The Cooby Dam is a rock–fill embankment dam with an un–gated spillway across the Cooby Creek, a tributary of Condamine River, at Groomsville in the Toowoomba Region on the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for potable water supply of the Toowoomba region.[1][3] The impounded reservoir is called the Cooby Creek Reservoir.[4]
| Cooby Dam | |
|---|---|
 Boat ramp, 2014 | |
  Location of the Cooby Dam in Queensland | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Darling Downs, Queensland |
| Coordinates | 27°23′09″S 151°56′24″E / 27.38583°S 151.94000°E |
| Purpose | |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began |
|
| Opening date |
|
| Operator(s) | Toowoomba Region Council |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment dam |
| Impounds | Cooby Creek |
| Height | 32 m (105 ft)[1] |
| Length | 207 m (679 ft)[1] |
| Dam volume | 71×103 m3 (2.5×106 cu ft)[1] |
| Spillway type | Uncontrolled |
| Spillway capacity | 680 m3/s (24,000 cu ft/s)[1] |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Cooby Creek Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 23,100 ML (5.1×109 imp gal; 6.1×109 US gal)[1] |
| Active capacity | 19,703 ML (4.334×109 imp gal; 5.205×109 US gal)[2] |
| Inactive capacity | 1,462 ML (0.322×109 imp gal; 0.386×109 US gal)[2] |
| Catchment area | 159–169 km2 (61–65 sq mi)[1][2] |
| Surface area | 301 ha (740 acres)[1][3] |
| Maximum water depth | 12.5 m (41 ft)[2] |
| Normal elevation | 482 m (1,581 ft) AHD[2] |
Location and features
editThe dam is located approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) north of Toowoomba.[5] The other two storages used for Toowoomba are Perseverance Dam and Cressbrook Dam.
Completed in 1942, the rock–fill dam structure is 32 metres (105 ft) high and 207 metres (679 ft) long. The 71-thousand-cubic-metre (2.5×106 cu ft) dam wall holds back the 23,100-megalitre (5.1×109 imp gal; 6.1×109 US gal) reservoir when at full capacity. From a catchment area of 169 square kilometres (65 sq mi), the dam creates an unnamed reservoir, with a surface area of 301 hectares (740 acres) at a maximum depth of 12.5 metres (41 ft) when at full capacity. The uncontrolled un-gated spillway has a discharge capacity of 680 cubic metres per second (24,000 cu ft/s).[1] The dam is managed by the Toowoomba Region Council.[3]
Cooby Dam's lowest usable storage volume was recorded at 8% in January 2010.[2]
In July 2006, public outcry and a referendum with winning "No" vote rejected plans to place recycled water into Cooby Dam.[citation needed] In 2007, the idea was again resurrected when plans for an advanced water treatment plant to be built near Cooby Dam by the Toowoomba City Council were suggested.[6] The trial would test the re-use of recycled water into Toowoomba's drinking water supply. In 2008, an emergency bore was used to extract water from the Great Artesian Basin to supplement water supplies for the dam as drought conditions reduced supply to critical levels.[7]
Recreational activities
editA stocked impoundment permit is required to fish in the dam.[8][9]
Darling Downs Sailing Club uses the dam.[10]
See also
edit
References
edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Register of Large Dams in Australia" (Excel (requires download)). Dams information. Australian National Committee on Large Dams. 2010. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "Cooby Dam". Water supply & dams. Toowoomba Region Council. 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ a b c Harrison, Rod; James, Ernie; Sully, Chris; Classon, Bill; Eckermann, Joy (2008). Queensland Dams. Bayswater, Victoria: Australian Fishing Network. ISBN 978-1-86513-134-4.
- ^ "Cooby Creek Reservoir (QLD)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
- ^ "Toowoomba's Dams - Perseverance Dam". Toowoomba Regional Council. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
- ^ Mitchell, Selina (31 August 2007). "Residents again face recycled water". The Australian. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
- ^ "Great Artesian Basin used to top up Toowoomba water supply". Australia: ABC News. 26 November 2008. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
- ^ "Do I need a permit to go fishing in a dam?". Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Queensland Government. 5 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
- ^ "Cooby Dam (Cooby Creek Reservoir) - Toowoomba. Qld". Sweetwater Fishing Australia. Garry Fitzgerald. 2006. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "How to find us – Darling Downs Sailing Club". Retrieved 5 March 2024.