FOR PRESS P. M. No 36/ 1970
SIGNING OF AGREEMENTS FOR THE DARTMOUTH DAM
The Prime Minister and the Premiers of New South Wales,
Victoria and South Australia today signed the two agreements relating to
the construction of Dartmouth Dam.
One agreement amends the River Murray Waters Agreement
to authorise construction of the Dartmouth Dam on the Mitta Mitta River,
a tributary of the River Murray, while the other agreement relates to
the financial arrangements. The opportunity has also been taken to
modernise the original River Murray Waters Agreement parts of which
have been in force since 1915.
The Prime Minister said the way was now clear to introduce
legislation into the four Parliaments to ratify the amendments agreed to.
With Dartmouth, South Australia will get an increased
allocation of almost one quarter of a million acre feet per annum.
A further a~ mendment provides that, in times of drought, all
water available to the River Murray Commission will be shared equally.
Up to now, the sharing has been in the proportions 5: 5: 3 ( 3 being South
Australia). The Dartmouth Dam itself will consist of a central earth core
flanked by rock as an outer shell, forming an embankment of maximum
height of 590 feet, with a crest length of 2, 300 feet and a total volume of
fill of about 20 million cubic yards.
A storage of approximately 3 million acre feet will be
impounded behind this Dam.
The State Rivers and Water Supply Commission of Victoria
will be the Constructing Authority for the Dam and it is expected to retain
the Snowy Mountains Authority as consultants to undertake designs and
prepare contract documents. e / 2
2.
In 1963, a bridging-agreement was reached between the River
Murray Commission and the State-of New-South Wales whereby the Commission
became entitled to use some of the water from the Menindee Lakes Storage.
This agreement was to operate for seven years and one of the new amendments
will provide for the use of this water from the Menindee Scheme in
perpetuity. Amongst other things, this will ensure adequate emergency
supplies of water for South Australia within a reasonable distance of that
State. Another amendment provides for the provision of a system of
storage at Lake Victoria with inlet and outlet works that are of a size
that will, in the opinion of the Contracting Governments, ensure the
effect iveness of tihe system of storage in the regulation of the River
Murray ( including operations after the Dartmouth Reservoir has become
effective for the purpose of the Agreement).
The financial arrangements for the construction of the Dam
provide for the Commonwealth, in addition to paying its own share, to lend
to each of the States at the long-term Commonwealth bond rate prevailing
at the time when the loan was made one half of their share of the costs.
Such loans would be subject to the usual interest payments, but repayment
of capital would be deferred for ten years and would take place over the
subsequent fifteen years.
CA NBERRA
26 February 1970