| Warragamba Dam | |
|---|---|
 Warragamba Dam wall | |
  Location of the Warragamba Dam in New South Wales | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Warragamba, New South Wales |
| Coordinates | 33°52′59″S 150°35′44″E / 33.88306°S 150.59556°E |
| Purpose | Potable water supply |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1948 |
| Opening date | 14 October 1960 |
| Owner(s) | WaterNSW |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Gravity dam |
| Impounds | Warragamba River |
| Height | 142 m (466 ft) |
| Length | 351 m (1,152 ft) |
| Width (base) | 104 m (341 ft) |
| Dam volume | 3,000,000 tonnes (3,300,000 short tons; 3,000,000 long tons) |
| Spillways | Two |
| Spillway type | Controlled chute spillways with five crest gates and a central drum; automatic operation |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Burragorang |
| Total capacity | 2,031 GL (4.47×1011 imp gal; 5.37×1011 US gal) |
| Catchment area | 9,051 km2 (3,495 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 75 km2 (29 sq mi) |
| Maximum length | 52 km (32 mi) |
| Maximum water depth | 105 m (344 ft) |
| Normal elevation | 180 m (590 ft) |
| Power Station | |
| Operator(s) | Eraring Energy |
| Commission date | 1959 |
| Decommission date | 2001 |
| Type | Conventional |
| Turbines | 1 |
| Installed capacity | 50 MW |
| Website Warragamba Dam at WaterNSW | |
| Official name | Warragamba Emergency Scheme |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 18 November 1999 |
| Reference no. | 1376 |
| Type | Water Supply Reservoir/ Dam |
| Category | Utilities – Water |
| Builders | Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board |
Warragamba Dam is a heritage-listed dam in the outer South Western Sydney suburb of Warragamba, Wollondilly Shire in New South Wales, Australia. It is a concrete gravity dam, which creates Lake Burragorang, the primary reservoir for water supply for the city of Sydney. The dam wall is located approximately 65 kilometres (40 mi) W of Sydney central business district, 4½ km SW of the town of Wallacia, and 1 km NW of the village of Warragamba.
The dam was devised as part of a collective engineering response to Sydney's critical water shortage during World War II and was originally known as the Warragamba Emergency Scheme. Constructed between 1948 and 1960, the dam created capacity for a reservoir of 2,031 gigalitres (4.47×1011 imp gal; 5.37×1011 US gal) and is fed by a catchment area of 9,051 square kilometres (3,495 sq mi). The surface area of the lake covers 75 square kilometres (29 sq mi) of the now-flooded Burragorang Valley. It was designed and built by the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board. A small hydroelectric power station was incorporated into the design of the dam but has been disconnected from the grid since 2001.
The property is owned by WaterNSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. The dam was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 November 1999.
Drought has severely depleted the level of the dam at times: on 8 February 2007 it recorded an all-time low of 32.55555555% of capacity. On 2 March 2012, it overflowed for the first time in fourteen years. It overflowed again in 2016, March 2021,[1] March 2022[2] and April 2024.[3]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
abc-overflow-21-mar-'21was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "NSW flood: Sydney residents west and northwest evacuated after Warragamba dam overflows | Floods off the east coast of Australia 2022". 2 March 2022.
- ^ "Evacuation warnings, road closures as Sydney's Warragamba Dam spills over". 7NEWS. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.