Kow Swamp

Last updated

Kow Swamp
Australia Victoria relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Kow Swamp
Location in Victoria
Location Mallee, Victoria
Coordinates 35°57′34″S144°17′44″E / 35.95944°S 144.29556°E / -35.95944; 144.29556 [1]
Type Freshwater / Swamp / Wetland
Basin  countriesAustralia
Max. length7 km (4.3 mi)
Max. width4 km (2.5 mi)
Surface area24 km2 (9.3 sq mi)
Average depth3 m (9.8 ft)
Water volume51,730 ML (1.138×1010 imp gal; 1.367×1010 US gal)
Surface elevation85 m (279 ft)

The Kow Swamp, a freshwater lake [ citation needed ] and wetland, was formerly a swamp, that is now used for water storage. The lake is located in the Mallee region in north-central Victoria, Australia.

Contents

Description

Kow Swamp lies in the Murray River valley, about 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) west of the town of Gunbower and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the town of Leitchville and also the Murray River, in the Shire of Campaspe. Its name comes from the Aboriginal word Ghow which refers to the white gypsum soil found at the swamp. It is a popular site for recreational fishing. Approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) in length and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) in width, the lake has a circumference of 15 kilometres (9.3 mi). [2]

History

In the late 19th century Kow Swamp was managed by local irrigation trusts for off-river storage. In 1900 the capacity was increased to 51,730 megalitres (1.138×1010 imp gal; 1.367×1010 US gal). [2]

Archaeology

Kow Swamp is an archaeological site which has produced human skeletal remains dating from the late Pleistocene, over 10,000 years ago. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartmouth Dam</span> Dam in Victoria

Dartmouth Dam is a large rock-fill embankment dam with an uncontrolled chute spillway across the Mitta Mitta, Gibbo and Dart rivers, the Morass Creek and a number of small tributaries. The dam is located near Mount Bogong in the north-east of the Australian state of Victoria. The dam's purpose includes irrigation, the generation of hydro-electric power, water supply and conservation. The impounded reservoir is called Dartmouth Reservoir, sometimes called Lake Dartmouth. The Dartmouth Power Station, a hydro-electric power station that generates power to the national grid, is located near the dam wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowy Mountains Scheme</span> Dam in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales

The Snowy Mountains Scheme, also known as the Snowy Hydro or the Snowy scheme, is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. Near the border of New South Wales and Victoria, the scheme consists of sixteen major dams; nine power stations; two pumping stations; and 225 kilometres (140 mi) of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts that were constructed between 1949 and 1974. The Scheme was completed under the supervision of Chief Engineer, Sir William Hudson. It is the largest engineering project undertaken in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Burragorang</span> Man-made water supply dammed reservoir in Australia

Lake Burragorang is a man-made reservoir in the lower Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, serving as a major water supply for greater metropolitan Sydney. The dam impounding the lake, the Warragamba Dam, is located approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of the Sydney central business district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eildon Dam</span> Dam in Victorian Alps, Victoria

The Eildon Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with a controlled spillway across the Goulburn River, is located between the regional towns of Mansfield and Eildon within Lake Eildon National Park, in the Alpine region of Victoria, Australia. The dam's purpose is for the supply of potable water, irrigation, and the generation of hydroelectricity. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Eildon.The first cut of ground was done by Mr Bain and Mr MacLean from Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avoca River</span> River in Victoria, Australia

The Avoca River, an inland intermittent river of the north–central catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the lower Riverina bioregion and Central Highlands and Wimmera regions of the Australian state of Victoria. The headwaters of the Avoca River rise on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees Range and descend to flow into the ephemeral Kerang Lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaal Dam</span> Dam in South Africa

The Vaal Dam in South Africa was constructed in 1938 and lies 77 km south of OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg. The lake behind the dam wall has a surface area of about 320 square kilometres (120 sq mi) and is 47 meters deep. The Vaal Dam lies on the Vaal River, which is one of South Africa's strongest-flowing rivers. Other rivers flowing into the dam are the Wilge River, Molspruit and Grootspruit. It has over 800 kilometres (500 mi) of shoreline and is South Africa's second biggest dam by area and the fourth largest by volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waranga Dam</span> Dam in North Central region, Victoria

The Waranga Dam is a major earthfill embankment dam with an uncontrolled spillway located approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Melbourne in the North Central region of the Australian state of Victoria. The impounded off-stream reservoir is Waranga Basin and forms part of the Goulburn River irrigation system, irrigating an area of 626 square kilometres (242 sq mi). The dam and reservoir are located in Shire of Campaspe near the City of Greater Shepparton and is located 8 kilometres (5 mi) north-east of Rushworth, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south-west of Tatura, and near Murchison. When full, the reservoir covers an area of 58.5 square kilometres (22.6 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Eppalock</span> Dam in North central region, Victoria

Lake Eppalock is an Australian reservoir in North Central Victoria about 130 kilometres (81 mi) northwest of Melbourne. It was formed by the construction of a major earth and rockfill embankment dam, known as Eppalock Dam, with a controlled chute spillway across the Campaspe and the Coliban rivers. The lake is situated between the regional population centres of Bendigo and Heathcote and serves as a major water storage facility for both places, as well as the Campaspe irrigation district. The lake also serves as a popular sports and recreational facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinze Dam</span> Dam in South East Queensland

The Hinze Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with an un-gated spillway across the Nerang River in the Gold Coast hinterland of South East, Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for potable water supply of the Gold Coast region. The impounded reservoir is called Advancetown Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Nepean Scheme</span>

The Upper Nepean Scheme is a series of dams and weirs in the catchments of the Cataract, Cordeaux, Avon and Nepean rivers of New South Wales, Australia. The scheme includes four dams and two weirs, and a gravity-fed canal system that feeds into a large storage reservoir to provide water to the Macarthur and Illawarra regions, the Wollondilly Shire, and metropolitan Sydney. The four dams and associated infrastructure are individually listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroon Dam</span> Dam in South East Queensland

The Maroon Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with an un-gated spillway across the Burnett Creek that is located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for irrigation of the Scenic Rim Regional Council region. The impounded reservoir is also called Maroon Dam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Hovell Dam</span> Dam in Hume, Victoria

The William Hovell Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam with a flip bucket chute spillway across the King River, operated by Pacific Blue and located in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia. The purposes of the dam are for irrigation and the generation of hydroelectricity. The impounded reservoir is called Lake William Hovell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenelg River (Victoria)</span> River in Victoria and South Australia

The Glenelg River, a perennial river of the Glenelg Hopkins catchment, is located in the Australian states of Victoria and South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Boga, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Lake Boga is a town in Victoria, Australia, located next to the lake of the same name. It is situated within the Rural City of Swan Hill within the Mallee region of north-west Victoria. At the 2016 census, Lake Boga had a population of 985. The town is located 325 kilometres (202 mi) north west of Melbourne and 17 kilometres (11 mi) south east of the regional centre Swan Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Desalination Plant</span>

The Victorian Desalination Plant is a water desalination plant in Dalyston, on the Bass Coast in southern Victoria, Australia. The project was announced by Premier Steve Bracks in June 2007, at the height of the millennium drought when Melbourne's water storage levels dropped to 28.4%, a drop of more than 20% from the previous year. Increased winter-spring rains after mid-2007 took water storage levels above 40%, but it was not until 2011 that storages returned to pre-2006 levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakes and reservoirs of Melbourne</span>

Melbourne is the capital city of southeastern Australian state of Victoria and also the nation's second most populous city, and has been consistently voted one of the most liveable cities in the world. Located on the northern/eastern coastal plains of Port Phillip Bay, the city is one of the drier capital cities in Australia, but due to its relatively flat terrain and the runoffs fed from surrounding highlands, still has many lakes, ponds and wetlands, mainly managed by Melbourne Water and Parks Victoria. The larger waterbodies are used for water sports, mostly boating but some are used for recreational activities like swimming, water skiing or model boating.

Lake Hindmarsh, an ephemeral lake located in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia, is the state's largest natural freshwater lake. The nearest towns are Jeparit to the south and Rainbow to the north. After more than a decade of drought, in early 2011 the lake filled as a result of flooding in the region. The Wemba Wemba name of the lake is recorded as Gour or Koor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kow Swamp Archaeological Site</span>

The Kow Swamp archaeological site comprises a series of late Pleistocene burials within the lunette of the eastern rim of a former lake known as Kow Swamp. The site is 10 kilometres (6 mi) south-east of Cohuna in the central Murray River valley, in northern Victoria, at 35.953553°S 144.318123°E. The site is significant for archaeological excavations by Alan Thorne between 1968 and 1972 which recovered the partial skeletal remains of more than 22 individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenmaggie Dam</span> Dam in Central Gippsland, Victoria

The Glenmaggie Dam is a concrete block-foundation gravity dam with 14 radial arm gates across the Macalister River, located near Maffra, Central Gippsland, in the Australian state of Victoria. The dam's purpose includes irrigation, the generation of hydro-electric power, water supply and conservation. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Glenmaggie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Boga (Victoria)</span> Lake in Swan Hill Rural City, Victoria, Australia

Lake Boga, a freshwater endorheic lake that is managed by Goulburn–Murray Water as a water storage, is part of the Victorian Mid Murray Storages, is located near Swan Hill in The Mallee region of Victoria, in southeastern Australia. The 940-hectare (2,300-acre) lake is situated about 19 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Swan Hill and adjacent to the town of the same name.

References

  1. "Kow Swamp". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 2 May 1966. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kow Swamp". Goulburn-Murray Water. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.