The dam is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of Orange; with the secondary water source, Spring Creek Reservoir, located to the south-east of Orange. Built in 1962, Suma Park Dam is owned and maintained by Orange City Council. Prior to the construction of Suma Park Dam, Lake Canobolas (then known as Meadow Creek Dam) on the Molong Creek was also used as a domestic water source.
The Suma Park Dam 18 cubic metres (640 cu ft) concrete wall is 31 metres (102 ft) high and the arch crest is 208 metres (682 ft) long, with a crest width of 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in). At 100% capacity the dam wall holds back 17,290 megalitres (611×10^6 cu ft) of water. The surface area of Suma Park Reservoir is 1.3 square kilometres (0.50 sq mi) and the catchment area is 179 square kilometres (69 sq mi). The uncontrolled 62 metres (203 ft) spillway is capable of discharging 260 cubic metres per second (9,200 cu ft/s).[1][2]
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Surveillance and dam safety inspections are conducted regularly by the Orange City Council. In 2005 and 2010,[3] the dam overflowed.[4] In 2011, the Council published a report giving options for raising the height of the dam.[5]
^"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 24 April 2013.
