Completed in 1965, Khancoban Dam is a major dam, located within the Snowy Valleys local government area, approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) southwest of the town of Khancoban. The dam was constructed by Kaiser Engineers and Construction Incorporation based on engineering plans developed under contract from the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Authority.[1]
Built on a soil foundation, the dam wall comprises 629,100 cubic metres (22,220,000 cu ft) of earthfill with an internal core, and is 18 metres (59 ft) high and 1,067 metres (3,501 ft) long. At 100% capacity the dam wall holds back 26,643 megalitres (940.9×10^6 cu ft) of water. The surface area of Khancoban Reservoir is 469 hectares (1,160 acres) and the catchment area is 788 square kilometres (304 sq mi). The controlled spillway is capable of discharging 3,540 cubic metres per second (125,000 cu ft/s).[1][2]
Located immediately upstream of the Khancoban Reservoir is the Murray 2 Power Station, a 550 megawatts (740,000 hp) conventional hydroelectric power station. Water from the power plant is discharged into the reservoir, before passing over the spillway of Khancoban Dam, and down the Swampy Plain River.
