Catagunya Dam
Background
The Catagunya Dam was completed by the Hydro Electric Commission in 1961 forming part of a series of dams and hydro electric power stations along the Derwent River.
Catagunya is a concrete gravity dam. This type of dam design depends on its own weight to resist sliding and overturning by the reservoir water pressure.
Innovative design, by the use of high tensile steel cables anchored the dam to the rock foundation. Such an approach reduced the initial cost of the project and the volume of concrete required for the dam wall.
John Wilkins, Engineer for Civil Design, at the Hydro Electric Commission proposed the pre-stressing of the dam wall with cables.
Equipment and Subsequent History
For a pre-stressed gravity dam, the vertical steel cables attach a large prism of rock to the dam base, and submerged weight of this prism allows an equivalent weight of expensive concrete to be omitted
Each cable was lowered into a hole formed in the dam wall and drilled into the foundation, anchored at the bottom in cement grout and stressed at the top. The holes were completely filled with cement grout to prevent corrosion of the cables. The dam has 412 cables up to 60m long and each carrying a load of 200 tonnes.
The dam is 49m high and the water feeds a power station several hundred metres down steam. The power station contains two 25MW Francis turbines.
There are a further seven power stations utilising the waters of the Derwent River to generate power.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | Historic Engineering Marker (HEM) |
| Award Date | 2001 |
| Heritage Significance | One of 25 Australia dams with the highest heritage value. Second custom designed prestressed dam in the world (the first in Australia). |
| Nomination Document | Nomination document |
