Bendora Dam
Bendora Dam was completed in 1961 and, as it was higher, water could flow by gravity from the dam to Mount Stromlo Water Treatment Plant, avoiding the high cost of pumping required for water from Cotter Dam. The Bendora Gravity Main, from Bendora Dam to Mount Stromlo, was constructed in 1967.
Storage Capacity: 11,540 million litres* fed from a 290 square kilometre catchment which also includes the Corin Dam.
Top water level: 778.2m above sea level
Facts: Double curvature concrete arch dam, Bendora dam was completed in 1961.
Water stored in the most-upstream dam, Corin, is released into the Cotter River and flows down the river to Bendora Dam. From Bendora Dam, a 1500mm diameter steel pipe carries the water by gravity to the treatment plant on Mount Stromlo to the western of Canberra. The Bendora Gravity Main, constructed in 1967, is 20 kilometres long and has a capacity to carry 310 million litres of water per day.
* A review of reservoir volumes in 2005/2006 has resulted in ACTEW adjusting reported volumes. The change in volumes is a direct result of more accurate mapping methods used to determine volumes compared with methods used in the 1960s, when the previous volumes were calculated. A review of volumes of the Corin and Bendora reservoirs, effective 1 November 2005, has resulted in ACTEW adjusting the reported volumes from 75.4 gigalitres (GL) to 70.90 GL for Corin and from 10.7 GL to 11.54 GL for Bendora. A review of volumes of the Cotter and Googong reservoirs, effective 1 October 2006, has resulted in ACTEW adjusting the reported volumes from 4.7 gigalitres (GL) to 3.86 GL for Cotter and from 124.5 GL to 121.1 GL for Googong.
ActewAGL operate the water and sewerage assets on ACTEW's behalf. For more information visit www.actewagl.com.au