Dam (agricultural reservoir)

A dam is a water reservoir in the ground, confined by a barrier, embankment or excavation, on a pastoral property or similar. The term is found widely in South African, Australian[1] and New Zealand English, and several other English dialects, such as that of Yorkshire.[2]

Farm dam in the Adelaide Hills near Strathalbyn

The term can be found in the old English folk song Three Jolly Rogues:

The miller was drowned in his dam,
The weaver was hung by his yarn

The expression "farm dam" has this meaning unambiguously, and where the barrier or embankment is intended, it may be referred to as the "dam wall".

Usage examples

Examples from Australia:[3][4][5]

On Wednesday, the 3rd inst., an inquest was held at the house of Mr. H. Lamshed, J.P. near Maitland, on the body of William Lamshed, who was drowned in his father's dam on that morning.

— Yorke's Peninsula Advertiser And Miners' And Farmers' Journal (1878)

The machinery is now idle, owing to the water in the dam having dried up, but everything is in readiness for a start as soon as the rain sets in.

— Adelaide Observer (1870)

Will anything be done to dredge out silt from Stephens Creek and so increase its capacity? — Definitely no. Such an operation is never worth-while. It is always cheaper to dig a new dam.

— Barrier Miner (1943)

An example from New Zealand:[6]

A farmer, Wilfred Wylam Emslie, aged 60, was drowned on Saturday in a dam on a farm at Oakura, while attempting to rescue sheep. Resuscitation attempts failed.

— Auckland Star (1931)
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References
  1. Ransom, W.S., ed. (1988). The Australian National Dictionary. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0 19 554736 5.
  2. Simpson, J.A.; Weiner, E.S.C. (eds.). The Oxford English Dictionary. IV. Oxford UK: Clarendon Press. p. 223. ISBN 0 19 861216 8.
  3. "Inquest at Maitland". Yorke's Peninsula Advertiser And Miners' And Farmers' Journal. VI (577). South Australia. 16 April 1878. p. 1. Retrieved 7 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "The Week's News". Adelaide Observer. XXVII (1486). South Australia. 26 March 1870. p. 7. Retrieved 7 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Citizens Must Reduce Water Demands". Barrier Miner. LV (16, 618). New South Wales, Australia. 7 January 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 7 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Drowned in Dam". Auckland Star. LXII (10). 13 January 1931. p. 9. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
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