Happy Valley Reservoir

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Happy Valley Reservoir is one of the oldest reservoirs in South Australia, being built between 1892 and 1897 at a cost of AU$1.8 million.^[1] Initially 15 kilometres from Adelaide, the reservoir is now largely enveloped by the city's southern suburbs, of which the original Happy Valley village is one.^[2] The Happy Valley Reservoir is relatively small in capacity; holding only 11,500 megalitres, it is dwarfed by Mount Bold Reservoir which is at least four times larger.^[2] It is the site of the biggest water treatment plant in Adelaide and is responsible for providing more than 40% of the city's water.^[3] The Reservoir acts as an 'holding pond' for water directed it to it from the Clarendon Weir, which it supplies to over a half a million people, from Adelaide's southern extent to the city-centre itself.^[2]

Between 2002 and 2004, the Reservoir underwent a major renovation as part of AU$22 million rehabilitation project aimed at enhancing the Reservoir to meet guidelines of best practice for dam management at both international and national levels.^[1] Part of this project included an upgrade of the dam wall designed to increase flood storage capacity and reduce risk of damage in the event of an earthquake.^[4]

Capacity: 11,500 megalitres
Length of wall: 1155 m
Height of wall: 23.6 m
Type of wall: Earth with clay core
Area of water spread: 1.88 km²