Lake Somerset

The Lake Somerset is an artificial lake in the southeast of the Australian state of Queensland. At the Somerset Dam the Stanley River is dammed. The dam was completed in 1953 and provides protection against flash floods and store water for the cities of Brisbane and Ipswich. Even a small power plant with 4 MW is operated with the water.

Design and operation

The reservoir has a storage capacity of 904 million cubic meters with full back. Under normal circumstances, 380 million cubic meters of which are reserved for drinking water supply, but the reservoir may temporarily add further 524 million cubic meters of water from flash floods. The gravity dam is 305 m long and contains 203,000 cubic meters of concrete.

The dam is operated by SEQ Water. A filling ratio of 90 % is ideal to keep evaporation low. If overfilled, water is discharged into the deeper Lake Wivenhoe to keep the water level in Lake Somerset constant.

Construction

For the first time the lower valley of the Stanley River was proposed as the site for a reservoir of Henry Somerset, the owner of the settlement Caboonah, after the great flood in Brisbane in 1893, which left huge damage to all residents of the Brisbane River. A study committee recommended in 1928 that Stanley 's Deep for the construction of the dam, but only in 1933 accepted Forgan Smith, the then Governor of Queensland, the project as a good opportunity of job creation for people who had lost in the world economic crisis their jobs.

Construction began in 1935. It had huts and other facilities for the workers to be built, so you could attract 1,000 construction workers and their families in the area. 1942, when the dam was almost finished, the workers were needed as soldiers in World War II. Only in 1948 was the work on the dam to continue. In 1953, the construction was finally finished and the dam was put into operation. But in 1958 it was officially named after Henry Somerset and the following year were also the remaining work, such as the power plant, completed.

Recreational facilities

There are two ways to access Lake Somerset, Kirk Leigh and The Spit. In both places you will find wide, concrete slipways for boats and facilities for day-trippers. Tents and parking of recreational vehicles are allowed park in the small town of Somerset in Kirk Leigh and below the dam in Somerset. ( 800 pitches and 2,200 parking spaces at Somerset Park in Kirk Leigh ) should be a good day to both campgrounds. On the dam there are 30 km of navigable waterways, but you need a permit if you want to control a motor boat on the lake.

Sport fishing

The reservoir is considered a good fish water, one of the five best in Queensland. One finds cod perch, Tiger fish, the Australian freshwater herring ( Nematalosa erebi, bony bream ), the Tauwels ( eel -tailed catfish ), Australian lungfish and Leichhardt's osteoglossid. To fish you need a special permit ( Permit Stocked impoundment ).