| Laanecoorie Reservoir | |
|---|---|
| breach of the weir during 1909 flood | |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Loddon River |
| Primary outflows | Loddon River |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Water volume | 18.3 mio m³ (18,300 ML) |
Laanecoorie Weir or Laanecoorie Reservoir, is a water storage for irrigation and domestic purposes on the Loddon River, near the towns of Eddington, Victoria and Laanecoorie, Victoria. It was designed by construction engineer Andrew O'Keefe (d. 1904) in conjunction with Joshua Thomas Noble Anderson. This was the second irrigation scheme for Victoria after the Goulburn Weir. Construction commenced in 1889 and took three years to build, but the great flood of 1909 burst the weir sending 18.3 million cubic metres of through the breach and causing sever damage to all towns down stream.[1][2]
Laanecoorie was part of the “Simpson Run” and in 1840 “Janevale” home was named after Simpson’s wife. Gold was discovered around Laanecoorie at “Jones Creek” in 1853 and later on at “Poseidon” in 1906. The first farm in the area was selected by Lyon brothers in 1857 and the first bridge at Laanecoorie over the Loddon River was built in 1870, but was destroyed along with the weir in the flood of 1909. Sir John Monash (famous W.W.1 General) designed and built a new bridge of reinforced concrete beam and slab construction, which still remains today. [3]
The largest outlet valves in Victoria were installed at Laanecoorie weir in 1891, manufactured by the United Iron Work of Abraham Roberts.[4]
The present capacity of the Laanecoorie Reservoir is about 7770 ML, although substantial siltation since construction has reduced the original capacity by an estimated 12000 ML. The towns of Tarnagulla, Dunolly, and Laanecoorie obtain supply by diversion from the Loddon River downstream of the reservoir. [5]