The Shoalhaven Scheme is a dual-purpose water supply and Pumped-storage Hydroelectricity scheme located on the South Coast region of New South Wales , Australia .
21-579: Wingecarribee Dam , completed in 1974 as part of the Shoalhaven Scheme , is an earth and rockfill embankment dam structure located on the Wingecarribee River about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southeast of Bowral in New South Wales , Australia. The embankment of 573 cubic metres (20,200 cu ft) is 19 metres (62 ft) high and 1,140 metres (3,740 ft) in length. At 100% capacity,
42-776: A joint project between the Electricity Commission of New South Wales and the NSW Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board. Management has subsequently been passed from those bodies to Origin Energy and the Sydney Catchment Authority . Kangaroo Valley Power Station in the Kangaroo Valley has two 80-megawatt (110,000 hp) pump turbines , for a total electricity generating capacity of 160 megawatts (210,000 hp). From Bendeela Pondage,
63-754: A result of the inflow of peat from the Wingecarribee Swamp collapse in August 1998. The original storage capacity was 34,500 megalitres (1,220 × 10 ^ cu ft). The dam has two outlets, the usual main spillway flowing into the Wingecarribee River which feeds the Warragamba Dam system, and an added extra sluice system known as the Glenquarry Cut which feeds into the Glenquarry Creek and then
84-544: Is a tributary of Warragamba River , so water pumped into Wingecarribee Reservoir can be released into Warragamba Dam and hence the Sydney water supply. Water can also be released into Nepean Dam via a system of rock cuttings and tunnels known as Glenquarry Cut. Water from the Nepean Dam can be transferred to Sydney, or to Wollongong via Avon Dam . In addition to its water supply capabilities which supplements water supplies to
105-822: The Bendeela Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Station on the Shoalhaven River / Kangaroo River which both go into the Tallowa Dam and the Kangaroo Valley Hydroelectric Pumped Storage Power Station . It's a small storage buffer dam for between the two Pumped-storage Hydroelectric Power Station's . Bendeela Power Station has two 40-megawatt (54,000 hp) pump turbines, for a total of 80 megawatts (110,000 hp) of electricity generating capacity. Bendeela Pumping and Power Station, located on
126-677: The Kangaroo River arm of Lake Yarrunga, lifts water 127 metres (417 ft) to Bendeela Pondage. The Shoalhaven River and its main tributary the Kangaroo River. Tallowa Dam has been a barrier to migratory native fish with estuarine/marine juvenile stages, blocking species including Australian bass from more than 80% of their former range in the Shoalhaven system. Stockings of hatchery bred bass in Lake Yarrunga has been an attempt to remediate
147-528: The South Coast of New South Wales , Australia. The Shoalhaven River rises on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range , below Euranbene Mountain, about 350 kilometres (220 mi) southwest of Sydney . The upper reaches of the river flow northwards through an upland pastoral district near the town of Braidwood . The river works its way down into a remote canyon east of Goulburn and emerges into
168-537: The Sydney area, the Shoalhaven Scheme also comprises two hydro-power facilities, with total generating capacity of 240 megawatts (320,000 hp). The flexibility of the scheme is that it can operate as either a pump or a generator . During off peak periods, it utilises excess electricity from the grid to pump water back up to the reservoir(s) as pumped storage . The two power stations are: The Kangaroo Valley and Bendeela power stations were completed in 1977 as
189-499: The Kangaroo Valley Pumping and Power Station lifts water a further 480 metres (1,570 ft) to Fitzroy Falls Reservoir via a tunnel, shaft, pipeline, and canal. Water available for hydro-electric power generation is discharged back down the conduits, driving turbines as it returns to Bendeela Pondage and then Lake Yarrunga. Bendeela Pondage , completed in 1972, is an earth and rockfill embankment dam structure located above
210-587: The Nepean River. Shoalhaven Scheme The Scheme was built as a joint project between the Electricity Commission of NSW and the NSW Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board . Management has subsequently passed to Origin Energy and the Sydney Catchment Authority . Water in the scheme is stored in three principal dams and their associated reservoirs : Tallowa Dam , Fitzroy Falls Dam and Wingecarribee Dam . Wingecarribee River
231-677: The Shoalhaven Bight within the Tasman Sea of the Pacific Ocean . The southern entrance is located at Crookhaven Heads and is permanently open. The Shoalhaven River flows south via Berrys Canal to Greenwell Point , where it is joined by the Crookhaven River and then flows east past Orient Point into the bight , north of Culburra . The Berrys Canal between the Shoalhaven and the Crookhaven
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#1732851513341252-524: The Shoalhaven river, in the district around modern-day Braidwood, is the traditional land of Walbanga people. The explorer and navigator George Bass found the entrance to the Shoalhaven River during his whaleboat voyage down the south coast of New South Wales in 1797. He gave the name Shoals Haven to the river (now known as the Crookhaven River) because of the shoals of mud and sand he found at
273-441: The Shoalhaven system. Recent stockings of hatchery-bred Bass in Lake Yarrunga are an attempt to remediate the situation. A fishway for Tallowa Dam was completed in August 2009. This fishway is designed to allow for the movement of bass and other native fish over the dam. Lake Yarrunga has also suffered the illegal introduction of highly damaging European carp , which are now present in high densities. The traditional custodians of
294-568: The coastal lowlands at Nowra in the Shoalhaven district, where it is spanned by the Nowra Bridge . The river is joined by thirty-four tributaries , including the Mongarlowe , Corang , Endrick , and Kangaroo rivers, and descends 864 metres (2,835 ft) over its 327-kilometre (203 mi) course . The estuary has two entrances, approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) apart, that flow into
315-494: The dam wall holds back approximately 25,875 megalitres (913.8 × 10 ^ cu ft) and creates the impounded reservoir of Wingecarribee Reservoir that has a surface area of 625 hectares (1,540 acres), drawn from a catchment area of 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi). The spillway has a discharge capacity of 520 cubic metres per second (18,000 cu ft/s). Wingecarribee Reservoir lost around 9,000 megalitres (320 × 10 ^ cu ft) of storage capacity as
336-552: The lake and over the Southern Highlands into Lake Burragorang . Proposals for a much larger water storage at Welcome Reef on the upper Shoalhaven have been shelved. The Shoalhaven River and its main tributary the Kangaroo River were once renowned as an Australian bass fishery. Unfortunately, Tallowa Dam has been a potent barrier to migratory native fish with estuarine/marine juvenile stages, blocking species including Australian bass from more than 80% of their former range in
357-579: The land are Jerrinja tribal peoples the surrounding Shoalhaven River, in its lower reaches, are the Aboriginal peoples of the lower catchment are Jerrinja tribal peoples which are the traditional custodians of the Shoalhaven . Some of the culturally important Aboriginal places in the Shoalhaven include Coolangatta Mountain , Bundarwa (Beecroft Headland), Cambewarra Mountain, Didthul or Pigeon House Mountain , Kangaroo Valley , Burrill Lake , and Murramarang Aboriginal Area and its environs. The upper part of
378-459: The other being the Alexandra Canal . The northern entrance is located south of Shoalhaven Heads , and is open intermittently, at times of peak flow and during flood events. Tallowa Dam is the only major dam on the Shoalhaven, and is a part of the Shoalhaven Scheme . It impounds the river's lower reaches to form Lake Yarrunga and part of Sydney's water supply. Some water is pumped out of
399-574: The river mouth. Approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Nowra are a series of properties along the banks of the Shoalhaven River that were a gift to the people of Australia from Arthur Boyd , his wife, Yvonne, and the Boyd family . Entrusted to the Bundanon Trust , along with further gifts by Boyd, including copyright of all of his artwork, these properties provide an environment that promotes visual arts, writing, music and other performing arts, and
420-529: The situation. A fishway for Tallowa Dam has been discussed for more than 20 years but was not constructed until 2009. Lake Yarrunga also contains exotic species such as carp , which are now present in high densities. A fish lift began operation in August 2009. Shoalhaven River The Shoalhaven River is a perennial river that rises from the Southern Tablelands and flows into an open mature wave dominated barrier estuary near Nowra on
441-573: Was constructed in June 1822 by convicts overseen by Hamilton Hume under the direction of Alexander Berry to facilitate ship transport to the original European settlement located in the region. The construction of the canal formed Comerong Island. The canal was dug using own hand tools, and was the first land navigable canal in Australia. Berrys Canal remains one of two navigable canals in New South Wales,
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