Gordon Dam

Gordon Dam is a double-curvature concrete arch dam on Tasmania’s Gordon River. It impounds Lake Gordon and supplies water to the Gordon hydroelectric power station.

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Arch dam: A dam that resists water pressure primarily by transferring it sideways into the valley walls through its curved shape. Gordon Dam’s double-curvature arch carries reservoir loads into the steep rock abutments.
Hydro Tasmania: A Tasmanian government-owned corporation that generates and supplies electricity, chiefly from hydroelectric resources. The organization developed and operates the hydroelectric scheme associated with Gordon Dam.
Gordon–Franklin hydroelectric scheme: A Tasmanian hydroelectric development based on the Gordon River and its tributaries, including the Gordon Power Station. Gordon Dam forms the scheme’s principal storage barrier.
South West Wilderness: A vast, sparsely populated wilderness region in southwestern Tasmania, encompassing rugged mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes. Gordon Dam sits within a region whose conservation became central to dam debates.
Hydroelectricity: Electricity generated by converting the energy of moving or falling water into electrical power. The dam stores water whose controlled release supplies the station’s turbines.
Gordon River Power Development: A hydroelectric development in western Tasmania centered on damming the Gordon River and harnessing its water for electricity. Gordon Dam was built as the principal reservoir structure for this development.
Lake Gordon: A large reservoir in Tasmania formed by the damming of the Gordon River. Its stored water supports electricity generation and reservoir operations.
Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area: A UNESCO World Heritage property protecting extensive wilderness landscapes in western and southwestern Tasmania. Its protected landscapes frame the conservation context surrounding the dam.
Gordon River: A river in western Tasmania that flows through the island’s wilderness before reaching Macquarie Harbour. The dam spans this river and alters its flow into the lower Gordon.
Lake Pedder: A lake in southwestern Tasmania whose original natural form was inundated by a hydroelectric reservoir in the 1970s. The power-development plans that included Gordon Dam also triggered conflict over Lake Pedder.