Aroona Dam
Aroona Dam is located in South Australia
Aroona Dam
Location of Aroona Dam in South Australia
Official nameAroona Dam
CountryAustralia
LocationLeigh Creek, South Australia
Coordinates30°35′06″S 138°21′29″E / 30.58511139°S 138.35802359°E / -30.58511139; 138.35802359
Purposewater supply
StatusNot known[1]
Construction began1952[2]
Opening date1957[2]
Construction costA£1,000,000[2]
Built byElectricity Trust of South Australia[2]
Owner(s)Government of South Australia
Operator(s)Government of South Australia
Dam and spillways
Type of damGravity[2]
Height (thalweg)24 metres (80 ft)[2]
Width (crest)236 metres (775 ft)[2]
Dam volume44,400 cubic metres (58,100 cu yd)[2]
Spillways1
Reservoir
CreatesAroona Dam
Total capacity7,500 megalitres (1,650,000,000 imp gal)[2]
Catchment area730 square kilometres (280 sq mi)[2]

Aroona Dam is a reservoir in the Australian state of South Australia located in the gazetted locality of Leigh Creek about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of the locality’s town centre.[3]

The dam consists of a concrete gravity dam of a height of 24 metres (80 ft) and a width of 236 metres (775 ft) which holds back a lake of a volume of 7,500 megalitres (1,650,000,000 imp gal) and which extends for a distance about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) to the east of the dam wall.[2][4]

The origin of its name is not mentioned in sources. However, the word ‘Aroona’ is listed in the official government place name gazetteer as the name of some geographic features either adjoining the dam or located within its extent. A mountain, Mount Aroona, is located in the ridge on the north side of the dam’s lake. A former water feature is now located “under the waters of the Aroona Dam” is named as the Aroona Waterhole as well as having the Adnyamathanha name of Arrunha Awi.[5][6][7]

It was designed and built by the Electricity Trust of South Australia from 1952 to 1957 by damming the Arrunha Creek (also known as Aroona Creek in one source and as Scott Creek in another source) and using a labour force consisting mainly of immigrants engaged by contract for two-years and which peaked at a maximum of 160 men. Two shifts were scheduled during the winter months while concrete pouring was not conducted between November and March due to “extreme heat.”[2][8][9]

Its original purpose was to supply the original town of Leigh Creek and the Leigh Creek Coalfield which was relying on water pumped from Sliding Rock Mine located about 45 kilometres (28 mi) south-east of the current town of Leigh Creek.[2] In 2004, it was reported as storing and supplying water to “Leigh Creek, Copley and Lyndhurst, the coalfield and several neighbouring pastoral properties” and this was being augmented in respect to Leigh Creek by water pumped from bores about 6 km south of the town.[8] However, in late 2016, it was advised that “water from Aroona dam will not be used for the town water supply” and that water from the bores would be treated in a reverse osmosis desalination plant located near the Leigh Creek township and used.[1]

In 1995, it and adjoining land covering an area of 43 square kilometres (17 sq mi) were declared as a sanctuary under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 known as the Aroona Sanctuary.[10]

In April 2017, in conjunction with initiatives underway for the future re-use of the Leigh Creek township after the closure of the Leigh Creek Coalfield in November 2015, the South Australian government commenced a study to investigate the “potential for shore-based recreational fishing access.”[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Leigh Creek to receive SA Water services" (PDF). SA Water, Government of South Australia. pp. 1 & 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Austral Archaeology; Donovan & Associates (July 1995), "Volume 6,Towns" (PDF), Flinders Ranges Heritage Survey, Department of Environment and National Resources, Government of South Australia, pp. 69–71, retrieved 10 May 2017
  3. ↑ "Search result for "Aroona Dam (DAM)" (Record no SA0003233) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and "Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "Search result for "Aroona Dam (DAM)" (Record no SA0003233) with the following datasets selected - Water Courses, Water Bodies, Gazetteer, Suburbs and Localities and SA Government Regions". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "Search result for "Mount Aroona" (Record no SA0003249) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and "Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  6. ↑ "Search result for "Aroona Waterhole" (Record no SA0003247) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and "Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  7. ↑ "Search result for "Arrunha Awi" (Record no SA0038550) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities" and "Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  8. 1 2 Northern Flinders Ranges Soil Conservation Board (2004), Soil Conservation Board district plan : Northern Flinders Ranges (PDF), Soil Conservation Council of South Australia, pp. 19, 20 & 23, ISBN 978-0-9757587-3-1
  9. ↑ "Aroona Creek, downstream from Aroona Dam 2012 Aquatic Ecosystem Condition Report". Environment Protection Authority, Government of South Australia. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE ACT, 1972, Declaration of Aroona Sanctuary" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia: 1195. 26 October 1995. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  11. ↑ "Shore-based recreational fishing at Aroona Dam, Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). Government of South Australia. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
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