Huntsman Lake Power Station
| Meander Dam | |
|---|---|
 Location of the Meander Dam in Tasmania
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| Country | Australia |
| Location | Northern Tasmania |
| Coordinates | 41°41′30″S 146°37′14″E / 41.69167°S 146.62056°ECoordinates: 41°41′30″S 146°37′14″E / 41.69167°S 146.62056°E |
| Purpose | Irrigation; Power |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | November 2007 |
| Construction cost | A$24 million |
| Owner(s) | Tasmanian Irrigation (TI) Pty Ltd |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Gravity dam |
| Impounds | Meander River |
| Height | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Length | 170 m (560 ft) |
| Elevation at crest | 402 metres (1,319 ft) AHD |
| Dam volume | 85 thousand cubic metres (3.0×106 cu ft) |
| Spillways | 1 |
| Spillway type | Uncontrolled centrally located conventional spillway |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Huntsman |
| Total capacity | 43,000 megalitres (1,500×106 cu ft) |
| Active capacity | 36,000 megalitres (1,300×106 cu ft) |
| Catchment area | 163 km2 (63 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 45.3 hectares (112 acres) |
| Huntsman Lake Power Station | |
| Operator(s) | Tyco Tamar |
| Commission date | February 2008 |
| Type | Conventional |
| Hydraulic head | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Turbines | 1 x 1.95 MW (2,610 hp) double-Francis-type |
| Installed capacity | 1.95 MW (2,610 hp) |
The Meander Dam is a concrete gravity dam across the Upper Meander River, located in northern Tasmania, Australia. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Huntsman.
The dam was constructed in 2006 by the Tasmanian Rivers & Water Supply Commission for the principal purpose of delivering a reliable supply of irrigation water to the Meander Valley, estimated at 44,200 hectares (109,000 acres). Adjacent to the dam is a small conventional hydroelectric power station.
Proposals to build a dam on the Meander River below Warners Creek date back to at least 1968. The site was cleared in preparation for dam construction during the last 1980s. In 1995 a report by engineering consultants, GHD Group, stated that the lack of a reliable water supply for irrigation in the Meander Catchment is seen as a key factor limiting potential future expansion of agricultural enterprises. The pressure on water resources in the Meander Catchment resulted in the need to limit and sometimes prohibit the extraction of water from the river during the irrigation season. In 2002, a water management plan for the catchment was under development and was expected to address environmental flow concerns through the implementation of higher minimum river flows. This increase in minimum flows would result in the need to reduce the irrigation water currently extracted from the river, which would reduce agricultural production and prevent the development of water dependent agricultural enterprises.
However, the dam faced considerable opposition. Despite being passed by two other statutory committees of the Tasmanian Parliament, the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal knocked it back on economic and environmental grounds. The Tribunal vetoed the construction of the dam because it could not determine its economic value - as estimates ranged from a loss of A$600,000 to nearly A$40 million - and because it would affect two threatened species the epacris plant and the spotted tail quoll. In September 2003, following intervention by the Australian Government, the project was approved.
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