Leslie Harrison Dam

Not to be confused with Leslie Dam.

Leslie Harrison Dam
250px The Leslie Harrison Dam, in 2014
Location of the Leslie Harrison Dam in Queensland
Country	Australia
Location	South East Queensland
Coordinates
Purpose	Potable water supply
Status	Operational
Opening date	1968 (1968) 2004 (2004) (wall raised/gates installed)
Operator(s)	SEQ Water
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment dam
Impounds	Tingalpa Creek
Height	25 m (82 ft)
Length	525 m (1,722 ft)
Dam volume	315×10^3 m3 (11.1×10^6 cu ft)
Spillway type	Vertical lift gates
Spillway capacity	1,450 m3/s (51,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates	Tingalpa Reservoir
Total capacity	24,868 ML (5.470×109 imp gal; 6.569×109 US gal)
Catchment area	87.5 km2 (33.8 sq mi)
Surface area	470 ha (1,200 acres)
Website www.seqwater.com.au

The Leslie Harrison Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam with a vertical lift gated spillway across the Tingalpa Creek that is located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The main purpose of the dam is for potable water supply of the Redland City in Brisbane. The impounded reservoir is called Tingalpa Reservoir.

Location and features

File:Leslie Harrison Dam.jpg

Trees bordering the dam, while it was at 100% capacity in 2011.

The dam is located between the suburbs of Capalaba, Chandler and Burbank, approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) southeast of Brisbane. The primary inflow of the reservoir is the Tingalpa Creek, not far above its confluence with the Brisbane River. The dam is one of a number of dams connected to the South East Queensland Water Grid, and the dam provides approximately 20% of the water supply for Redland City.

Completed in 1968, the earthfill dam structure is 25 metres (82 ft) high and 535 metres (1,755 ft) long. The 315-thousand-cubic-metre (11.1×10^⁶ cu ft) dam wall holds back the 24,868-megalitre (5.470×10⁹ imp gal; 6.569×10⁹ US gal) reservoir when at full capacity. From a catchment area of 87.5 square kilometres (33.8 sq mi) that includes much of the northern slopes of the Venman Bushland National Park, the dam creates Tingalpa Reservoir, with a surface area of 470 hectares (1,200 acres). The controlled gated spillway has a discharge capacity of 1,450 cubic metres per second (51,000 cu ft/s). Initially managed by the Redland City Council, management of the dam was transferred to Seqwater in July 2008 as part of a water security project in the South East Queensland region, known as the South East Queensland Water Grid. In 1984, the dam wall was raised and gates were installed, and in 2014, work began on improving the safety of the dam after Seqwater completed a major investigation of its operating dams, which includes draining the dam to approximately 50% capacity.

Recreation

Swimming is prohibited. The Queensland Government planned to allow fishing and recreational use of the reservoir in late 2013.

See also

• List of dams in Queensland