Waranga Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Waranga Dam |
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 Location of the Waranga Dam in Victoria
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| Country | Australia |
| Location | North Central region, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 36°33′S 145°06′E / 36.550°S 145.100°E |
| Purpose | Irrigation |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1905 |
| Opening date | 1915; 1926 |
| Owner(s) | Goulburn–Murray Water |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment dam |
| Impounds | Off-stream |
| Height (foundation) | 12.2 m (40 ft) |
| Length | 7 km (4.3 mi) |
| Dam volume | 58,480×103 m3 (2,065×106 cu ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Waranga Basin (official) |
| Total capacity | 432,360 ML (9.511×1010 imp gal; 1.1422×1011 US gal) |
| Surface area | 58.5 km2 (22.6 sq mi) |
| Website at Goulburn–Murray Water |
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The Waranga Dam is a very important dam in Victoria, Australia. It is located about 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Melbourne. This dam creates a large lake called Waranga Basin.
Waranga Basin is special because it's an off-stream reservoir. This means it doesn't block a river directly. Instead, water is sent to it from the Goulburn River system. The dam helps provide water for irrigation, which is how farmers water their crops. It helps irrigate a huge area of 626 square kilometres (242 sq mi).
The dam and its basin are found near the towns of Rushworth, Tatura, and Murchison. When the basin is full, it covers an area of 58.5 square kilometres (22.6 sq mi). Before the dam was built, this area was a swamp known as Warranga. This name comes from an indigenous word. Gold was found near the swamp in 1853, making it one of Victoria's oldest gold mining areas.
Contents
Building the Waranga Dam
How the Dam Was Built
Work on the Waranga Dam began in 1905. It was a huge project that took ten years to finish. Workers used simple tools like picks, shovels, and horse-drawn scoops. The dam was completed in 1915.
The dam was built by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission of Victoria. Their goal was to provide water for farms in the Western Goulburn Valley. When it was first built, the Waranga Dam was considered the largest earth dam of its kind in the world. It was 8.8 metres (29 ft) high and 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long.
Making the Dam Bigger
After 1915, the dam was made even larger. Between 1915 and 1926, the dam's wall was raised in different steps. A strong core wall was also added inside the embankment. By 1921, the dam wall reached 12.2 metres (40 ft) high.
This made the Waranga Basin much bigger. Its storage capacity increased to 432,360 ML (9.511×1010 imp gal; 1.1422×1011 US gal). This is its current size today. A main road that connects Tatura and Rushworth now crosses over the dam's outlet.
How Water is Used from Waranga Basin
Water Supply and Distribution
Waranga Basin stores water that flows from Lake Eildon. It also collects water from its own surrounding area. The water from Waranga Basin is used to supply two main farming areas. These are the Central Goulburn Irrigation Area and the Rochester Irrigation Area.
A long channel, called the Waranga Western Channel, carries some of the water even further. It takes water 180 kilometres (110 mi) to places like Pyramid Hill and Boort. Goulburn–Murray Water is the organization in charge of managing the water flow from the basin.
Water Use During Droughts
Normally, about three-quarters of the basin's 432,360 ML (9.511×1010 imp gal; 1.1422×1011 US gal) capacity can be used for irrigation. However, during tough times like droughts, more water can be supplied. For example, in 2002-03, an extra 90,000 megalitres (20×109 imp gal; 24×109 US gal) was pumped from the basin. This extra water helped farmers in the Goulburn Irrigation System who were struggling with severe dry conditions.
