The impounded reservoir is called the Island Bend Pondage.
Location and features
Completed in 1965, Island Bend Dam is a major dam, located within the Snowy Monaro Regional Council, adjacent to the locality of Island Bend. The dam was constructed by Utah Construction and Engineering Pty Limited based on engineering plans developed under contract from the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Authority.[1]
The dam wall comprising 60,400 cubic metres (2,130,000 cu ft) of concrete is 49 metres (161 ft) high and 146 metres (479 ft) long. At 100% capacity the dam wall holds back 3,084 megalitres (108.9×10^6 cu ft) of water. The surface area of Island Bend Pondage is 327 hectares (810 acres) and the catchment area is 221 square kilometres (85 sq mi). The controlled spillway is capable of discharging 2,832 cubic metres per second (100,000 cu ft/s).[1][2]
The dam receives water from Lake Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene through the Snowy-Island Bend and Snowy-Eucumbene tunnels respectively. The combined water is then sent West through the Snowy-Geehi trans-mountain tunnel to Geehi Dam for generation in the Murray Power Stations. Water can flow the reverse direction, to Eucumbene and Jindabyne from Geehi for storage during periods of high river flow, or otherwise.[3]
Climate
Climate data for Island Bend, NSW (Island Bend Dam); 1,275 m AMSL; 36° 19′ 59.88″ S
^ ab"Register of Large Dams in Australia". Dams information. The Australian National Committee on Large Dams Incorporated. 2010. Archived from the original(Excel (requires download)) on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.