Little Nerang Dam
Encyclopedia
The Little Nerang Dam is a secondary source of water
supply to Gold Coast City
in Queensland
, Australia
. It was completed in 1962 and is managed by Gold Coast Water
. It is located on the Little Nerang Creek directly upstream from the Hinze Dam
. Its catchment
includes the Springbrook Plateau
. Prior to the completion of the Hinze Dam, the Little Nerang Creek Gravity Scheme supplied the water requirements of the Gold Coast area.
The scheme draws water from a mass concrete dam
with radial drum crest gates constructed across Little Nerang Creek. It then flows by gravity
pipeline to the Mudgeeraba Water Treatment Plant. The plant, completed in 1969, has the capacity to treat
110 million litres a day. The water then flows by gravity to the city's storage reservoirs
.
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
supply to Gold Coast City
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was completed in 1962 and is managed by Gold Coast Water
Gold Coast Water
Allconnex Water is the water and wastewater business for the Gold Coast, Logan and Redland districts. It was established on 1 July 2010 under the Queensland State Government’s South East Queensland Water Reform...
. It is located on the Little Nerang Creek directly upstream from the Hinze Dam
Hinze Dam
The Hinze Dam, also known as Advancetown Lake, supplies most of the water provided to Gold Coast City in Queensland, Australia. Some water is drawn from Little Nerang Dam and until recently northern suburbs received water from Wivenhoe Dam. It was completed in 1976 and expanded in 1989. Advancetown...
. Its catchment
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
includes the Springbrook Plateau
Springbrook National Park
Springbrook National Park is a national park at Springbrook on the McPherson Range in the Gold Coast hinterland of Queensland, , 96 km south of Brisbane. It is part of the Shield Volcano Group of the World Heritage site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia...
. Prior to the completion of the Hinze Dam, the Little Nerang Creek Gravity Scheme supplied the water requirements of the Gold Coast area.
The scheme draws water from a mass concrete dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
with radial drum crest gates constructed across Little Nerang Creek. It then flows by gravity
Gravitation
Gravitation, or gravity, is a natural phenomenon by which physical bodies attract with a force proportional to their mass. Gravitation is most familiar as the agent that gives weight to objects with mass and causes them to fall to the ground when dropped...
pipeline to the Mudgeeraba Water Treatment Plant. The plant, completed in 1969, has the capacity to treat
Water purification
Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from contaminated water. The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose...
110 million litres a day. The water then flows by gravity to the city's storage reservoirs
Water reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
.
Key facts
- Catchment area - 35.2 km²
- Lake surface area - 49 hectares
- Storage - 9,280 million litres
- Yield - 40 million litres per day