Chichester Dam is a minor concrete gravity dam across the Chichester and Wangat rivers, upstream of Dungog, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's main purpose is water supply for the Lower Hunter region. A mini hydro-electric power station operates at times of peak flow and is connected to the national grid. The impounded reservoir is Lake Chichester.

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Chichester Dam
Chichester Dam
Location in New South Wales
Country	Australia
Location	Dungog, New South Wales
Coordinates	32°13′54″S 151°41′04″E
Purpose	Water supply
Status	Operational
Construction began	1917
Opening date	1926
Construction cost	A£1,049,000
Owner(s)	Hunter Water Corporation
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Gravity dam
Impounds	Chichester River, Wangat River
Height	43 m (141 ft)
Length	254 m (833 ft)
Dam volume	18.4 ML (650×10^3 cu ft)
Spillway capacity	3,300 m3/s (120,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Chichester
Total capacity	21,500 ML (760×10^6 cu ft)
Catchment area	197 km2 (76 sq mi)
Surface area	1.8 km2 (0.69 sq mi)
Maximum length	4.22 km (2.62 mi)
Maximum width	580 m (1,900 ft)
Normal elevation	156.2 m (512 ft) AHD
Power Station
Operator(s)	Delta Electricity
Commission date	November 2001 (2001-11)
Type	Conventional
Turbines	1
Installed capacity	110 kW (150 hp)
Annual generation	0.4 GWh (1.4 TJ)
Website Chichester Dam at www.hunterwater.com.au

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The dam wall is 43 metres (141 ft) high, 254 metres (833 ft) long, and was constructed using a cyclopean system of interlocking concrete blocks and large boulders with a volume of 91 cubic metres (3,200 cu ft). The wall is anchored to the bedrock below it by 93 stressed tendons. At 100% capacity the dam wall holds back 21,500 megalitres (760×10^⁶ cu ft) of water at 156.2 metres (512 ft) Australian Height Datum. The spillway is capable of discharging 3,300 cubic metres per second (120,000 cu ft/s). The surface area of the reservoir is 1.8 square kilometres (0.69 sq mi) and the catchment area, largely located within the Barrington Tops National Park, is 197 square kilometres (76 sq mi). The dam is connected to reservoirs in Maitland, Cessnock and Newcastle by an 80-kilometre (50 mi) gravitation main.^[1][2]

Following a report by the Health Rivers Commission, in 1998 the Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, Craig Knowles, announced that a small hydro-electric power station would be installed in the Chichester Dam in order to generate electricity, reduce greenhouse emissions and allow surplus power to be sold back to the grid.^[5] Completed in 2001 and operated by Delta Electricity, the mini-power station generates up to 110 kilowatts (150 hp) of electricity at times of peak flow; with an average annual generation of 0.4 gigawatt-hours (1.4 TJ).^[6]

• List of dams and reservoirs in New South Wales