Bendora Dam

The Bendora Dam is a thin-wall, double curvature concrete arch dam across the upper reaches of the Cotter River, located within Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The impounded reservoir is called the Bendora Reservoir which is a supply source of potable water for the city of Canberra and its environs.

Bendora Dam
Bendora Dam in spill, 2010
Location of the Bendora Dam in the ACT
Country	Australia
Location	Australian Capital Territory
Coordinates	35.447°S 148.828°E / -35.447; 148.828
Purpose	Potable water supply
Status	Operational
Opening date	1961 (1961)
Owner	Icon Water
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Arch dam
Impounds	Cotter River
Height	47 m (154 ft)
Length	174 m (571 ft)
Elevation at crest	778.2 m (2,553 ft) AHD
Dam volume	30×10^3 m3 (1.1×10^6 cu ft)
Spillways	1
Spillway type	Uncontrolled
Spillway capacity	1,590 m3/s (56,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates	Bendora Reservoir
Total capacity	11,540 ML (2.54×109 imp gal; 3.05×109 US gal)
Catchment area	91.364 km2 (35.276 sq mi) + 196.342 km2 (75.808 sq mi) in Corin dam catchment
Surface area	75 ha (190 acres)
Website /www.iconwater.com.au

Location and features

Constructed by E S Clementson working from designs prepared by the Commonwealth Department of Works, the Bendora Dam was completed and opened in 1961 and was the first dam of its type built in Australia.^[1] The concrete dam wall built on a rock foundation is 47.2 metres (155 ft) high and 174 metres (571 ft) long with a volume of 30 thousand cubic metres (1.1×10^⁶ cu ft). The wall impounds 11,540 megalitres (408×10^⁶ cu ft) of water held within the Bendora Reservoir, forming a surface area of approximately 75 hectares (190 acres) ^[2][3][4] The uncontrolled spillway is capable of discharging 1,590 cubic metres per second (56,000 cu ft/s) from the 75-hectare (190-acre) Bendora Reservoir,^[2] with a high water level approximately 778 metres (2,552 ft) above sea level.^[4]

Water from the Bendora, together with the Corin (further upstream), is fed to the suburbs of Canberra via the Bendora Gravity Main.

See also

• Australia portal