Koombooloomba Dam
The Koombooloomba Dam is a concrete gravity dam with a controlled spillway across the Tully River, located west of Tully and south, southeast of Ravenshoe in Far North Queensland, Australia. Built for the purpose of hydroelectric power generation, the dam creates the reservoir, Lake Koombooloomba.
| Koombooloomba Dam | |
|---|---|
  Location of the dam wall in Queensland | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | west of Tully, Far North Queensland |
| Coordinates | 17°49′54″S 145°36′16″E |
| Purpose | Hydroelectricity power generation |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 1960 |
| Owner(s) | Stanwell Corporation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Gravity dam |
| Impounds | Tully River |
| Height | 40 metres (130 ft) |
| Length | 399 m (1,309 ft) |
| Dam volume | 790×103 m3 (28×106 cu ft) |
| Spillway type | Controlled |
| Spillway capacity | 2,120 m3/s (75,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Koombooloomba |
| Total capacity | 205,000 ML (4.5×1010 imp gal; 5.4×1010 US gal) |
| Active capacity | 186,750 ML (4.108×1010 imp gal; 4.933×1010 US gal) |
| Catchment area | 163 km2 (63 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 15.5 km2 (6.0 sq mi) |
| Maximum water depth | 12.9 m (42 ft) |
| Kareeya / Koombooloomba | |
| Commission date | 1957 / 1999 |
| Type | Conventional |
| Turbines | 4 |
| Installed capacity | 86.4 megawatts (115,900 hp) / 7.3 megawatts (9,800 hp) |
| Annual generation | 472 gigawatt-hours (1,700 TJ) / 22.5 gigawatt-hours (81 TJ) |
Location and features
The dam was constructed by the Queensland Government Co-ordinator-General's Department in 1960. The 790-thousand-cubic-metre (28×106 cu ft) earth rock embankment dam wall is 399 metres (1,309 ft) in length and 40 metres (130 ft) high. The reservoir has a catchment area of 163 square kilometres (63 sq mi) with a controlled concrete spillway that releases up to 1,240 cubic metres per second (44,000 cu ft/s). The reservoir has a surface area of 1,550 hectares (3,800 acres) with an average depth of 12.9 metres (42 ft), and has a maximum operating level of 186,750 megalitres (4.108×1010 imp gal; 4.933×1010 US gal) of water.[1]
The dam and power generation facilities are owned and operated by Cleanco Queensland.[2]
Hydroelectric power facilities
Built in 1957 and most recently upgraded in 2008, the underground Kareeya Hydro Power Station was the first hydroelectric power station constructed on the Tully River. An intake tower is located in the Tully Falls Weir – a regulating pond for the power station – which directs water down a tunnel to the turbines below Tully Falls. Kareeya has a capacity of 86.4 megawatts (115,900 hp) and generates up to 472 gigawatt-hours (1,700 TJ) annually.[3]
The Koombooloomba Hydro Power Station is a dam release point situated on Koombooloomba Dam. The power station was commissioned in 1999 and has one turbo generator with a capacity of 7.3 megawatts (9,800 hp) that generates up to 22.5 gigawatt-hours (81 TJ).[4] Its location on Koombooloomba Dam in the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Wet Tropics area finally put into use infrastructure established when the dam was constructed in 1960.[5]
References
- "Register of Large Dams in Australia". Dams information. Australian National Committee on Large Dams. 2010. Archived from the original (Excel (requires download)) on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- "OUR COMMUNITY". CleanCo Queensland. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- "Kareeya Hydro" (PDF). Our power stations: Hydro. Stanwell Corporation. March 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- "Koombooloomba Hydro" (PDF). Our power stations: Hydro. Stanwell Corporation. March 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- "Koombooloomba Hydro". Stanwell Corporation. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
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