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Lake Narracan as key water source for power, irrigation, and communities, balancing environmental and operational needs

Lake Narracan, east of Moe, provides water for electricity generation, irrigation, and local communities, supporting environmental and operational needs with careful flow management and 24-hour vigilance by Southern Rural Water.

By news@gippsland - 6th January 2025 - Back to News

Nestled on the Latrobe River - 10 km east of Moe in Gippsland - Lake Narracan supplies water for electricity generation, supports local irrigation and is a popular water-skiing location. Southern Rural Water's Manager of Headworks Operations, Ed Smith, said around 550 megalitres are released each day from Lake Narracan to meet our bulk entitlements. These large water orders meet customer, community and environmental requirements.

View from a drone looking down over the Narracan dam wall. Drone technology is used as an inspection tool to ensure high levels of safety, data detail, and efficiency

Water flow management

Mr Smith said, "We ensure passing flow requirements are met at critical points along the Latrobe River downstream of the lake, such as 350 megalitres per day at Thom's Bridge. We provide a small volume to Gippsland Water to treat for household use in local communities."

"We also regulate flows into Yallourn Weir, which provides up to 200 megalitres per day for the Loy Yang and Yallourn coal fired power stations, generating a significant portion of Victoria's electricity," Mr Smith said.

In addition to bulk entitlements, Lake Narracan provides water for local communities and irrigators with take and use licences to pump water from the Latrobe River for food and fibre production.

Lake Narracan management

The Narracan dam was constructed between 1959 and 1961. Around 5.5 km long and with a storage capacity of 7,230 megalitres, Lake Narracan is a concrete gravity dam with a spillway of four vertical lift gates and a penstock gate.

The spillway gates allow a discharge of large flows during floods. The penstock gate is used to pass low and normal flows to meet water orders. During floods, software is used to operate Narracan's spillway and penstock gates. "With combined inflows from the Latrobe and Tanjil rivers, and multiple creeks, storage levels can rise really quickly. Ensuring the safety and integrity of the structure demands precision and 24-hour vigilance," Mr Smith said.

Southern Rural Water's storage operators play a critical role in managing water flow. "In addition to site maintenance and upkeep, our operators monitor river conditions closely - responding to alarms to adjust releases and maintain compliance with flow targets. It's a rewarding job that demands real-time decision-making and technical expertise," Mr Smith said. For more about water fun and facilities at Lake Narracan, visit Southern Rural Water website.

Pictures from Southern Rural Water website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com