Warragamba Dam was a major engineering feat of the mid-20th Century. [2], The Warragamba Emergency Scheme was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 November 1999, having satisfied the following criteria:[2]. Access to the dam wall and terrace gardens opened from 23 December 2012 to 28 January 2013 at weekends and public holidays. As a result, the dam wall was cooled in a few months instead of the estimated 100 years it would have taken to cool naturally. Even before the valley was officially surveyed in 1827-1828, many early settlers were already squatting on blocks that they planned to officially occupy following the issue of freehold title grants. Browne found a more suitable site and continued as geological adviser until completion. To get to the work site from Warragamba township, the dam builders used two suspension bridges, one across Folly Creek, upstream of the dam wall, and the other across the Warragamba Gorge just downstream from the dam. They knew of the profound significance of these valleys for their parents and grandparents. It was the first stage in the storage and extraction of water from the Warragamba River, and was preliminary to the Waragamba Dam. This project provided access to eight per cent more water or approximately six months of extra supply. [3] Following a 1987 and 1989 re-evaluation of the potential rainfall and flood risks, the New South Wales Government authorised for the dam wall to be raised by 5 metres (16 ft) and constructed an auxiliary spillway on the east bank of the dam. The Emergency Scheme is representative of the collective engineering response to Sydney's critical water shortage during the Second World War period. (Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details) Data source. In 1946 the Warragamba River was diverted so excavation for the dam could … This item is assessed as historically rare statewide and as well as scientifically rare statewide. [citation needed], There have been times when drought has seriously depleted the dam. Overhead cableways lifted 18 tonne buckets to place the concrete. Find out how the gates on Warragamba Dam work during floods in this short animation. Woronora Dam. The dam also feeds water to smaller filtration plants at Warragamba and at Orchard Hills, which supplies residents of Penrith and the lower Blue Mountains. These Folly Creek bridge was removed after the dam was built but the bridge over the gorge was kept and incorporated into the beautification works at the dam. Media related to Warragamba Dam at Wikimedia Commons, 21st centry re-engineering and enhancements, Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board, Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, "Warragamba Dam overflows for first time in years amid NSW 'extreme weather event, "Warragamba Dam: is western Sydney about to flood and would raising the dam wall help? The heritage-listed Warragamba Dam, located about 70km from central Sydney, started spilling at 3pm on Saturday after sustained heavy rainfall along the New South Wales coastline. One of the first pre-stressed concrete towers in Australia was built to house the ice-making plant. Warragamba a story of our making Generations of Sydneysiders owe their thanks to the 2000 workers who worked round-the-clock shifts to build Warragamba Dam between 1948 and 1960. It is so large that engineers had to use two techniques to prevent the temperature from becoming too hot as the concrete set. By 2012, it was rarely used. 1,681 likes. In the early 2000s an auxiliary spillway was built to divert floodwaters around the dam in a rare and extreme flood so as to protect the dam and ensure it remains safe in an extreme flood. Warragamba Dam. [2], Finally pushed into the "Gully", a fringe development in West Katoomba from about 1894, the Gully community stayed together for more than 60 years until dispossessed of the Gully by the then Blue Mountains Shire Council so a group of local businessmen could develop a speedway that became known as the Catalina Race Track. Warragamba Dam - Heritage and Flora and Fauna Survey: Written: Graham Brooks and Associates: 2007: Warragamba Supply Scheme Conservation Management Plan : Written: Morgan, G. 2001: A Photographic History of Warragamba: Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images. A small hydroelectric power station is incorporated into the design of the dam but is rarely operational. It overflowed again in 2016 and in 2021. From the Burragorang Valley and using Aboriginal pathways, other valleys to the west were occupied and developed by the settlers with construction of outstations and stock routes. It's sending more water flooding into … [3], In 1910, Ernest de Burgh, Chief Engineer for Water Supply and Sewerage, in the NSW Public Works Department prepared a proposal for a dam on the Warragamba River and followed it up in 1918 with more detailed plans. Warragamba Dam levels have exceeded 80 per cent for the first time in nearly 10 years. Warragamba Dam spilling over on 27/08/2015 as seen from my DJI Phantom 3 Professional The best quality water is selected and drawn through screens on three outlets in the upstream face of the dam. Concrete was mixed on site using 305,000 tonnes of cement and 2.5 million tonnes of sand and gravel. Warragamba Dam was a major engineering feat of the mid-20 th Century. The location of the dam was first suggested in 1845. It is a concrete gravity dam, which creates Lake Burragorang, the primary reservoir for water supply for the city of Sydney. The deep narrow gorge of the Warragamba River, at the exit to Burragorang Valley, was identified as an ideal place for a dam by Polish explorer Count Paul Strzelecki. Metropolitan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage, This page was last edited on 20 March 2021, at 12:00. [12], However, there are concerns for the more than 50 recognised Aboriginal heritage sites in the 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) of World Heritage Area that would be flooded, parts of which were badly burnt in the 2019–2020 bushfires in Australia. Even before the valley was officially surveyed in 1827-1828, many early settlers were already squatting on blocks that they planned to officially occupy following the issue of freehold title grants. The best quality water is selected and drawn through screens on three outlets in the upstream face of the dam. [11], In 2006, the Warragamba Deep Water Storage Recovery Project, part of the Metropolitan Water Plan, penetrated the base of the dam wall to allow the previously inaccessible lowest water in the reservoir to be available. Locals have spotted a … [19], On 29 February 2012, it was reported that the dam was likely to overflow for the first time in fourteen years, due to continuing heavy rain in the region. This book is a great read and includes some very interesting stories of the town that built the Dam… [1], One of the first places in the Gundungurra traditional homelands that most appealed to the Anglo-Celtic settlers were the river flats of the Burragorang Valley (now flooded under Warragamba Dam). Despite this, Level 3 water restrictions remained in place until 21 June 2009. In the lower Blue Mountains catchment area of Warragamba Dam, remnants of the region's past have emerged from their watery graves. The Warragamba River flows through a gorge that varies in width from 300 to 600 metres (980 to 1,970 ft), and is 100 metres (330 ft) in depth. Warragamba Dam is the largest concrete dam in the country and is best known for the creation of Lake Burragorang – the two constituting the primary sources for water supply in Sydney. Water flows by gravity through a valve house into two pipelines that feed the raw water to Prospect water filtration plant and via off-takes to smaller filtration plants at Orchard Hills and Warragamba. The heritage-listed Warragamba Dam… The Warragamba River offered two important advantages as a site for a major dam - a large catchment area, and a river flowing through a narrow gorge. Home; What Is Warragamba Dam? Ice was mixed with the concrete to control heat generation and prevent cracks. In 1946 the Warragamba River was diverted so excavation for the dam could start. Warragamba Dam - Haviland Park is a heritage-listed former farm, dam, timber getting, Gundungurra traditional lands and squatter's land and now parkland located at Warragamba Dam in the south-western Sydney settlement of Warragamba in the Wollondilly Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Most of the rest of the catchment consists of cleared farming land and contains large and small towns, which discharge treated sewage into the catchment. In 1804, George William Evans became the first white man to discover the Warragamba River, penetrating upstream to the present site of Warragamba Dam. Warragamba Dam supplies water to more than 5 million people living in Sydney and the lower Blue Mountains. [citation needed], Since 2017, WaterNSW has been working on a risk-mitigation project, aimed at protecting human life and property in the floodplain catchment area in case of major flooding, primarily by raising the dam wall by up to 17 metres (56 ft). History Of Warragamba. [12], Warragamba Dam was a popular picnic spot for Sydneysiders, but access to the public was restricted after 1999 due to A$240 million of upgrades in that time. Gathering the history of the unique township of Warragamba NSW The Warragamba Dam is continuing to spill today after receiving another 157mm of rain in the past 24 hours. Some of these buildings were relocated from elsewhere. The dam was built between 1948 and 1960, with a capacity … Warragamba Dam is lauded as an engineering masterpiece but it was the hard working dam builders who got all the glory on Friday. [3][7] The auxiliary spillway is normally closed by a series of fuse plugs that are designed to be washed away in the event of an extreme flood event. The sand and gravel was transported from McCann's Island in the Nepean River via an aerial ropeway. Friends, all enjoy your viewing! The Gully people kept talking about areas of land they had walked in as children - the nearby Megalong and Kanimbla Valleys and the Burragorang Valley. All of the components are excellent examples of the civil engineering skills of the times; the Balance Reservoir is particularly significant because it provides a stilling pool downstream of Warragamba Dam for the purpose of flood discharge; the group of five cottages associated with the construction of the dam are considered to be of high significance because they housed the operations staff between 1940 and 1959. It was designed and built by the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board. Water flows by gravity through two pipelines to Prospect water filtration plant, which supplies 80 percent of Sydney. The surface area of the lake covers 75 square kilometres (29 sq mi) of the now-flooded Burragorang Valley. [20][21][22][15], The dam reached full capacity on 17 August 2020, compared with it being less than half full a year previously. On 2 March 2012, it overflowed for the first time in fourteen years. Located about 65 kilometres west of Sydney in a narrow gorge on the Warragamba River, Warragamba Dam is one of the largest domestic water supply dams in the world. When fully open, it forms a continuation of the crest profile. As a result of this rich history, WaterNSW today manages a diverse range of cultural heritage items, including dams and associated infrastructure, weirs, homesteads, regulators and bridges. Foundation workers gathered at the dam to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the dam’s completion. This river configuration allows for a relatively short but high dam wall, in the gorge, to impound a vast quantity of water. It was this valley that was flooded when Warragamba Dam was built. Engineering experts have also questioned the modelling done by Infrastructure NSW.[15]. Major elements of the construction works still extant include the weir, a 10-cable cableway, shads, batching plants, roads, electrical substation, chlorination plant, maintenance staff accommodation, balance reservoir, Megarritys Bridge, water pumping station, tunnels, and associated pipelines.[2]. In 1943 the Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board invited the geologist William Browne to investigate a proposed site. These have since been incorporated into the Warragamba township, one of the largest townships in the Shire of Wollondilly. Each radial gate has a 12 metres (39 ft) clear span. The resulting dam of the Warragamba River formed Lake Burragorang, which is one of the largest reservoirs for urban water supply in the world. The Warragamba Dam in Sydney is overflowing as heavy rain hits the city causing widespread flooding, cutting off roads and towns in low-lying areas, and will get even worse in … [19] The dam began spilling at 18:53 (AEDT) on 2 March 2012 and again on 20 April 2012. The areas closest to the lake, making up around 30% of the total catchment, are restricted access special areas. During a long cross-country battle in the Dreaming (Gunyungalung), the deep gorges of the Burragorang Valley were gouged out. How the dam was built. [5] The site was reviewed and approved by Dr John Savage, considered the pre-eminent expert in this field, and formally accepted by the Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board on 2 October 1946. Water flows by gravity through a valve house into two pipelines that feed the raw water to Prospect water filtration plant and via off-takes to smaller filtration plants at Orchard Hills and Warragamba. [6], The dam created capacity for a reservoir of 2,027 gigalitres (4.46×1011 imp gal; 5.35×1011 US gal) and is fed by a catchment area of 9,051 square kilometres (3,495 sq mi). [13], In September 2020, the New South Wales Government was ordered by the federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment to re-do their Indigenous heritage work, concerned that NSW has not adequately addressed the concerns of Gundungurra and other traditional owners in their cultural heritage surveys. A deep water pumping station was established in 2006 to allow water to be accessed lower down in the lake during times of drought. The heritage-listed Warragamba Dam… . [3], Dam construction began in 1948 and was completed in 1960. The dam was built in a series of large interlocking concrete blocks. It took 12 years and 1,800 workers to build the dam, which opened in 1960. One of the first places in the Gundungurra traditional homelands that most appealed to the Anglo-Celticsettlers were the river flats of the Burragorang Valley (now flooded under Warragamba Dam). major work includes a complete upgrade of the three passenger lifts within the dam wall, an upgrade of the travelling crest crane and a complete upgrade of the four water supply outlets in the valve house, which includes the replacement of the major valves. This is Warragamba Dam, located 65kms to the West of Sydney. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. On 15 April 2006, the project reached a major milestone when it increased the available storage from 1,857 gigalitres (6.56×1010 cu ft) to 2,027 gigalitres (7.16×1010 cu ft). His proposals were passed onto the newly formed Metropolitan Water and Sewerage and Drainage Board in 1925 when it took over from the P.W.D. It was such a major undertaking that a town was built next to the site to house the dam builders. [2], In 1845, Paweł Strzelecki drew attention to the Warragamba River as a water supply catchment; in 1867, supporters proposed a dam. A truly reliable water supply was not achieved until the early 1960s after constructing Warragamba Dam. The drum gate is hinged along the upstream edge to the upstream crest and lowers into the dam wall to allow water to flow over it. More than 2.3 million tonnes of sandstone was removed. Drought has severely depleted the level of the dam at times: on 8 February 2007 it recorded an all-time low of 32.5% of capacity. A population boom after World War I followed by the worst drought in recorded history, from 1934 to 1942, placed immense pressure on Sydney's water supply. To meet modern dam safety standards, in the late 1980s the dam wall was strengthened and raised by five metres. [12] Infrastructure NSW's rationale is based on the fact that up to 134,000 people live and work on the floodplain, and urban growth could greatly increase this number in decades to come; giving the dam a greater capacity would enable holding back floodwaters before releasing it in a controlled fashion, reducing the need for urgent evacuations. Residents in the Warragamba Dam catchment are on high alert and may have to evacuate as the primary reservoir of water supply for Sydney overflows. Residents in the Warragamba Dam catchment are on high alert and may have to evacuate as the primary reservoir of water supply for Sydney overflows. The property is owned by Water NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. The project constructed a new pumping station downstream of the dam. Wallacia, New South Wales. Access to the site was along the road currently known as Weir Road. This gorge opens at its upper end into a large valley, the Burragorang Valley. 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