Ord River Diversion Dam Engineering Heritage Marker Ceremony ORD RIVER DIVERSION DAM THE START OF A NEW ERA Swim Beach, Kununurra Saturday, 20 July 2013 Ord River Diversion Dam Engineering Heritage Marker Ceremony PROGRAM Acknowledgment of Traditional Ownership of Land Formal welcome, recognition of distinguished guests, apologies Mr Don Young, FIEAUST, Past Chairman, Engineering Heritage WA Introduction by Mr Don Young of Mrs Helen Pedersen, FIEAUST CPEng, President, Engineers Australia WA Division Engineers Australia Engineering Heritage Recognition Program Mrs Helen Pedersen Introduction by Mr Don Young of Mrs Sue Murphy FIEAUST CPEng, Chief Executive Officer, Water Corporation of Western Australia Ord River Diversion Dam Mrs Sue Murphy Unveiling of Interpretation Panel Ms Eva Skira, BA (Hons), MBA, Chairman, Board of Water Corporation of Western Australia Acceptance of Panel Ms Eva Skira Closing Remarks Mr Don Young HeritaGE recoGNITION Immediately following the ceremony there will be a conducted In response to a nomination by Engineering Heritage WA the Ord River Diversion Dam has been walk across the Diversion Dam followed by a light lunch at the Swim awarded a national Engineering Heritage Marker by Engineering Heritage Australia which Beach venue. conducts a heritage recognition program within Engineers Australia. The program focuses attention on the role played by engineers and engineering in the development of the nation and encourages the physical conservation of Australia’s important engineering heritage works. Saturday, 20 July 2013 Ord River Diversion Dam Engineering Heritage Marker Ceremony Saturday, 20 July 2013 1. 05 1. Transferring bulk cement into SS Dulverton at Fremantle wharf 2. 95 tonne radial gate being raised - 1962 3. Radial gates being trial assembled in Vickers Hoskins’ Perth workshop. 4. Bandicoot Bar at commencement of excavation 5. Unloading cement at Wyndham wharf 5. 4. 2. 3. A New era BEGINS FUNDING ARRIVES WORK BEGINS When Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies officially opened the Ord River Irrigation Scheme on 20 July In 1959 the Commonwealth the scheme passed to the state In July, 1960, Christiani Nielsen 1963, he symbolically marked the end of a long period of dreaming and planning and the beginning Government made a grant of Public Works Department (PWD). Clough, a joint venture by a Danish of a new era of reality for an agricultural industry in Western Australia’s far north. In his opening speech, five million pounds (about $140 Limited funding dictated that the and a Perth based company, won the PM said the irrigation area was the ‘most exciting place in Australia at this moment.’ million at 2013 prices) to the diversion dam be built before a contract worth 2.9 million Western Australian Government, a main storage dam further pounds (about $78 million at For about 80 years the region spent three weeks in 1941 It is now the Frank Wise most of which was for upstream (completed in 1972) to 2013 prices) to construct the had seen European settlers’ cattle travelling on horseback along Institute of Tropical Agriculture. constructing irrigation channels, provide protection from sudden dam. Another contract of 763,000 grazing on sprawling pastoral the Ord River course to assess Twelve years of research pumping stations, the Ord River huge inflows. This was not usual pounds (more than $20 million) leases that were established the area and identify possible indicated that sugar cane, rice, Diversion Dam and the support engineering practice, but the was awarded to Vickers Hoskins of in the grasslands in the 1880s dam sites. cotton, safflower and other town of Kununurra (derived from design of the diversion dam Perth for the prefabrication of the by explorer and land agent In the same year, a fledgling oil seeds were likely to succeed a word meaning ‘big waters’ in included large radial gates to radial gates which give the dam its Alexander Forrest. research station was established with a sufficient, reliable water the local indigenous language). prevent flooding. distinctive appearance. supply. Work began in earnest Damming the Ord River was at Carlton Reach privately In the initial stage about 10,000 Most of the detailed design of Contractor offices, workshops, on planning an irrigation scheme first mentioned officially in the with support from the State acres (4,500 hectares) of land the dam’s concrete, mechanical storage facilities, aggregate harnessing the huge volumes early 1900s, and by the late Government, and five years later was cleared and graded for and electrical works was carried screening and concrete batching of water that tumbled down 1930s the State Government was the Kimberley Research Station, farms irrigated through the out by the PWD. John Lewis, the facilities were established on the Ord River during the summer investigating the establishment a joint venture by the State and 25km main (M1) channel and Chief Design Engineer, had the the river bank. The township of wet season making it one of of an irrigation scheme. Federal Governments involving more than 55km of subsidiary idea for the radial gates from a Kununurra had been established Australia’s fastest flowing rivers. Amid scientific investigations of the CSIRO, was established on channels. dam that incorporated four gates by the PWD 6 km from the the land, Russell Dumas, the WA the black soil of the Ivanhoe Plain Overall responsibility for in Montana, USA, that he had dam site to house project Director of Works and Buildings, 16 kilometres downstream. planning and supervision of visited on an earlier study tour. administrative staff. Ord River Diversion Dam Engineering Heritage Marker Ceremony Saturday, 20 July 2013 07 Sir David Brand Sir Charles Court Mr D.C. Munro Mr H.E. Hunt Mr J.G. Lewis Mr R. A. Hamilton ORD RIVER DIVERSION Dam data: Owner: Water Corporation Construction project period: 1959-63 Scale model of dam in PWD Hydraulics Laboratory, Perth Purpose: To divert water from the Ord River to irrigation land (Photo courtesy John Lewis) Designer: Public Works Department WA Main contractor: Christiani & Nielsen Clough joint venture Manufacturer of radial gates: Vickers Hoskins Mr Leif Ott Nilsen Construction: 20 steel radial gates within concrete piers and spillway All construction materials onto a quartzite bar in the river, of concrete was used for the dam Length of spillway: 335 metres except concrete aggregates named Bandicoot Bar. while 350,000 cubic metres of fill Dimensions of gates: height 11.3 metres were shipped from Fremantle The radial gates were for many was used to construct 4.8km of width 15 metres to the port of Wyndham then years operated automatically, levee banks and miscellaneous weight 96.5 tonnes transported 100 km by road to but because of problems with the earthworks. Mobilisation and Average annual discharge the dam site. The State Shipping ageing control system, manual preliminary works were carried Service vessel, SS Dulverton, of water through gates: About 337 gigalitres (billion litres) including a permanent flow operation was introduced some out before the onset of the was converted to carry bulk to support the down-river environment. 20 years ago. The gates are 1960-61 wet season, and work cement in 1,400 tonne loads, Annual water supply operated on most days of the totalling 15,000 tonnes. A plaque began in earnest in March, 1961. to irrigation scheme: Nearly 145 gigalitres year to adjust for varying flows commemorating the ship’s The dam’s construction was from the hydro power plant at the role was placed by the crew on main Ord Dam and for demand considered a significant PRINcipal PEOPLE ASSociated WITH THE PROJect: kerbing at the dam then later from the irrigation scheme. The technical achievement, given mounted on a stone monument. opening rate is much higher in the remoteness of the site, basic Sir David Brand Premier of Western Australia 1959-71 The dam consisted of a barrage wet seasons due to rainfall inflows communications and difficult Sir Charles Court Minister for the North West 1959-71 with a spillway 335 metres to the river between Kununurra seasonal climatic conditions with Premier 1974-82 long incorporating 20 radial and the main dam. sudden river flows. Mr Don Munro Project Engineer, Public Works Department WA gates manufactured in Perth It was the first major barrage and assembled on site. These The dam also comprised Mr Harold Hunt Construction Manager, Public Works Department WA were each 15 metres wide and concrete abutments and a with radial gates built in Australia Mr John Lewis Engineer for Planning, Design and Investigation, 11.3 metres high, weighing precast prestressed bridge and was the first major civil Public Works Department WA spanning the spillway carrying engineering project constructed 96.5 tonnes and were installed Mr Roy Hamilton Resident Engineer, Public Works Department WA between reinforced concrete a 6.7 metres wide roadway. by private enterprise for the PWD Mr Leif Ott Nilsen Manager, Christiani & Nielsen Australia piers on a concrete sill keyed A total of 41,000 cubic metres of Western Australia. Ord River Diversion Dam Engineering Heritage Marker Ceremony Saturday, 20 July 2013 09 2. 7. 1. 3. 8. 5. 6. 1. Bandicoot Bar, late 1960. 2. East abutment and spillway 4. sections formed ready for concreting after rock excavation, A worK IN PROGRESS early 1961. The pioneering Ord River and successes in the process. maintain stable water levels 15,000 hectares of irrigation that began in 2010 and will 3. Pier and radial gate construction irrigation scheme has seen The first main crop, cotton, was at the diversion dam. It also land producing more than 60 more than double the irrigation well advanced in mid 1962. chequered development in the abandoned in 1974 due mainly enabled construction of a crop varieties including fruit, area, mostly for a large scale 4.