Lake Julius
| Lake Julius (Julius Dam) | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Lake Julius (Julius Dam) | |
| Location | 70 km (43 mi) North East of Mount Isa, Queensland |
| Coordinates | 20°07′53″S 139°43′23″E / 20.1315°S 139.723°E |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Leichhardt River, Paroo Creek |
| Primary outflows | Leichhardt River |
| Catchment area | 4,845 km2 (1,871 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Surface area | 1,255 ha (3,100 acres) |
| Average depth | 8.9 m (29 ft) |
| Max. depth | 25.2 m (83 ft) |
| Water volume | 107,500 ML (3,800×106 cu ft)[1] |
| Surface elevation | 223.54 m (733.4 ft) |
| References | [1] |
Lake Julius was formed following the construction of Julius Dam in 1976 for irrigation and town water storage. The dam wall is located just below the junction of the Leichhardt River and Paroo Creek some 70 km (43 mi) North East of Mount Isa. With a catchment area of 4,845 km2 (1,871 sq mi) it has a full supply capacity, at a supply level of 223.54m AHD, of 107,500 ML (3,800×106 cu ft), a surface area of 1,255 ha (3,100 acres) with an average depth of 8.9 m (29 ft).
The dam is unique in Queensland and is a concrete multiple arch and buttress type structure, with the spillway discharging over the tops of the arches. The spillway crest is 18.3 m (60 ft) above bed level. The arch barrels, founded on a triangular arch base, are constructed in independent arch rings and are hinged at buttress springing lines. The spillway is a precast superstructure and the dissipation slab at ground level is post tensioned to the foundation rock.
The dam has had operational volumes ranging between a low of 59.22%, recorded on 24 November 2014, and a high of 169.73%, recorded on 15 January 2004. The high being due to record breaking rainfall upstream in the Mt. Isa area.[2]
SunWater is undertaking a dam spillway capacity upgrade program.[3]
Climate
Lake Julius has a tropical semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh) with a short, highly erratic wet season from December to March and a long, slightly cooler dry season from April to November.[4] The wettest recorded day was 3 February 2019 with 204.2 mm (8.04 in) of rainfall. Extreme temperatures ranged from 46.7 °C (116.1 °F) on 21 December 2018 to 4.8 °C (40.6 °F) on 20 July 2024.[5]
| Climate data for Lake Julius (20°07′S 139°44′E / 20.12°S 139.73°E) (237 m (778 ft) AMSL) (2013-2025) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 45.5 (113.9) |
43.8 (110.8) |
43.6 (110.5) |
39.6 (103.3) |
38.5 (101.3) |
34.3 (93.7) |
36.0 (96.8) |
37.9 (100.2) |
40.6 (105.1) |
42.8 (109.0) |
44.4 (111.9) |
46.7 (116.1) |
46.7 (116.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 37.7 (99.9) |
36.2 (97.2) |
35.6 (96.1) |
33.8 (92.8) |
29.7 (85.5) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.8 (80.2) |
29.2 (84.6) |
33.4 (92.1) |
37.2 (99.0) |
38.0 (100.4) |
38.8 (101.8) |
33.6 (92.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 26.0 (78.8) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24.1 (75.4) |
21.2 (70.2) |
17.7 (63.9) |
14.0 (57.2) |
12.9 (55.2) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.2 (64.8) |
22.3 (72.1) |
24.4 (75.9) |
26.0 (78.8) |
20.5 (68.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 20.6 (69.1) |
19.9 (67.8) |
18.0 (64.4) |
12.2 (54.0) |
8.1 (46.6) |
6.2 (43.2) |
4.8 (40.6) |
7.1 (44.8) |
9.9 (49.8) |
13.3 (55.9) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.1 (64.6) |
4.8 (40.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 117.4 (4.62) |
156.2 (6.15) |
100.8 (3.97) |
3.2 (0.13) |
4.9 (0.19) |
10.7 (0.42) |
11.9 (0.47) |
4.8 (0.19) |
12.0 (0.47) |
26.0 (1.02) |
42.0 (1.65) |
85.4 (3.36) |
541.9 (21.33) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 11.0 | 9.6 | 6.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 6.3 | 7.8 | 50.6 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology (2013-2025)[6] | |||||||||||||
See also
References
- ^ a b "Sunwater Current Water Storage Information". Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
- ^ "Julius Dam". Sunwater. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ Spillway Capacity Upgrade Program Archived 2008-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Climate classification maps: Köppen - all classes". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ "Lake Julius AWS Climate (2013-2025)". FarmOnline Weather. Australian Community Media. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ "Lake Julius AWS Climate Statistics (2013-2025)". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
Water supply in Queensland, Australia | |||||||||||||
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