Harvey Dam
Harvey Dam History
The original Harvey Weir was part of the first irrigation scheme in WA, and only the sixth public dam developed in the state. In the beginning the Public Works Department began construction in 1914 and completed the Weir in 1916. About 100 men were employed using horse and dray for all the excavation works. The Weir had a 12 metre high concrete wall and held 512 million gallons of water.
In 1931 work began to raise the wall from its original 12 metres to 18 metres, increasing the storage capacity to 2,275 million gallons.
In the 1990's with water supplies under increasing pressure to meet the demands of population and economic growth, a new dam with six times the capacity of the Harvey Weir was planned. Planned for 2012, the project was bought forward 14 years and implemented in four years instead of the original five year timeframe.
The new Harvey Dam became part of the $275 million Stirling Harvey Redevelopment Scheme. This scheme took advantage of a large, high quality source of water in an area of historically relatively high and reliable rainfall. It delivered a new irrigation dam to the people of Harvey, allowing the Stirling Dam to deliver a 10 per cent boost to the State's water supplies.
Facts about the Dam Capacity - 56 gigalitres. Surface area at full storage - 553 hectares. Catchment area - 126 square kilometres. Height of Wall - 45 metres. Maximum discharge - 2,100 cubic metres per second. Full supply level - 78 metres above sea level. Outstanding features include walkways, landscaped recreational areas, free electric BBQs, playground facilities, shady gazebo's, picnic tables and toilets.
References:
Harvey Visitor Centre, https://www.harveyvisitorcentre.com.au/listing/harvey-dam/, (Accessed 11 December 2020)
