The structure was completed by Thiess in 1968,[1] and is one of the sixteen major dams that comprise the Snowy Mountains Scheme, a vast hydroelectricity and irrigation complex constructed in south-east Australia between 1949 and 1974 that is now run by Snowy Hydro.
The arch dam wall comprises 19,500 cubic metres (690,000 cu ft) of concrete and is 43 metres (141 ft) high and 131 metres (430 ft) long. At 100% capacity the dam wall holds back 2,344 megalitres (82.8×10^6 cu ft) of water. The surface area of Murray Two Pondage is 190 hectares (470 acres) and the catchment area is 53 square kilometres (20 sq mi). The controlled spillway is capable of discharging 566 cubic metres per second (20,000 cu ft/s).[2][3]
Located immediately upstream of the Murray Two Pondage is the Murray 1 Power Station, a 950 megawatts (1,270,000 hp) conventional hydroelectric power station. Murray 1 draws the supply of its water under pressure from an 11.8 kilometres (7.3 mi) Haupt-tunnel, with a diameter of 6.93 metres (22.7 ft), that is fully lined along its length; completed in 1966.[4] Meanwhile, located immediately downstream is the Murray 2 Power Station, a 550 megawatts (740,000 hp) conventional hydroelectric power station. Water from the power plant is discharged into the reservoir, before passing over the spillway of Khancoban Dam, and down the Swampy Plain River.
^ 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.