| Lake Narracan | |
|---|---|
| Location | Gippsland, Victoria (near Newborough)[1] |
| Construction began | 1976 |
| Opening date | May 1983 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 23 m |
| Length | 109 m |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Narracan |
| Capacity | 7,230 megalitres |
| Catchment area | 1,942 km² |
| Surface area | 281 ha |
Lake Narracan is an artificial lake on the Latrobe River built to supply cooling water for the nearby brown coal fired power stations.
Contents |
Lake Narracan is located on the Latrobe River in the Latrobe Valley. The dam wall is approximately 1.5 km upstream of the Yallourn Power Station. Its upper reaches are approximately 6 km further to the west, close to where the Narracan Creek meets the Latrobe River. The lake was formerly called the Yallourn Storage Dam.
The reservoir was first constructed by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria between 1959 and 1961 and has the capacity of 8,600 megalitres (ML).
In 2002 major works were undertaken to bring the reservoir up to modern day standards, including anchoring the dam wall to the foundation bedrock and strengthening the four gates.
The dam is an essential part of providing water for cooling the power stations generators in the Latrobe Valley. This supply is supplemented from Blue Rock Lake approximately 15 km upstream on the Tanjil River.
| Lake Narracan | |
|---|---|
| Location | Gippsland, Victoria |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Latrobe River |
| Primary outflows | Latrobe River |
| Catchment area | 1,942 km2 (750 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Surface area | 2.81 km2 (1.08 sq mi) |
Lake Narracan is also used for recreational purposes, including waterskiing[2], jet skiing, swimming, recreational fishing, and bush walking on the shore.[3] A school camp (Woorabinda) on the northern shore of the lake offers facilities for around 75 people.[4] On the southern shore there is a caravan park and campground.[5] The Latrobe Valley Model Aero Club is also located on the lake shore.[6] The Moe Yallourn Rail Trail passes close by the southern shore of the lake.[7][8]
It is also the largest fresh water lake that is not used for domestic water storage in Victoria.