Stephens Creek Dam | |
Location Map: | New South Wales |
Location Map Caption: | Location of the Stephens Creek Dam in New South Wales |
Coordinates: | -31.8739°N 141.5819°W |
Country: | Australia |
Location: | Far West, New South Wales |
Purpose: | Potable water supply |
Status: | O |
Opening: | 1892 |
Owner: | Essential Energy |
Dam Type: | E |
Dam Crosses: | Stephens Creek |
Dam Length: | 140m (460feet) |
Dam Height: | 15m (49feet) |
Dam Volume: | 112e3m3 |
Spillway Type: | Uncontrolled |
Spillway Capacity: | 900m3/s |
Res Name: | Stephens Creek Reservoir |
Res Capacity Total: | 2000ML |
Res Catchment: | 512km2 |
Res Surface: | 8.5km2 |
The Stephens Creek Dam is an earth-filled embankment dam built on a rock foundation with an uncontrolled spillway across the Stephens Creek, located in the Far West region of New South Wales, Australia. The principal purpose of the dam is to supply potable water for the town of . The impounded 2000ML reservoir is called Stephens Creek Reservoir.
The dam was completed in 1892 by the Broken Hill Water Supply Company to provide a continuing water source for drought-ridden Broken Hill. The reservoir soon became inadequate and a further reservoir, Umberumberka, was built to add to the water supply. Stephens Creek Reservoir remains the primary water source for Broken Hill, a city of around people and is a popular picnic area.
The height of the dam wall is, and in length. The earth-filled embankment wall is 112e3m3 by volume. The uncontrolled spillway discharges overflow at the rate of . The reservoir has a maximum storage capacity of, over a surface area of, and drawn from a catchment area of .[1]
The facility is owned and operated by Essential Energy, which, prior to 2004 was Australian Inland Energy and Water.