Cairn Curran Reservoir

Cairn Curran Dam
The reservoir in 2023
Cairn Curran Dam is located in Victoria
Cairn Curran Dam
Cairn Curran Dam
Location of the dam in Victoria
Interactive map of Cairn Curran Dam
CountryAustralia
LocationCastlemaine, Victoria
Coordinates36°59′21″S 143°58′02″E / 36.989202°S 143.967097°E / -36.989202; 143.967097
Purpose
StatusOperational
Construction began1947
Opening date1956
OwnerGoulburn-Murray Water
Dam and spillways
Type of damEarth fill dam
ImpoundsLoddon River
Height44 m (144 ft)
Length1,548 m (5,079 ft)
Dam volume811×10^3 m3 (28.6×10^6 cu ft)
Spillways1
Spillway typeControlled
Spillway capacity4,100 cubic metres per second (140,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
CreatesCairn Curran Reservoir
Total capacity148 GL (120,000 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area1,593 km2 (615 sq mi)
Surface area1,900 ha (4,700 acres)
Normal elevation203 m (666 ft) AHD
Cairn Curran Power Station
OperatorAGL Energy
Commission datec. 1956
Decommission datein progress
(due by July 2026)
TypeConventional
Turbines1 x 2 MW (2,700 hp)
Installed capacity2 MW (2,700 hp)
Annual generation2 GWh (7.2 TJ)
[1][2][3]

The Cairn Curran Reservoir is a reservoir formed as a result of the Cairn Curran Dam, an earth-filled embankment dam across the Loddon River, located near the townships of Baringhup, Newstead and Welshmans Reef, in Victoria, Australia. Completed between 1947 and 1956, the reservoir supplies water for irrigation and the generation of hydroelectricity[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] via the adjacent Cairn Curran Power Station, a conventional hydroelectric power station.

The dam and reservoir is operated by Goulburn-Murray Water.

Dam and reservoir overview

This earth-filled dam wall is 44 metres (144 ft) high and 1,548 metres (5,079 ft) long. When full, the reservoir has capacity of 148 gigalitres (120,000 acre⋅ft) and covers 1,900 hectares (4,700 acres), drawn from a catchment area of 1,593 square kilometres (615 sq mi). The controlled spillway has a flow capacity of 4,100 cubic metres per second (140,000 cu ft/s). The complex includes a secondary embankment that is 15 metres (49 ft) high and 853 metres (2,799 ft) long.[1]

Primarily an irrigation reservoir, it is home to an active yacht club[13] and is a popular freshwater fishing and water-skiing destination.[14] Other reservoirs in the Loddon River catchment include the Newlyn, Hepburns, Tullaroop, and Laanecoorie reservoirs.

Hydroelectric power station

The Cairn Curran Power Station is operated by AGL Energy. It has an installed capacity of 2 megawatts (2,700 hp) and generates electricity when irrigation and flood releases are made. The average annual output is 2 gigawatt-hours (7.2 TJ).[15][16] The generator has not been operated since 2017 and, in 2021, AGL reported that decommissioning of the generator is in progress, estimated to be completed by July 2026.[15][17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Register of Large Dams Australia-2015" (Excel. Requires download. Row 75). ANCOLD. January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  2. ↑ "Goulb Camp Lodd Env Flow Delivery Constraints Study-Appendices: F6 Cairn Curran Reservoir" (PDF). 23 November 2006. p. 183.
  3. ↑ "Cairn Curran Reservoir". Goulburn Murray Water. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "Loddon Valley Reservoir to be Provided". Riverine Herald. No. 21, 005. New South Wales, Australia. 3 May 1945. p. 3. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ "Loddon Water Storage". The Argus. No. 30, 537. Melbourne. 12 July 1944. p. 3. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "Water Supply Projects". The Australian Worker. Vol. 55, no. 8. New South Wales, Australia. 20 February 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "Work Started at Dam Site". The Age. No. 28, 542. Melbourne. 16 October 1946. p. 5. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "Reservoir at Cairn Curran". The Age. No. 28807. Melbourne. 23 August 1947. p. 16. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "Work begins on £1¼m reservoir". The Argus. No. 31, 516. Melbourne. 4 September 1947. p. 3. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ "£32½m water projects to be completed". The Argus. Melbourne. 20 March 1956. p. 5. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ "Reservoir to open Friday". The Argus. Melbourne. 24 April 1956. p. 10. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "Bitterness as a ghost house emerges from the mud". The Age. 24 February 2003. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  13. ↑ "Home page". Cairn Curran Sailing Club.
  14. ↑ Krieger, Marcel (July 2014). "A quick guide to Cairn Curran". Fishing Monthly Magazines. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017.
  15. 1 2 "Hydroelectric Power Stations". AGL Energy. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  16. ↑ "Cairn Curran Reservoir". Goulburn-Murray Water. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  17. ↑ Accelerating Our Transition – FY21 TCFD Report (PDF). AGL Energy (Report). 2021. p. 25. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
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