Millbrook Reservoir

Last updated

Millbrook Reservoir
Millbrook reservoir - Adelaide.jpg
The reservoir's eastern end
Australia South Australia relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Millbrook Reservoir
Location South Australia
Coordinates 34°50′S138°48′E / 34.833°S 138.800°E / -34.833; 138.800 Coordinates: 34°50′S138°48′E / 34.833°S 138.800°E / -34.833; 138.800
Type Reservoir
Basin  countriesAustralia
Surface area1.78 km2 (0.69 sq mi)

Millbrook Reservoir is a 16,000-megalitre artificial water storage reservoir in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. It was built from 1914 to 1918 during World War I to control water flows in the upper River Torrens and provide gravity-fed water to Adelaide's eastern suburbs. It is named after the small town of Millbrook, demolished and removed during construction. During the 1970s, the nearby town of Chain of Ponds was also removed to prevent pollution of the reservoir's water. [1]

Millbrook covers 178 hectares (440 acres) behind a 288-metre (945 ft) clay-cored earth dam. [1] It lies on Chain of Ponds creek, a tributary of the River Torrens. Water in the reservoir is piped from a weir near Gumeracha but it is also used to balance storage of River Murray water via the Mannum–Adelaide pipeline. It also captures approximately half of the Torrens' water flow. [2]

John Tippett named the town of Millbrook in the late 19th century after Millbrook in his native Cornwall. [3]

Related Research Articles

Brown Hill Creek

Brown Hill Creek, also known as Willawilla in the Kaurna language, is a watercourse flowing from the Adelaide Hills through in the inner south suburbs of the Adelaide metropolitan area, in the Australian state of South Australia. It is part of the Patawalonga River catchment.

River Torrens River in Australia

The River Torrens, is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains. It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows 85 kilometres (53 mi) from its source in the Adelaide Hills near Mount Pleasant, across the Adelaide Plains, past the city centre and empties into Gulf St Vincent between Henley Beach South and West Beach. The upper stretches of the river and the reservoirs in its watershed supply a significant part of the city's water supply.

Adelaide Hills Council Local government area in South Australia

Adelaide Hills Council is a local government area in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. It is in the hills east of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, and extends from the South Para Reservoir in the north to the Mount Bold Reservoir in the south.

Happy Valley Reservoir Dam in South Australia

The Happy Valley Reservoir is a water reservoir located in Adelaide, Australia. Constructed when the total population of Adelaide numbered 315,200, the Happy Valley Reservoir now supplies over a half a million people, from Adelaide's southern extent to the city-centre. It is also home to much wildlife, including many kangaroos.

Onkaparinga River River in South Australia, Australia

The Onkaparinga River, known as Ngangkiparri or Ngangkiparingga in the Kaurna language, is a river located in the Southern Adelaide region in the Australian state of South Australia. Rising in the Mount Lofty Ranges, the river's estuary extends from Old Noarlunga to the river's mouth between the suburbs of Port Noarlunga and Port Noarlunga South.

Inglewood, South Australia Suburb of Adelaide Hills Council, South Australia

Inglewood is a small town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area, and is adjacent to Houghton, Paracombe and the rural districts of Upper Hermitage and Chain of Ponds. At the 2006 census, Inglewood had a population of 264.

Chain of Ponds, South Australia Suburb of Adelaide Hills Council, South Australia

Chain of Ponds is a locality and former town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area.

Paracombe, South Australia Town in South Australia

Paracombe is a small town near Adelaide, South Australia. At the 2011 census, Paracombe had a population of 343.

Castambul Suburb of Adelaide, South Australia

Castambul is a small locality near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area.

Mount Torrens, South Australia Town in South Australia

Mount Torrens is a town in the eastern Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, 46 kilometres east-north-east of the state capital, Adelaide and 8 km east of Lobethal. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council and the Mid Murray Council local government areas. At the 2006 census, Mount Torrens had a population of 337.

Little Para River

The Little Para River is a seasonal creek running across the Adelaide Plains in the Australian state of South Australia, whose catchment fills reservoirs that supply some of the water needs of Adelaide’s northern suburbs.

Myponga Reservoir Dam in Myponga, South Australia

The Myponga Reservoir is a reservoir in South Australia, located about 60 km south of Adelaide near the town of Myponga. The reservoir is fed by the Myponga River and other rivers in the Myponga catchment. It provides about 5% of the City of Adelaide's water supply and is the main source of filtered water for southern metropolitan Adelaide and the southern coast area. Plans to use the Myponga River catchment as a major storage area were made in 1945. Construction began in 1958 and was completed in 1962, flooding what was from 1840 known as "Lovely Valley". Prior to the construction of the Myponga Water Treatment Plant in 1993, water from Myponga was used to supplement that of Happy Valley Reservoir.

Kangaroo Creek Reservoir

Kangaroo Creek Reservoir is a 19,160 megalitre artificial water storage reservoir in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. It was built from 1966 to 1969, by damming the River Torrens west of Cudlee Creek. The stored water is used to maintain the Hope Valley Reservoir's level via discharge through the Torrens. Water is held back by a 131 metres (430 ft) long, 65 m (213 ft) high concrete clad, rock filled dam wall.

As Australia's supply of freshwater is increasingly vulnerable to droughts, possibly as a result of climate change, there is an emphasis on water conservation and various regions have imposed restrictions on the use of water.

Millbrook, South Australia Suburb of Adelaide, South Australia

Millbrook is a locality in the Adelaide Hills, outside Adelaide, South Australia.

Hope Valley Reservoir

The Hope Valley Reservoir is a 2.84-gigalitre service reservoir in Hope Valley, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.

Little Para Reservoir

Little Para Reservoir is a reservoir in South Australia serving the city of Adelaide. It was built between 1974 and 1977, costing A$11.5 million, and commissioned in January 1979.

Tod Reservoir Dam in South Australia

The Tod Reservoir is located on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, in the localities of Whites Flat and Koppio, 27 km north of Port Lincoln. It is situated on the Tod River, the only stream on Eyre Peninsula, South Australia providing reliable flows; the reservoir is supplied by concrete channels fed from weirs constructed across the Tod River and its major tributary, Pillaworta Creek. The river was named after Robert Tod who discovered it during explorations in 1839. The Tod River flows into Louth Bay in Spencer Gulf. The reservoir is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.

Hundred of Para Wirra Cadastral in South Australia

The Hundred of Para Wirra is a cadastral hundred of the County of Adelaide, South Australia, spanning a portion of the Adelaide Hills north of the Torrens Valley including Mount Crawford.

References

  1. 1 2 "Water Storage (Reservoirs), Millbrook". SA Water. 2004. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  2. SA Water (12 December 2005). "Millbrook Reservoir Dam Safety". Parliament of South Australia. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  3. Klaassen, Nic. "John Tippett". Flinders Ranges Research. Retrieved 9 July 2008.