Bendora Dam


The Bendora Dam is a thin-wall, double curvature concrete arch dam across the upper reaches of the Cotter River, located within Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The impounded reservoir is called the Bendora Reservoir which is a supply source of potable water for the city of Canberra and its environs.

Location and features

Constructed by E S Clementson working from designs prepared by the Commonwealth Department of Works, the Bendora Dam was completed and opened in 1961 and was the first dam of its type built in Australia. The concrete dam wall built on a rock foundation is high and long with a volume of. The wall impounds of water held within the Bendora Reservoir, forming a surface area of approximately drawn from a catchment area of. The uncontrolled spillway is capable of discharging from the Bendora Reservoir, with a high water level approximately above sea level.
Water from the Bendora, together with the Corin, and the Cotter dams are pumped to the suburbs of Canberra via the Bendora Gravity Main.