Lake Parramatta Dam, North Parramatta, NSW
Posted by: 
3l diesel
S 33° 47.485 E 151° 00.433
56H E 315507 N 6259186
These plaques note the dam wall holding Lake Parramatta as a National Engineering Landmark.
Waymark Code: WM925N
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 06/16/2010
Views: 14
These two plaques (and the given coordinates are for the plaques) are about 200m from the dam wall itself which is easily accessible on foot.
The information plaque reads
"LAKE PARRAMATTA DAM
CONSTRUCTED TO A HEIGHT OF 11M IN 1856 AND
RAISED TO 14M IN 1898, THIS DAM SUPPLIED WATER TO
PARRAMATTA UNTIL 1916. IT IS THE FIRST LARGE DAM
AND THE FIRST ARCH DAM TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN
AUSTRALIA. IT IS BELIEVED TO BE THE ELEVENTH SINGLE
ARCH DAM IN THE WORLD AND ONE OF THE FIRST TWO
DESIGNED MATHEMATICALLY. IMPORTANT PEOPLE
ASSOCIATED WITH IT WERE ENGINEERS P. SIMPSON, E.O.
MORIARTY, AND C.W. DARLEY AND THE CONTRACTOR
W. RANDLE.
DEDICATED BY
THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS, AUSTRALIA,
AND PARRAMATTA CITY COUNCIL 1997."
If other internet sites are viewed, it will be noted that apparent discrepancies exist as to when the lake was last used as a water supply. W. V. Aird; "The Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage of Sydney"; Sydney 1961 (publisher unknown) has perhaps the most detailed account of Lake Parramatta as a water supply.
Chanson and James, in their paper "Historical Development of Arch Dams. From Cut-Stone Arches to Modern Concrete Designs
(A revised history of arch dams)" (http://www.uq.edu.au/~e2hchans/arch_dam.html)
note concerning the Lake Parramatta Dam
"The 12.5-m high Parramatta dam near Sydney (Australia) was built between 1851 and 1856. It was a constant-radius arch with a cylinder shape and it was heightened by 3.35-m in 1898.
.... constant-radius arches built in cut-stone masonry. .... their long-lasting operation demonstrates the soundness of design and the quality of the masonry construction. It is generally believed that the thickness of cylindrical arch was calculated using the thin cylinder formula. It is worth noting that three dams" [referring to early arch dams] "were built in the British empire. Two structures were designed by Royal Engineers : the Meer Allum and Jones Falls dams. The writers believe that the Royal Engineers in India were aware of the successes of Meer Allum and Jones Falls dams and they might have advised Australian engineers."
See also Waymark WM927H "Hunt's Creek Dam".
Location:
Illawong Drive
North Parramatta NSW
Type of structure/site: Dam
Date of Construction: 1856
Engineer/Architect/Builder etc.: P Simpson, E O Moriarty, C W Darley, W Randle
Engineering Organization Listing: Engineers Australia
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Web Site: [Web Link]
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