Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/281

 A USTRALI'AN IRRIGATION $CrEME 967 north side South Wales of the new of the river was sanctioned by the New Parliament in 1904. The settlement colony began ten years later, and in 1915 the great dam was completed. This is the first great irrigation projbct to be carried out in New South Wales and the strictly scientific preliminary character, work has been of a even the most minute details of the scheme having received creful considera- tion after the closest investigation. $toratle Reservoir The ideal condition for economical the existence of a narrow rocky gorge storage, namely below an area of extensive river flats, having a large catchment area, was found to be realized at a point named Burrinjuck, just below the confluence of the River with the Mnrrimbidgee. The the river, situated above the town is made up of a magnificent expanse Goodradigbee watershed of. of Gundagai, of rugged area of This regulated flow will be the natural flow coming he Murrtunbidgee actual site of the which a great concrete wall has been constructed, having a maximum height of 240 feet, a length of 752 feet, with a base 160 feet thick tapering to 18 feet at the top. This will throw the waters back into a lake having an area of 12,740 cres, with -capacity to contain 33,000,000,000 cubic feet, or 766,24 tttiliz- from area -of 8,000 sq. miles, [orme(i and its affinent the Tumut. dam is a deep gorge, across of 5,000 sq. miles. ed to supplement the lower catchment by The gorges and mountain peaks, enbracing an 8,000 square miles, rising to altituJes ranging from 9,000 to 5,000 feet, while the average rainfall in the area varies froin 20 to 70 inches. The open river fiats above Burrinjuck are sufficient to provide a storage capable of regulating the flow of a catchment area