Silvan Reservoir
The Silvan Reservoir is located in Silvan about 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of Melbourne, Victoria. It has a capacity of 40,000 megalitres (1,400×106 cu ft).[1][3] The reservoir is operated by Melbourne Water.
| Silvan Reservoir[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Location | Silvan, Victoria |
| Coordinates | 37°50′S 145°25′E |
| Type | reservoir |
| Catchment area | 9 km2 (3.5 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Surface area | 3.33 km2 (1.29 sq mi) |
| Silvan Dam | |
|---|---|
 Silvan Reservoir from Kalorama | |
| Location | Silvan, Victoria |
| Construction began | 1926 |
| Opening date | 7 July 1931 |
| Operator(s) | Melbourne Water |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 43 metres (141 ft) |
| Length | 644 metres (2,113 ft) |
| Width (base) | 219 metres (719 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Silvan Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 40,000 megalitres (32,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 9 km2 (3.5 sq mi) (off stream storage) |
| Surface area | 3.33 km2 (1.29 sq mi) |
Operations
Silvan is an off-stream storage reservoir, meaning that most of the water is sourced from other reservoirs as the actual catchment area of 9 square kilometres (3.5 sq mi) for Silvan is small. Water for Silvan is transferred from Upper Yarra, O'Shannassy and Thomson (via Upper Yarra) reservoirs.
In turn, Silvan directly supplies water to many of Melbourne's eastern suburbs as well as other off-stream storage reservoirs, including Cardinia and Greenvale.
History
A severe drought in 1914 forced the government to search for a new water supply to handle Melbourne's ever-increasing needs. Construction took place between 1926 and 1931. It was officially opened on 7 July 1931.[4] The reservoir was 644 metres (2,113 ft) long, 219 metres (719 ft) wide, creating a reservoir that is 43 metres (141 ft) deep.[1][2][4][3]
In 1983, the wall started to show cracks and remedial works were undertaken. The picnic ground was added to the Silvan Reservoir Park at this time,[2] which is now managed by Parks Victoria.
References
- Silvan Reservoir profile, Melbourne Water, retrieved 10 September 2010
- Silvan Reservoir park, Parks Victoria, retrieved 15 September 2010
- Silvan Reservoir fact sheet, Melbourne Water, retrieved 10 September 2010
- Ritchie, E. G. (October 1934), "Melbourne's Water Supply Undertaking" (PDF), Journal of Institution of Engineers Australia, 6: 379–382, archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2011
External links
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