Chowilla Dam

Chowilla Dam
Location of the proposed Chowilla Dam
Country	Australia
Location	60 kilometres (37 mi) upstream of Renmark, South Australia
Coordinates	33°58′15.6″S 140°53′41.1″E / 33.971000°S 140.894750°E / -33.971000; 140.894750Coordinates: 33°58′15.6″S 140°53′41.1″E / 33.971000°S 140.894750°E / -33.971000; 140.894750
Status	Cancelled
Construction began	1963 (1963)
Demolition date	1970
Construction cost	A$68 million
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment dam
Impounds	Murray River
Height (foundation)	41 feet (12 m)
Length	3.3 miles (5.3 km)
Spillways	18
Reservoir
Surface area	1372 km2
Maximum length	55 miles (89 km)
Maximum width	20 miles (32 km)
Maximum water depth	55 feet (17 m)

Chowilla Dam was a proposed water storage reservoir on the Murray River in the 1960s. The dam wall would have been in South Australia, but the reservoir behind it would have stretched upstream into Victoria and New South Wales. The site was selected in 1960. Early preparations for its construction were conducted before the project was halted. These included a 23 km service railway from the Barmera railway line, which was dismantled without ever actually being used.

The dam was proposed to provide flood regulation and reliable water supplies for South Australia, which pumps water from the lower Murray through pipelines across the Mount Lofty Ranges to Adelaide, and parts of the Mid North, Yorke Peninsula and Eyre Peninsula. It was announced on 21 April 1960 by Tom Playford, the Premier of South Australia.

It had been agreed by the River Murray Commission in September 1961 and governments of South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Australia in 1963. A preliminary meeting was held on 16 April 1962 to start discussion on Chowilla Dam. Participants in that meeting were Prime Minister of Australia Bob Menzies, Premier of South Australia Tom Playford, Premier of Victoria, Deputy Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Development Jack Renshaw, Treasurer of Australia Harold Holt, Minister for National Development Bill Spooner. The follow-up meeting at which an agreement was reached was held on 19 November 1962. Participants were Spooner (also President of the River Murray Commission) and Menzies for the Commonwealth, Renshaw and George Enticknap for NSW, Premier of Victoria Henry Bolte and Premier of South Australia Thomas Playford. The four governments would share the costs evenly, however the Commonwealth would extend a loan for the New South Wales component in exchange for water from the Menindee Lakes during construction.