Hume Reservoir near Albury-Wodonga

2225 km from the Murray Mouth

Location: Immediately below the junction of the Murray and Mitta Mitta Rivers. 16 kilometres east of Albury-Wodonga
Distance from source: 305 km
Distance from mouth: 2,225 km
Construction: Commenced 28 November 1919 - completed 1936
First filling: 1934
Site: Following the thorough investigation of 28 possible dam sites on the upper Murray, a site immediately below the junction of the Murray and Mitta Mitta Rivers was approved by the River Murray Commission on 29 April 1919

Goulburn-Murray Water role at Lake Hume: NSW and Victoria are jointly responsible for management of Hume Dam, with State Water NSW undertaking day to day operation and maintenance activity, and management of major remedial works. Goulburn-Murray Water undertakes land and boating management of the water and land located in Victoria.

Name: The site selected for the upper Murray storage was at first referred to as the Mitta Mitta Dam site. However, in February 1920 the River Murray Commission adopted a proposal to name the storage the "Hume Reservoir" in honour of Hamilton Hume. Hume, Hovell and their party were the first Europeans to see and cross Australia's greatest river. The party crossed the Murray a few kilometres above the dam site, on 20 November 1824.

Role Primary: water conservation, regulation and supply. Secondary, hydro-electric power generation and flood mitigation. Hume Reservoir has become an important recreation and tourist venue. Summer releases for irrigation also enhance downstream recreation and navigation.

Hume Reservoir is the main operating storage of the River Murray system. Releases from the Reservoir, in conjuction with downstream tributary flows, supply water along the Murray to NSW and Victoria for irrigation, domestic, stock and urban purposes. The storage also reregulates releases from the Snowy Mountains Scheme to better match downstream demand.

Flows from Hume Reservoir and tributaries maintain a minimum flow along the Murray and provide about one third of South Australia's entitlement. In very dry years, when storage in the Lake Victoria and the Menindee Lakes is inadequate, additional releases are made specifically for South Australian requirements. In turn, Hume Reservoir can be supplemented in times of drought by water released from Dartmouth Dam on the Mitta Mitta River.

Catchment area: New South Wales 5,176 sq. km Victoria 10,100 sq. km Total 15,276 sq. km

Operating characteristics: Hume Reservoir follows an annual cycle of filling and drawdown. The storage generally takes in water during winter and fills by the end of spring. Releases are usually made from December to May and by the end of autumn the storage is drawdown to less than half capacity. Source: Goulburn-Murray Water

Albury Wodonga (Down River) - Corryong (Up River - Murray River)
Dartmouth Dam (Up River - Mitta Mitta River)