Tallebudgera Creek Dam

Dam in South East Queensland

28°10′41″S 153°21′36″E / 28.17806°S 153.36000°E / -28.17806; 153.36000PurposeRecreationStatusDecommissionedConstruction begancirca 1940sOpening datecirca early 1950sOwner(s)Gold Coast City CouncilOperator(s)Gold Coast WaterDam and spillwaysType of damEmbankment damImpoundsTallebudgera CreekReservoirSurface area18 ha (44 acres)^[1]

The Tallebudgera Creek Dam, or colloquially Tally Dam,^[2] is a decommissioned embankment dam across the upper reaches of the Tallebudgera Creek, located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The initial purpose of the dam from its establishment until its decommissioning during the 1970s was for the supply of potable water to the Gold Coast region. There is no public access to the dam.

Location and features

The Tallebudgera Dam is located approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) south west of the Burleigh Heads.

Designed and constructed by the Coolangatta-Nerang Water Supply Board in the 1940s, construction of the Tallebudgera Dam was finalised in the early 1950s. The dam was one of the earliest water supplies for the region, and provided a constant flow to the intake that was located downstream of the dam. Growth and demand in the region led to the construction of Little Nerang Dam and Mudgeeraba Water Treatment Plant, which then made Tallebudgera Creek Dam obsolete as a water supply. The decommissioning is believed to have occurred in the 1970s and included the removal of the valve house and filling of the valve chambers. It appears that the dam was left for recreation purposes after decommissioning. Following introduction of the Water Act, 2000 (QLD), a Failure Impact Assessment noted the dam design did not comply with the latest safety standards and may over top during a 1 in 50 year average recurrence interval. The Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water issued advice that the dam was to be upgraded to meet the current dam safety standards.^[3]^[4] Options considered were to permanently lower the level of the spillway, install flood-triggered gates and removal of the dam. In 2006, after two years of investigation, reports and public consultations, work commenced to upgrade the existing dam to the required standards.^[5]

References

^ "Map of Tallebudgera Creek Dam, QLD". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
^ McLean, Yvonne (29 October 2004). "Coast's 'lost' dam". Gold Coast Mail. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
^ "Adopted Minutes of the Water Sustainability Committee Meeting" (PDF). Council Minutes (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. 31 January 2008. p. 4. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
^ Johnstone, Craig (15 October 2009). "Queensland dams overflowing with risk for local residents". The Courier-Mail. Queensland. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
^ "Tallebudgera Creek Dam: At what price a life?". Golden Target Awards. University of Technology Sydney. 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2014.

External links

"Tallebudgera Creek Dam". Picture Australia. National Library of Australia.
"Adopted Minutes of the Water Sustainability Committee Meeting" (PDF). Council Minutes (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. 31 January 2008.
"Tallebudgera Creek Catchment Management Plan" (PDF). Community Information Session: Part 1 (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. 3 December 2008.

Water supply in Queensland, Australia

Dams and reservoirs by region

South East Queensland	Atkinson Baroon Pocket Biggera Creek Bill Gunn Bromelton Cedar Grove Weir Lake Clarendon Enoggera Ewen Maddock Gold Creek Hinze Lake Manchester Leslie Harrison Little Nerang Maroon Moogerah Mount Crosby Weir North Pine Poona Sideling Creek Six Mile Creek Somerset Splityard Creek Wappa Wivenhoe Wyaralong
Darling Downs	Connolly Cooby Coolmunda Cressbrook Glenlyon Leslie Perseverance
South West Queensland	E.J. Beardmore Neil Turner Weir
Wide Bay–Burnett	Ben Anderson Barrage Bjelke-Petersen Boobir Boondooma Borumba Cania Cedar Pocket Cooloolabin Fred Haigh Gordonbrook Lake Gregory Lenthalls McCauley Weir Meandu Creek Paradise Placer Wuruma
Central Queensland	Lake Awoonga Burton Gorge Callide Fairbairn Fitzroy River Barrage Kroombit Middle Creek Number 7 Teemburra Theresa Creek
North Queensland	Bamboo Burdekin Falls Eungella Gattonvale Offstream Storage Kinchant Paluma Peter Faust Ross River Solomon Teviot Creek
Far North Queensland	Copperlode Falls Ibis Irvinebank Koombooloomba Return Creek Southedge Stannary Hills Lake Tinaroo Wild River
North West Queensland	Lake Belmore Corella East Leichhardt Lake Julius Kidston Lake Moondarra Rifle Creek
Historical	Nindooinbah Tallebudgera Creek

Water resource management by function

Companies and government agencies	Gold Coast Water Queensland Urban Utilities seqwater SunWater WaterSecure
Other sources / facilities	Bradfield Scheme Bundaberg Irrigation Scheme Gold Coast Desalination Plant Mount Crosby Pumping Station SEQ Water Grid Toowoomba Water Futures referendum, 2006 Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme
Regulators	Department of Energy and Water Supply
Historical	Brisbane Water LinkWater Queensland Water Commission SEQ Water Grid Manager