Woronora Dam
The Lake Woronora is a reservoir in the east of the Australian state of New South Wales. It was built on the upper reaches of the Woronora River in the south of Sydney and serves the potable water supply to the Sutherland Shire and the northern Illawarra Shire includes the suburbs Helen Borough, Otford, Stanwell Tops, Stanwell Park and Coalcliff.
Confirmation proposal and
For the first time the Sutherland Shire in 1911 was powered by a 6 "line from Penshurst reservoir with water, which the Georges River crossed at Tom Ugly 's Point to Miranda.
1920, the plan for a water supply from the Woronora River for the cities of Sutherland and Cronulla was abandoned. Five years later, when the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board had completely taken over the construction of water lines in the Sydney area, the project was revived.
The plan involved the construction of a dam on the Woronora River about 24 km upstream of its confluence with the Georges River. If necessary, this dam should be increased.
Construction of the Woronora Dam
The construction of the dam began in 1927, but - as already suspected - he had to be already increased two years later.
The accommodation of the workers were spartan, but practical. They consisted of small bungalows Fibrolite and stood on brick or concrete foundations on the sloping terrain. 1930 saw the global economic crisis on the setting of the work on the dam. The men had to look elsewhere for work, often in other states. Their families often left behind at the site in Woronora.
The fates of some families were closely connected with the construction of dams in the Sydney area: They first lived at the construction site of the Nepean Dam, then they moved to Woronora order and later to the site of the Warragambe Dam. Other workers at Woronora dam project came from coal mines in nearby Helensburgh.
End of 1931, money was released from the Unemployment Relief account for the construction of a weir to the water supply of the area around Sutherland and Cronulla and four years later, work has continued on the dam itself.
1941 Woronora Dam was completed and eventually cost about AU $ 13 million Six of the workers' houses were obtained as dwellings for the operating staff, the remainder of the settlement Woronora has been transformed into a picnic and recreation area.
Properties of the Woronora Dam
The Woronora Dam has the appearance of a vault wall, but is designed as a gravity wall, which receives its stability from its own weight. The lower part consists of a cyclopean - massive sandstone blocks which were obtained in quarries on site. The main wall is poured from basalt and gravel concrete and inside there are two inspection tours.
The dam has two separate serpentine overflows, the excess water discharged by a fortified with concrete bed in the river below the dam.
1988 Woronora Dam for AU $ 2.9 million was added to a wall and foundation drainage to get back to meet international safety regulations for dams.
River water from the Lake Woronora is pumped into the nearby drinking water filter system. This facility is one of nine in the Sydney area that are either operated by Sydney Water or privately on behalf of Sydney Water. Reservoir and filter system supply the areas south of the Georges River as Sutherland, Helensburgh, Stanwell Park, Lucas Heights and Bundeena with drinking water.
Trivia
The Maritime Operations Division of the Australian Department of Defense uses the Lake Woronora to test its sonar equipment. The experimental station is housed on a pontoon in the middle of the reservoir.
At the construction site of the Woronora Dam, part of the comedy drama Dad Rudd MP plays. In this film you can see many of the sites and a number of workers and their families were used as extras.
Visit
The dam is open to the public and has a walk on the dam crest, a picnic area and a car park. The Woronora Dam Road leads 7 km from the Princes Highway to the dam.
External links and sources
- Woronora Dam. Sydney Catchment Authority
- WV Aird: The Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage of Sydney. MWS & DB. Sydney ( 1961)
- Lake Woronora - NSW. ExplorOz.com
- Map of Lake Woronora, NSW. Bonzle.com
- Steve Parish: Australian Touring Atlas. Steve Parish Publishing Pty.. Ltd.. Archerfield QLD (2007). ISBN 978174193232-4. p. 25
- Built in the 1940s
- Lake in New South Wales
- Dam in Australia
- Reservoir in Australia and Oceania
- River system Georges River
- Reservoir in Australia