South Dandalup Dam is a
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, aqua ...
in
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. It is located where the
South Dandalup River flows out of
Lake Banksiadale. The dam was built in 1971 in response to rapid population growth in
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Western Australia's capital city, and a resources boom in the
Pilbara
The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...
.
The dam was officially opened in 1974.
With a reservoir capacity of , it is the second-largest dam providing water to Perth. It has a catchment area of , a surface area of at full storage, and a reservoir length of .
The dam itself is an earthfilled
embankment dam
An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface ...
, high and wide.
Located only north-east of the historic town of
Dwellingup, and around from Perth, it is a popular recreation area. Western Australia's
Water Corporation
Water Corporation is the principal supplier of water, wastewater and drainage services throughout the state of Western Australia. It is the seventh successive agency to deal with the services in Perth, Western Australia.
With offices in Perth, ...
manages the area, and has provided facilities including picnic areas with gas
barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque (often shortened to BBQ worldwide; barbie or barby in Australia and New Zealand) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that employ live fire and smoke to coo ...
s, and a number of walk trails.
References
External links
Lake Banksiadalein the
Gazetteer of Australia
The Gazetteer of Australia is an index or dictionary of the location and spelling of geographical names across Australia. Geographic names include towns, suburbs and roads, plus geographical features such as hills, rivers, and lakes.
The index is ...
* {{cite web , url = http://www.watercorporation.com.au/D/dams_dandalup_south.cfm , title = South Dandalup Dam , access-date = 18 October 2006 , publisher =
Water Corporation
Water Corporation is the principal supplier of water, wastewater and drainage services throughout the state of Western Australia. It is the seventh successive agency to deal with the services in Perth, Western Australia.
With offices in Perth, ...
, url-status = dead , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061003124210/http://www.watercorporation.com.au/D/dams_dandalup_south.cfm , archive-date = 3 October 2006
Dams completed in 1971
Dams in Western Australia
Darling Range
Shire of Murray