Tod River (reservoir)

Tod Reservoir
Location of the Tod Reservoir in South Australia
Location	South Australia
Coordinates	34°28′55″S 135°50′49″E / 34.482°S 135.847°E / -34.482; 135.847Coordinates: 34°28′55″S 135°50′49″E / 34.482°S 135.847°E / -34.482; 135.847
Construction began	1918
Opening date	1922
Dam and spillways
Height	25 m
Length	351 m
Reservoir
Total capacity	11 300 ML
Catchment area	Tod River & Pillaworta Creek
Surface area	134 hectares (330 acres)

The Tod Reservoir is located on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, in the localities of Whites Flat and Koppio, 27 km north of Port Lincoln. It is situated on the Tod River, the only stream on Eyre Peninsula, South Australia providing reliable flows; the reservoir is supplied by concrete channels fed from weirs constructed across the Tod River and its major tributary, Pillaworta Creek. The river was named after Robert Tod who discovered it during explorations in 1839. The Tod River flows into Louth Bay in Spencer Gulf. The reservoir is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.

A museum which features audio and visual displays is located off White Flat Road, northwest of Poonindie. Grounds include a playground, tennis court, coin-operated barbecues and a picnic area. Grounds are open 7 days. The museum is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 4pm.

The catchment yield for the Tod River is estimated to be 11 gigalitres per annum., though this can reduce significantly during periods of drought.

While for some years up to 3,000 ML/year of water was extracted from the reservoir for potable use, negligible water has been extracted since 2001-2002. Reasons for the change include increasing salinity and concerns about the levels of agricultural chemicals in the reservoir. The reservoir has been retained as a ‘contingency' water supply measure since that time.

In April 2011, the Department for Water listed three possible options for the future use of the Tod Reservoir. They were:

There is widespread support in the Eyre Peninsula community for recommissioning the Tod Reservoir using desalination.

SA Water investigated this option and concluded it was not viable because of the difficulty in finding an environmentally suitable location for brine waste disposal. SA Water also concluded there was insufficient volume of water available in the reservoir to justify desalination. Alternative views exist, with others suggesting that desalination could be viable with some further engineering and catchment management considerations.