Grahamstown Dam

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Grahamstown Dam
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• Grahamstown Dam was constructed between 1955 and
  1965 as the Hunters third water supply source
  and is the Hunters largest storage of drinking
  water.

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Grahamstown Moors

• The dam was formed by building an embankment
  across the outlet of a natural depression known
  as the Grahamstown Moors.

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Before the Dam

• The land around Grahamstown before the dam was
  swamp land and there were some dairy farms.
• The area was surrounded by water. Rivers flowed
  past and encircling the town of Raymond Terrace
  were lagoons and ponds.
• The settlers who lived on the land were happy
  because it was easy to find water.

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Continued

• But their opinion started to change and they were
  saying that swamps were inferior land and they
  should get compensation.
• They said the land was undesirable, unhealthy and
  unproductive.
• A settler by the name of Richard Windeyer tried
  to drain the water out so they could make the
  land a better place to live, but it didnt work.

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Continued . . .

• Instead the land was left the way it was as dairy
  farms and swamp land.
• Until more and more people moved into the
  Hunter region.
• The water board needed to find another place to
  store water for all of the new people who were
  moving into the area.
• In 1948 they decided to use the Grahamstown area
  to help increase the water supply to so many
  people. They were set to build a new dam on the
  site.

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Continued . . .

• It would be bigger than the other dams that they
  were using at the time.
• In 1955 construction began on the dam and it
  continued until 1965.
• In 1960, however, there was a drought and some of
  the water that had been stored had to be used
  before the dam was finished to help give water to
  the people in the Hunter.

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Continued . . .

• Today there is not a lot of swamp lands left,
  however we can see some swampy areas around here
  today.

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The End

• The land has been built up and there have been
  many houses constructed in this area.
• When it rains the ground gets very damp and
  waterlogged. It takes a long time to dry.
• In summer we have lots and lots of mosquitoes.
  And mosquitoes are found in swamp lands. So even
  though man has changed the environment around us
  today to make it a better place for us to live,
  the natural environment is very much present, too.

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Grahamstown Dam Today

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• Discharge Channel
• Grahamstown Dam serves the water supply needs of
  Newcastle and the greater Hunter region of New
  South Wales. With a current capacity of 131 000
  megalitres, it is the largest above ground
  storage facility owned and managed by Hunter
  Water.During the 01/02 financial year, Hunter
  Water continued work that will ultimately
  increase the capacity of the dam to 195 000
  megalitres. As part of this programme, Hunter
  Water commissioned BMD Major Projects Pty Ltd to
  undertake construction of the Grahamstown Dam
  Discharge Channel.

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Upgrades and Modifications
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