The Devils Gate Dam is a concrete double-arch dam across the Forth River, located near Barrington, in northern Tasmania, Australia. Completed in 1969, the resultant reservoir, Lake Barrington, was established for the purpose of generation of hydroelectricity via the adjacent Devils Gate Power Station, a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station.
| Devils Gate Dam | |
|---|---|
 The double-arch dam wall | |
  Devils Gate Dam Location of the dam in Tasmania | |
 Interactive map of Devils Gate Dam | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Northern Tasmania |
| Coordinates | 41°21′02″S 146°15′56″E / 41.350477°S 146.265492°E |
| Purpose | Power |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 1969 |
| Owner | Hydro Tasmania |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Arch dam |
| Impounds | Forth River |
| Height | 84 m (276 ft) |
| Length | 134 m (440 ft) |
| Dam volume | 31×103 m3 (1.1×106 cu ft) |
| Spillways | 1 |
| Spillway type | Uncontrolled |
| Spillway capacity | 2,040 m3/s (72,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Barrington |
| Total capacity | 179.94 GL (145,880 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 742 km2 (286 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 66.5 ha (164 acres) |
| Maximum length | 20 km (12 mi) |
| Normal elevation | 119 m (390 ft) AHD |
| Devils Gate Power Station | |
| Operator | Hydro Tasmania |
| Commission date | 1969 |
| Type | Run-of-the-river |
| Hydraulic head | 68 m (223 ft) |
| Turbines | 1 x 63 MW (84,000 hp) Boving Francis-type |
| Installed capacity | 63 MW (84,000 hp) |
| Capacity factor | 0.8 |
| Annual generation | 314 GWh (1,130 TJ) |
| Website hydro.com.au | |
| [1] | |
The dam, its reservoir, and the power station are owned and operated by Hydro Tasmania.
Dam and reservoir overview
editThe concrete dam wall is 84 metres (276 ft) high and 134 metres (440 ft) long. When full, Lake Rosebery has capacity of 179.94 gigalitres (145,880 acre⋅ft) and covers 66.5 hectares (164 acres), drawn from a catchment area of 742 square kilometres (286 sq mi). The uncontrolled spillway has a flow capacity of 2,040 cubic metres per second (72,000 cu ft/s).[1] It is one of the thinnest concrete arch dams in the world.[2]
The dam received a Historic Engineering Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.[2]
Reservoir
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The reservoir's foreshore is protected by the Tasmanian Government as a natural recreation area.[3]
Lake Barrington is a world-standard rowing course. It hosted the 1990 World Rowing Championships[4] and several Australian Rowing Championships in 1984,[5] 1987,[6] 1990,[7][8] 1994, 1997, 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2021. The reservoir is also a location for the annual Tasmanian schools Head of the River rowing regatta.
Two water ski clubs are based at Lake Barrington; the Kentish Aquatic Club and the Horsehead Water Ski Club.[9]
Hydroelectric power station
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The Devils Gate Power Station is part of the Mersey–Forth scheme that comprises seven run-of-the-river hydroelectric power stations and one mini-hydro power station. The seventh station in the scheme, the Devils Gate Power Station is located below the dam wall. Water from Barrington Lake is fed to the power station by a 150-metre (490 ft) single penstock tunnel.[10][11]
The power station was commissioned in 1969 by the Hydro Electric Corporation and has one Boving Fracis-type turbine, with a generating capacity of 63 megawatts (84,000 hp).[12] The station output, estimated to be 314 gigawatt-hours (1,130 TJ) annually,[1] is fed to TasNetworks' transmission grid via an 11 kV/110 kV Siemens generator transformer to the outdoor switchyard.[13]
See also
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References
edit- 1 2 3 "Register of Large Dams Australia-2015" (Excel. Requires download. Row 150). ANCOLD. January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Devils Gate Dam, Forth River, 1969–". Engineers Australia. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ↑ "Lake Barrington". Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2 April 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ↑ "1990 World Rowing Championships". World Rowing.
- ↑ Australian national and interstate amateur rowing and sculling championships, Lake Barrington, Tasmania, 28 March – 1 April 1984. A.P.P.M. King's Cup and National Rowing Regatta; Tasmanian Rowing Council Inc.; and Australian Rowing Council Inc.
- ↑ 1987 Cadbury Kings Cup and National Rowing Championships: Lake Barrington International, Tasmania 1–5 April, Tasmania : Tasmanian Rowing Council
- ↑ Winter, Ian (1990) Blades down under: the official record of the world rowing championships 1990, Lake Barrington, Tasmania, Australia Tasmania : Amherst Educational in association with Key Publications, ISBN 0-646-03288-7
- ↑ Hagan, J. and Patterson, Ed (1991) Oars aweigh: assessing the impact of the 1990 World Rowing Championships on Tasmania. Hobart, Tas. Dept. of Tourism, Sport and Recreation, prepared under the auspices of the Australian Sport and Recreation Facilities Advisory Committee (AUSFAC)"
- ↑ "Kentish Park and Lake Barrington Park Master Concept Plan" (PDF). kentish.tas.gov.au. June 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ↑ "Energy: Mersey – Forth". Hydro Tasmania. n.d. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ↑ "Devils Gate Dam". Engineers Australia.
- ↑ "The Hydro after 100 Years" (PDF). EHA Magazine. March 2015. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
- ↑ "Devils Gate Power Station: Mersey-Forth Catchment" (PDF). Hydro Tasmania. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
External links
edit- "Devils Gate Dam". Kentish Visitor Information Centre. n.d. Retrieved 23 April 2026.