Tinaroo Dam | |
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A photo of the Tinaroo Dam wall
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Location of the Tinaroo Dam in Queensland
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Official name | Tinaroo Falls Dam |
Country | Australia |
Location | Far North Queensland |
Coordinates | 17°09′49″S 145°32′47″E / 17.16361°S 145.54639°ECoordinates: 17°09′49″S 145°32′47″E / 17.16361°S 145.54639°E |
Purpose | Irrigation; water supply; hydroelectricity; recreation |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | 1953 |
Opening date | 1958 |
Construction cost | A$12.6 million |
Owner(s) | SunWater |
Dam and spillways | |
Type of dam | Gravity dam |
Impounds | Barron River |
Height | 42 metres (138 ft) |
Length | 533 metres (1,749 ft) |
Width (base) | 35.4 metres (116 ft) |
Dam volume | 223 thousand cubic metres (7.9×10 6 cu ft) |
Spillways | 1 |
Spillway type | Ungated, central ogee |
Spillway capacity | 1,160 cubic metres per second (41,000 cu ft/s) |
Reservoir | |
Creates | Lake Tinaroo |
Total capacity | 438,919 ML (15,500.3×10 6 cu ft) |
Catchment area | 545 km2 (210 sq mi) |
Surface area | 3,500 ha (8,600 acres) |
Maximum water depth | 41.8 m (137 ft) |
Normal elevation | 670.4 m (2,199 ft) AHD |
Tinaroo Hydro Power Station | |
Coordinates | 17°09′49″S 145°32′50″E / 17.16361°S 145.54722°E |
Operator(s) | SunWater |
Commission date | May 2004 |
Type | Conventional |
Turbines | Francis turbine |
Installed capacity | 1.6 megawatts (2,100 hp) |
Annual generation | 5,579 megawatt-hours (20,080 GJ) |
The Tinaroo Dam, officially the Tinaroo Falls Dam, is a major ungated concrete gravity dam with a central ogee spillway across the Barron River located on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. The dam's purpose includes irrigation for the Mareeba-Dimbulah Irrigation Scheme, water supply, hydroelectricity, and recreation. Completed between 1953 and 1958, the dam creates the impounded reservoir, Lake Tinaroo.
In 1952, the Tinaroo Dam and Mareeba-Dimbulah Irrigation Scheme was approved by the Queensland Government. Construction on the dam was started in 1953 and completed in 1958, at a cost of A$12.666 million. When the dam was filled in 1959, the old township of Kulara near Yungaburra went underwater, and all of the residents relocated to Yungaburra and surrounding towns. The area around Kulara was among the last to flood when the dam filled. Earlier the area of Danbulla, located on Robson's Creek - which also feeds into the lake, went underwater. Most of these residents relocated to the tablelands area as their farms were resumed. The dam is located close to Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham (Yidyam).
The dam wall, constructed with 223,000 thousand cubic metres (7,900×10 6 cu ft) of concrete, is 42 metres (138 ft) high and 533 metres (1,749 ft) long. The maximum water depth is 41.8 metres (137 ft) and at 100% capacity the dam wall impounds enough water from the Barron River to create a lake approximately 75% the size of Sydney Harbour with a capacity of 438,919 megalitres (15,500.3×10 6 cu ft) of water at 670 metres (2,200 ft) AHD . The surface area of the Lake Tinaroo is 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) and the catchment area is 545 square kilometres (210 sq mi). The ungated, central ogee spillway is capable of discharging 1,160 cubic metres per second (41,000 cu ft/s). Two 500-millimetre (20 in) radial gates serve as irrigation outlets that yield a205,000 megalitres (7,200×10 6 cu ft) annually. In addition, one 500-millimetre (20 in) core valve serves as an outlet for Barron River.