Upper Yarra Reservoir

The Upper Yarra Reservoir is located east of Melbourne, beyond Warburton within the locality of Reefton. Water from Upper Yarra Reservoir supplies towns in the upper Yarra Valley, and Silvan Reservoir, which transfers water to most parts of Melbourne.

Upper Yarra Reservoir
LocationVictoria
Coordinates37°41′S 145°55′E
Typereservoir
Catchment area33,670 ha (83,200 acres)[1]
Basin countriesAustralia
Surface area750 ha (1,900 acres)[1]
Average depth27 m (89 ft)
Max. depth77 m (253 ft)
Water volume200,000 megalitres (160,000 acre⋅ft)[1]

The management of 157,000 hectares of Melbourne's forested water catchments of the Upper Yarra such as the Watts (Maroondah) were vested in the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) in 1891. Later in 1928, the Upper Yarra catchment was permanently added for water supply purposes[2][3]

Approval to construct Upper Yarra Reservoir was granted in the early 1940s but due to World War II work did not start until 1948.[4][5][6] When the Upper Yarra Reservoir was completed the total storage capacity of Melbourne's system was tripled to nearly 300,000 megalitres.[1]

Upper Yarra Reservoir has a capacity of 200,000 megalitres (7,100×10^6 cu ft) and was completed in 1957,[7] initially for the purpose of preventing flooding downstream.

Upper Yarra Reservoir is also supplied by water transferred from the Thomson River Dam.

As of January 2007, severe drought in south-eastern Australia had resulted in low water levels in the reservoir, which on 5 January 2007 was approximately half full.

As at 22 July 2013, it was at 95,568 megalitres (47.6% full).[8]

See also
  • John L. Savage, an American engineer who consulted on the construction of the dam.[9]

References
  1. Upper Yarra Reservoir Factsheet (PDF), melbourne: Melbourne Water, September 2005, retrieved 14 October 2009
  2. "UPPER YARRA WATERSHED". Healesville And Yarra Glen Guardian. Victoria, Australia. 25 February 1928. p. 3. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. Moulds, F. R. (1991). The Dynamic Forest – A History of Forestry and Forest Industries in Victoria. Lynedoch Publications. Richmond, Australia. pp. 232pp. ISBN 0646062654.
  4. "Our Water Supply". The Age (30, 142). Victoria, Australia. 6 December 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia., ...They planned to use the Upper Yarra catchment, but, suddenly the demands of War halted their plans...
  5. "UPPER YARRA RESERVOIR". The Argus (Melbourne) (29, 214). Victoria, Australia. 10 April 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "UPPER YARRA DAM PROJECT". The Age (26, 495). Victoria, Australia. 16 March 1940. p. 30. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Board of Works £1½m. 5¼% loan". The Argus (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 17 January 1957. p. 10. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia., ... the board would spend £3 million this financial year on the Upper Yarra dam....This would bring these large projects near to completion...
  8. Melbourne Water - Upper Yarra Reservoir
  9. "U.S. DAM EXPERT ARRIVES". The Sydney Morning Herald (32, 422). New South Wales, Australia. 26 November 1941. p. 10. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
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