Lake Argyle

Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle seen from space, August 1985. The main channel of the Ord River (dark, meandering feature) north of the lake is visible as it drains northward, eventually emptying into the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf. Low, folded mountains can be identified east and west of this river valley.
Lake Argyle Location in Western Australia
Location	near Kununurra East Kimberley, Western Australia
Coordinates	16°11′19.8″S 128°54′27.4″E / 16.188833°S 128.907611°E / -16.188833; 128.907611Coordinates: 16°11′19.8″S 128°54′27.4″E / 16.188833°S 128.907611°E / -16.188833; 128.907611
Type	Freshwater reservoir
Primary inflows	Ord River, Bow River
Primary outflows	Ord River
Catchment area	46,100 km2 (17,800 sq mi)
Basin countries	Australia
First flooded	1971
Surface area	703 km2 (271 sq mi)
Water volume	10,763 gigalitres (8.726×10^6 acre·ft; 2.582 cu mi)
References

Lake Argyle is Western Australia's largest and Australia's second largestfreshwater man-made reservoir by volume. The reservoir is part of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme and is located near the East Kimberley town of Kununurra. The lake flooded large parts of the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley on the Kimberley Plateau about 80 kilometres (50 mi) inland from the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, close to the border with the Northern Territory.

The primary inflow is the Ord River, while the Bow River and many other smaller creeks also flow into the dam. The lake is a DIWA-listed wetland. as it is the largest lake in northern Australia and an excellent example of a man-made lake. Additionally Lake Argyle, along with Lake Kununurra, are recognised as a Ramsar protected wetlands and were listed in 1990 as Australian Site Number 32.

The construction of the Ord River Dam was completed in 1971 by the American Dravo Corporation. The dam was officially opened the following year. The dam wall is 335 metres (1,099 ft) long, and 98 metres (322 ft) high. The earth-fill only dam wall at Lake Argyle is the most efficient dam in Australia in terms of the ratio of the size of the dam wall to the amount of water stored. The lake was named after the property it partly submerged, Argyle Downs.

Ord River Dam post office opened on 1 March 1969 and closed on 15 November 1971 demonstrating the approximate duration of the construction camp.