Serpentine Dam (Tasmania)
Serpentine Dam | |
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Location of the Serpentine Dam in Tasmania | |
Country | Australia |
Location | South West Tasmania |
Coordinates | 42°46′35″S 145°58′56″E / 42.77639°S 145.98222°E |
Purpose | Power |
Status | Operational |
Opening date | 1971 |
Owner(s) | Hydro Tasmania |
Dam and spillways | |
Type of dam | Embankment dam |
Impounds | Serpentine River |
Height | 38 metres (125 ft) |
Length | 134 metres (440 ft) |
Dam volume | 127×10 3 m3 (4.5×10 6 cu ft) |
Spillways | 1 |
Spillway type | Controlled |
Spillway capacity | 242 m3/s (8,500 cu ft/s) |
Reservoir | |
Creates | Lake Pedder |
Total capacity | 2,937,930 ML (103,752×10 6 cu ft) |
Catchment area | 734 km2 (283 sq mi) |
Surface area | 242 km2 (93 sq mi) |
Maximum water depth | 43 m (141 ft) |
Website hydro | |
[1] |
The Serpentine Dam is a
The impounded
Location and features
The Serpentine Dam, together with the Edgar Dam and the Scotts Peak Dam, are three major dams that form the headwaters for the Gordon River Power Development Scheme. The dam is located near Lake Pedder's most northwesterly point where the Serpentine River descends from the
Built on a foundation of rock and soil, the Serpentine Dam wall was constructed with 127 thousand cubic metres (4.5×10 6 cu ft) of rockfill and faced with concrete. The dam wall is 38 metres (125 ft) high and 134 metres (440 ft) long. At 100% capacity the dam wall holds back 2,937,930 megalitres (103,752×10 6 cu ft) of water. The surface area of Lake Pedder is 241,330 hectares (596,300 acres) and the catchment area is 734 square kilometres (283 sq mi). The dam wall has a controlled spillway capable of discharging 242 cubic metres per second (8,500 cu ft/s).[1]
This non-hydroelectric dam helps retain water in the new impoundment, which then flows to Lake Gordon via the McPartlans Pass Canal at 42°50′51″S 146°11′45″E / 42.84750°S 146.19583°E.
The construction of the Serpentine Dam resulted in the loss of one of the significant sub-populations of the endangered Centrolepis pedderensis, while the nearby Gordon Dam caused the loss of another. It is now only known to exist in one location on the Frankland Range. One sub-population existed along the Serpentine River and is now inundated as a direct cause of the creation of this dam.[5]
See also
- List of dams in Tasmania
References
- ^ a b "Register of Large Dams in Australia" (Excel (requires download)). Dams information. Australian National Committee on Large Dams. 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Gordon - Pedder". Energy: Our power stations. Hydro Tasmania. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
- ^ "Scotts Peak Dam, Tasmania" (PDF). Submission for an Historic Engineering Marker. Engineers Australia. April 2000. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ "Gordon River - more power to Tasmania". www.wheretostay.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Australian Government. Retrieved 29 November 2009.