E |
| Purpose | Potable water supply |
| Status | Operational |
| Operator(s) | Melbourne Water |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds |
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| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Toorourrong Reservoir |
The Toorourrong Reservoir is a small lake that holds water for people to drink. It is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia.
This reservoir was made by building the Toorourrong Dam across the Plenty River. It also gets water from other creeks. Melbourne Water manages the dam. The reservoir is an important part of Melbourne's water system. Water from Toorourrong Reservoir flows through a special channel, called an aqueduct, to the Yan Yean Reservoir.
How Toorourrong Dam Works
The Toorourrong Reservoir is created by an earthen wall. This wall is built across the eastern part of the Plenty River. It is located just below where Jacks Creek joins the river. The dam and its system were built between 1883 and 1885. They were an addition to the older Yan Yean water system.
Water is brought to the reservoir from Wallaby and Silver Creeks. These creeks are on the northern side of the Great Dividing Range. The water travels through a long, open channel called the Wallaby Aqueduct. This aqueduct crosses the Great Dividing Range. The water then flows into Jacks Creek and finally into the Toorourrong Reservoir.
The reservoir acts like a big settling pool. It helps clean the water before it travels further. From Toorourrong, the water flows about 8 kilometers (5 miles) down the Clearwater Channel. This channel takes the water to the Yan Yean Reservoir. The areas where the reservoir collects water are inside the Wallaby Creek section of the Kinglake National Park.
A Look Back in Time
The Yan Yean Reservoir was Melbourne's first water supply. It was finished in 1857. By 1879, the water levels were low. This showed that Melbourne needed more water for its growing population.
So, the Wallaby Creek aqueduct was built in 1882 and 1883. This aqueduct moved water from Wallaby Creek to Yan Yean. It used Jacks Creek and the Plenty River to do this. The Toorourrong Reservoir itself was built between 1883 and 1885. It was connected to Yan Yean by the Clearwater Channel aqueduct. The Wallaby Creek aqueduct was also made longer to collect water from Silver Creek.
An engineer named William Thwaites designed most of these important water projects. Over time, the water quality in the lower Plenty River got worse. Because of this, the water intake from the river at Yan Yean Reservoir was closed. All the drinking water then came from the protected forest areas through Toorourrong.
The reservoir and its related structures are very old and important. They are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. This means they are protected because of their historical value.
Toorourrong Reservoir Park
Below the dam wall is a 12-hectare (30-acre) park called Toorourrong Reservoir Park. The park and the nearby forest were damaged in the 2009 Victorian bushfires. However, the park is now open for everyone to visit and enjoy.
In 2011, a group from the City of Whittlesea chose Toorourrong Reservoir. They decided it would be a good place for a memorial. This memorial helps people remember the impact of the 2009 bushfires on the local community.
There is a special spot in the park where you can watch for platypus. From 1996 to 2007, the Australian Platypus Conservatory was based at the reservoir. At that time, about 30 platypus lived in the area. We don't know yet how the 2009 fires affected the platypus population.
