Cardinia Reservoir
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Cardinia Reservoir is an Australian man-made
water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...
saddle dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...
reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
. The water store is located in
Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...
Clematis ''Clematis'' is a genus of about 300 species within the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. Their garden hybrids have been popular among gardeners, beginning with ''Clematis'' × ''jackmanii'', a garden standby since 1862; more hybrid cultivars ...
Dewhurst in south-eastern suburbs of
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
. Construction started in May 1970 and was completed in 1973 at a cost of more than 11.4 million. The dam that creates the impoundment is called the Cardinia Dam.


History

As Melbourne's water supplies struggled through the 1960s the need for additional water storage became evident.
Cardinia Creek The Cardinia Creek is a freshwater stream southeast of Melbourne, Victoria that flows from the Cardinia Reservoir in the Dandenong Ranges into the Western Port Bay between Tooradin and Koo Wee Rup. The creek forms majority of the boundary between ...
ran from the
Dandenong Ranges The Dandenong Ranges (commonly just The Dandenongs) are a set of low mountain ranges, rising to 633 metres at Mount Dandenong, approximately east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The ranges consist mostly of rolling hills, steeply weathere ...
to
Western Port Western Port, (Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is do ...
, 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 Thomson may refer to: Names * Thomson (surname), a list of people with this name and a description of its origin * Thomson baronets, four baronetcies created for persons with the surname Thomson Businesses and organizations * SGS-Thomson Mic ...
reservoirs were accepted by the
Government of Victoria The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive ...
. Construction of the
Tarago Reservoir Tarago Reservoir is a reservoir located on the Tarago River near Neerim South, approximately east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The reservoir was built in 1969 to supply water to towns near Neerim South, the Mornington Peninsula and Weste ...
commenced in 1966 and was completed in 1969. This water storage 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. With the construction of one large rolled earthfill and rockfill
embankment Embankment may refer to: Geology and geography * A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea * Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railwa ...
to serve as the Cardinia Dam
wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the supe ...
, and some other saddle dams in nearby hills, the large water storage facility of the Cardinia Reservoir was created. The dam was built by Fluor Construction, and engineered by
Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation SMEC Holdings Limited (formerly Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation) is an Australian based-firm that provides consulting services on major infrastructure projects around the world. SMEC undertakes feasibility studies, design, tender and contra ...
, under contract to the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW). The dam wall height is and the main embankment is long. The two saddle dams are high and long; and high and long, respectively. At 100% capacity the dam wall was designed to hold back of water. The surface area of Cardinia Reservoir is and the catchment area is . The ungated uncontrolled spillway is capable of discharging . Construction of the dam was completed in 1973, following which it took another four years to fill, including substantial water transfers from
Silvan Reservoir The Silvan Reservoir is located in Silvan, Victoria, Silvan about east of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It has a capacity of . The reservoir is operated by Melbourne Water. Operations Silvan is an off-stream storage res ...
. As part of the Victorian Government's policy that
fluoride Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
should be added to all public water supplies, construction began on local
fluoridation Water fluoridation is the controlled adjustment of fluoride to a public water supply solely to reduce tooth decay. Fluoridated water contains fluoride at a level that is effective for preventing cavities; this can occur naturally or by adding ...
plants. In 1981, following continued demand for
potable water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ag ...
on the
Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geogra ...
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
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an countries and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The surrounds of the reservoir were allocated $1 million for landscaping work to create a recreational area including picnic areas, playgrounds, carparks and walking tracks.


Operations

Cardinia receives water via a pipeline from
Silvan Reservoir The Silvan Reservoir is located in Silvan, Victoria, Silvan about east of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It has a capacity of . The reservoir is operated by Melbourne Water. Operations Silvan is an off-stream storage res ...
. A
hydroelectric power station Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
at the outlet of the pipeline generates electricity as water is transferred to Cardinia. Water from Cardinia supplies Melbourne's southern and south-eastern suburbs, and the
Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geogra ...
. The Cardinia Reservoir is managed by
Melbourne Water Melbourne Water is a Victorian Government-owned statutory authority that controls and manages much of the water bodies and supplies in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, including the reservoirs, lakes, wetlands, canals and urban cree ...
.


Gallery


See also

*
Cardinia Dam Power Station Cardinia Dam Power Station is a small hydroelectric power station at Cardinia Reservoir near Melbourne, Australia. It is located at the outlet of the pipeline transferring water from Silvan Reservoir The Silvan Reservoir is located in Silvan ...


References


External links


Cardinia Reservoir Park
Parks Victoria
Cardinia Reservoir and Catchment
Cardinia Reservoir Park – Information Kit, March 2003, Parks Victoria {{Melbourne dams Reservoirs in Victoria (Australia) Embankment dams Hydroelectric power stations in Australia 1973 establishments in Australia Shire of Cardinia