When was hume dam built

Click on the link to view a 5 minute video of the construction: Remedial work on Southern Training Wall, You can view the video on YouTube by clicking on this link: Hume Dam Construction In , a four-part series covering similar themes was written and narrated by Greg Ryan. Remedial Work Extensive remedial work was completed in to construct a concrete buttress to strengthen the Southern Training wall and enable the wall to better withstand a possible future earthquake.

Climatic conditions in future years are becoming even less certain, with the impact of climate change on rainfall patterns, the intensity of droughts and the size and timing of floods in the Hume catchment difficult to predict. The Hume Reservoir is the main operating storage of the River Murray system. Releases from the reservoir in conjunction with downstream tributary flows, supply water along the Murray to New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia for irrigation, stock and domestic and urban consumption as well as for environmental purposes.

The storage also re-regulates releases from the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme to better match downstream demand. When the storage in Lake Victoria and Menindee Lakes is low, additional releases are made specifically for South Australian requirements. In turn, Hume Reservoir can be supplemented in times of drought with water released from Dartmouth Reservoir. Hume Reservoir generally follows an annual cycle of filling and drawdown. This cycle results in three main phases of operation:.

Although generally more common at specific times of year, the dam's cycle and operational phases are not regular in their timing and duration. There is often considerable variation from year to year which reflects the extreme range of rain and hydrological conditions that affect the system.

In recent years, there have been extended periods with very little inflow during the 'usual' fill phase; while spill phase operations — including floods — have taken place during unusually wet periods in summer. During the fill phase, most inflows are stored to replenish the storage volume. Filling generally takes place during winter and spring when downstream demands are at their lowest and upstream inflows increase.

Releases are reduced to the minimum flow that can supply the in-channel and other environmental needs of the river downstream. In recent years, this approach has started to change. To restore a more natural flow regime that benefits the environment, slightly higher releases are now being made during winter-spring in a pattern that mimics the observed inflows. These releases are being undertaken using environmental entitlements and have led to a shift in the seasonal pattern of demand that has been in place since river regulation began.

On average, Hume Reservoir spills about 1 year in 2. However, during the drought of the early s, after filling in October , the reservoir did not re-fill again until October During years when it is nearly full and the likelihood of spilling increases, operations move into the spill phase when managing 'airspace' is a focus and floods may occur. Airspace is the difference between the actual volume of water in storage and the volume when full.

The amount of airspace that is held in storage takes account of the catchment conditions, rainfall and inflow forecasts, and the likely demand for water during the weeks and months ahead. Typically, larger amounts of airspace are maintained leading into winter when adequate rainfall is likely to re-fill the storage. However, as Hume Reservoir's primary function is water security, the storage is always operated to ensure it is filled prior to the commencement of irrigation releases.

This means that in wetter years there will always be a period where the reservoir's water level is very high or full. The size of a spill — and the subsequent need to manage floods — will depend on the amount of rain and inflow that occurs during the period when the water level in the reservoir is very high or full.

Actual downstream flooding takes place if enough water flows into the reservoir during the period of high storage levels and passes over the spillway. The supply phase begins when demand-driven releases of water exceed the inflows.

This typically starts sometime between August and November, and continues until May in the following year. The planning and timing of releases for water supply is complicated by the fact that travel times for water from Hume Reservoir to locations downstream ranges between several days and several weeks. As such, demands must be anticipated well in advance. The range of fluctuations in weather conditions are considered to ensure the right amount of water is available at the required time, to meet flow and consumptive demands from just downstream of the dam through to South Australia.

Providing sufficient water, whilst operating efficiently is one of the primary challenges of operations. It relies upon on-going investigation of modelled scenarios to understand risks to water access and target levels associated with if conditions vary between very wet to very dry in the weeks and months ahead.

This maximises the amount of water available for downstream use and also helps to mitigate floods downstream of the dams. The Hume's operating approach coupled with seasonal demands for water has almost inverted the downstream natural flow pattern of the Murray, with reduced winter and early spring flows and increased summer flows.

When the dam was constructed, seven regulating outlet valves were included — four 2. The larger outlets were planned for eventual use as hydro-electric penstocks.

Modifications between and enlarged the storage by adding 29 spillway gates on the gravity concrete structure, a parapet wall across the main embankment and 2 extra earthen embankments to prevent water flowing out through low 'saddles' on the Victorian side. To accommodate the increased loads resulting from raising the full supply level, tensioning cables were placed through the concrete gravity dam spillway structure to anchor it to the bedrock beneath.

Other work included the installation of drainage holes beneath the concrete spillway structure to help control uplift pressures — engineering practice at the time the dam was built made no provision for uplift pressures. A 50 MW hydro-electric power station came into service in The two hydro-electric units were each upgraded from 25 MW to 29 MW in In , the foundation drainage system was augmented to further relieve uplift water pressures under the concrete spillway structure.

The Murray River is an important place for many Aboriginal groups. Research one Murray River creation story. Year level 7 8 9 Learning area Geography. Further activities. Explain your answer. If you could pick only one image to represent this story, which one would you choose? Can you find out? Which three states does the Murray River flow through? Why was the Hume Dam built? How much water can Lake Hume hold?

Why is the Murray River so important? Why was a dam needed? What are the other two? How was the dam built? Hume Dam under construction, Foto Supplies. Extensions to the Hume Dam, s Foto Supplies.

Hume Dam and reservoir Photo: Michael Bell.