About Gold Creek
Gold Creek Dam was originally built in 1885 to supplement Enoggera Dam.
Water from Gold Creek Dam was supplied to Brisbane via gravity main to Kenmore until 1919. In 1928 a tunnel was constructed from Gold Creek to Enoggera Creek and the two reservoirs are now operated as a single connected storage.
Gold Creek Dam was extensively refurbished in 2005. It was the world's first concrete stepped spillway and the precursor of modern roller compacted concrete stepped spillways.
It is an un-gated dam, meaning that when it reaches 100 percent capacity, water flows over the spillway and safely out of the dam. If you would like to be notified when Gold Creek Dam begins to spill, sign up to our free dam release notification service or download our public safety app.
- KEY INFORMATION
- WATER SOURCE
- LIVING NEAR DAMS
Key informationNameGold Creek
LocationWest of Brisbane
Length of dam wall190.00m
Type of constructionEarth fill and central puddle clay core
Located in Upper Brookfield in Brisbane’s western suburbs, the dam was constructed in 1885 to supplement Enoggera Dam. It was extensively refurbished in 2005 and is the world’s first un-reinforced concrete stepped spillway.
The lake is very small with a catchment area of just 10.5km2 and holds 801 million litres of water at full supply.
All dams help mitigate flooding to some extent. The peak outflow from a gated or un-gated dam during a flood event is less than the peak outflow that would have occurred had the dam not been built, because some water is held in the dam while it is spilling. This means that water flow slows down as floods pass through the dam.
It’s important neighbours and people downstream of dams know what to do in the unlikely event of an emergency. Each of our dams have an emergency action plan (EAP) in place to enable us to respond quickly to potential incidents in partnership with the Bureau of Meteorology, relevant emergency services and local councils. For Gold Creek Dam, this is Brisbane City Council.