The Hinze Dam supplies most of the water provided to Gold Coast City in Queensland, Australia. Some water is drawn from Little Nerang Dam and until recently northern suburbs received water from Wivenhoe Dam. It was completed in 1976 and expanded in 1989 and is managed by Gold Coast Water.

The dam is located 15 km south-west of Nerang immediately downstream of the joining of the Nerang River and Little Nerang Creek and holds 161,070 million litres of water across a surface area of 9.72 square kilometres.

The 209 square kilometre catchment area for Hinze Dam includes the Numinbah Valley and Springbrook Plateau, with most being contained within State Forests and National Parks.

The lake created by the dam, Advancetown Lake, is a popular recreational facility for Gold Coast residents. The dam also provides the benefits of flood mitigation and environmental protection.

The Hinze Dam was designed for construction in three stages.

* Stage One was completed in 1976, providing storage of 42,400 million litres.

* With Stage Two completed in 1989 storage was increased to 161,070 million litres. This involved raising the main embankment, spillway and intake towers by about 18 metres to create a surface area of 9.72 square kilometres at a total cost of $42 million.

* In 2004 the Gold Coast City Council resolved to construct Stage Three of the Dam. This will take it to its full height for water storage and flood mitigation purposes. This should take 7 to 9 years.

[Source: Wikipedia]

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