Hume Dam - WikiHQ

The Hume Dam, formerly the Hume Weir, is a major dam across the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation and water supply. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Hume, formerly the Hume Reservoir. The concrete gravity dam with four embankments has twenty-nine vertical undershot gated concrete overflow spillways.

The dam is part of the Engineering Works of the River Murray that are listed as a National Engineering Landmark by Engineers Australia, as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.

Location

Constructed over a 17-year period between 1919 and 1936, the Hume Dam is located approximately east of the city of Albury. The dam was built, involving a workforce of thousands, by a consortium of NSW and Victorian government agencies that included the Water Resources Commission of New South Wales, the Public Works Department of New South Wales, and the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission of Victoria.

Supplies to the construction site were delivered via rail, through the construction of a branch siding from the Wodonga – Cudgewa railway. Hume Dam is jointly managed by Victorian and New South Wales authorities on behalf of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. Goulburn-Murray Water manages water and land located in Victoria, and the New South Wales State Water Corporation is responsible for day-to-day operation and maintenance and the management of major remedial works at the dam.

Water is retained nearly upstream of the reservoir in the valleys of both the Murray and Mitta Mitta rivers.

The dam wall was extended during the 1950s, and completed in 1961, as well as the raising of the Bethanga Bridge.

Monitoring of the dam in the early 1990s revealed that the water pressure and leakage had caused the dam to move on its foundations slightly, leading to concerns that the dam was heading for collapse, threatening Albury-Wodonga and the entire Murray basin. Authorities denied any short-term threat.

Hydroelectric power station

left|thumb|Hume Power Station, 2011

The Hume Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station installed in the dam wall, and is primarily used for peak-load generation. Operated by a subsidiary of the New Zealand-based Meridian Energy since 2017, Initially running two turbines, they were each upgraded to Kaplan-type turbines in 2000. Power is transmitted to both NSW and Victorian energy markets via two separate transmission linesa 132-kV line to Albury and a 66-kV line to Wodonga.

In October 2012, a high voltage transformer at the power station caught fire, requiring more than fifty fire fighters who worked into the long hours of the night to put the blaze out.

Etymology

Originally named the Mitta Mitta Dam site, following representations from the Municipal Council of Albury, on 17 February 1920 the River Murray Commission decided to honour Hamilton Hume, who, in company with William Hovell, was one of the first Europeans to see and cross the Murray River in 1824. In 1920, the reservoir was named the Hume Reservoir and the dam adopted the name of the Hume Weir, the name given by the Victorian Place Names Committee. Following a proposal from Hume Shire Council, in 1996 both the NSW and Victorian governments agreed that the dam should be named the Hume Dam, and the reservoir be named Lake Hume.

Lake Hume

thumb|Lake Hume, 2014

thumb|The dam wall's easy accessibility makes it a popular place to visit.

Lake Hume is estimated to hold approximately six times the volume of water in Sydney Harbour.

Recreation

The lake is stocked with fish. Most of these are introduced species – carp, redfin and trout though native species such as golden perch and Murray cod can also be found. The fishing varies from year to year. It is also popular for water skiing, and several holiday resorts catering for fishing and skiers are dotted around the upper reaches of the lake. This flow reversal, temperature depression, and removal of the spring flood peak, has led to the drying out and loss of many billabongs and has harmed the populations of native fish of the Murray River such as the iconic Murray cod and the freshwater catfish, which can no longer be found downstream of the dam as far as Yarrawonga, where it had previously been recorded up until the 1960s. and they played at the "Weir Ground". Hume Weir won the Albury & Border FA premiership in 1922 and 1923.

In 1924, Hume Weir joined the Ovens and Murray Football League (O&MFL) and played there until 1929. Percy Jones kicked 104 goals for Hume Weir in 1928 before being lured to Geelong in 1929. As part of being admitted into the O&MFL in 1924, Hume Weir agreed to play their home games at the Wodonga Racecourse Oval. Hume Weir were runners up to Wangaratta in 1925 and were coached by Tim Archer. In 1927, Hume Weir played their home games at Wodonga Park.

In 1930, Hume Weir merged with Ebden Rovers FC to become the Weir United FC. Weir United won the 1930 and 1931 O&MFL premierships. In 1933, East Albury FC and Weir United FC merged to become the Albury-based Border United FC. Wearing green and white jumpers, they played in and lost the 1933 O&MFL grand final to Wangaratta; and, in the 1935 grand final, they lost to Rutherglen. In 1936, Border United FC was folded into the Albury FC. Albury FC played in the 1937, 1939 and 1940 O&MFL grand finals. Immediately after the World War II recess, Albury FC played in the 1946, 1947 and 1948 O&MFL grand finals.

Gallery

Hume Dam 23042009 panorama01.jpg|Hume Dam panorama, 2009

Hume Dam 2 Stevage.jpeg|Outflow, 2014

Eight gates open at Hume Dam.jpg|The dam wall and power station, 2016

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References

External links

1928 – Hume Weir FC & Benalla FC team photos
1930 – O&MFL Premiers: Weir United FC & West Albury grand final team photos
1931 – O&MFL Premiers: Weir United FC team photo
1933 – Border United FC & Wangaratta FC O&MFL team photos