Mount Bold Reservoir is the largest

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

with a maximum capacity of over forty-six thousand megalitres. Costing A$1.1 million, the reservoir took six years to construct on the

Onkaparinga River The Onkaparinga River, known as Ngangkiparri or Ngangkiparingga ("place of the women’s river") in the Kaurna language, is a river located in the Southern Adelaide region in the Australian state of South Australia. Rising in the Mount Lofty Ran ...

system between 1932 and 1938. The reservoir does not connect directly to the main reticulation system; rather, to maintain levels at Clarendon Weir, water is released only as required. Much of the water from Mount Bold will eventually end up at

Happy Valley Reservoir The Happy Valley Reservoir is a water reservoir located in the southern Adelaide suburb of Happy Valley, South Australia. Constructed when the total population of Adelaide numbered 315,200 (1893 census), the Happy Valley Reservoir now supplies o ...

and used to supply parts of the

Mount Lofty Ranges The Mount Lofty Ranges are a range of mountains in the Australian state of South Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east of Adelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called the Adelaide Hills and d ...

and also

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. A major renovation was completed in 1964 when the level of the dam was raised 6.4 metres to increase the reservoir's capacity by approximately 17,000 megalitres. Although originally supplying its own electricity through a small

hydro-electricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...

plant, this was discontinued in 1961. However, Mount Bold is now considered a possible site for a future commercial mini-hydro generator. In early June 2007, the

South Australian Government The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the highest ranking mem ...

began a scoping study into expanding the reservoir's capacity fivefold to 240 gigalitres at an estimated cost of A$850 million."SA plan to boost water storage capacity"

ABC News Online ABC News, also known as ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The service covers both local and world affairs, broadcasting both nationally as ABC News, and across the Asia- ...

, 5 June 2007. Retrieved on 2007-06-05. The plan was criticised by the Opposition as not providing any new water, and by ecologist David Paton as threatening surrounding wildlife. On 26 September 2010, Mount Bold Reservoir was opened for the first time since 2005 after receiving large amounts of rainfall in the week leading up to the date. The resulting water flushed out the Onkaparinga Catchment, causing several flooded roads but removing debris which had been building up for many years.

2007 fire

A bushfire ravaged the Mount Bold Valley area, which includes the properties between Kangarilla and Echunga, during the second week of January 2007. The fire destroyed two houses, gutted over ten sheds and killed livestock and horses. Two people were injured and fencing was damaged. The fire started at dusk on 10 January and burnt ferociously into the night with conditions worsening. On the next day, the fire headed towards Echunga but was contained by CFS crews."Fire ravages Kangarilla"
The Advertiser Retrieved on 2007-01-14.

References

SA Water: Water Storage (Reservoirs)
{{reservoirs in South Australia Dams completed in 1938 Arch dams Dams in South Australia Reservoirs in South Australia

2007 fire

See also

References