Orange Water Supply
Gosling Creek was Orange's first reticulated water supply and was turned on in 1890 at a total cost of £32,688. The supply was said to last for the next 20 years. As Orange continued to grow so did the demand for water.
As demand for water increased, provisions were made for an additional dam. Meadow Creek Dam now Lake Canobolas was opened in 1918 and supplied Orange for approximately 13 years until Spring Creek Reservoir was completed. Two pumps, powered by coal-fired gas engines in the Meadow Creek Pumphouse, pumped water to Orange via the 2 megalitre service tank on Cargo Road. Meadow Creek Dam did not prove very successful because of droughts, water-quality problems, and having to pump water uphill into Orange.
Spring Creek Reservoir, which was opened in 1931, included a filtration plant and a water augmentation scheme. The dam was constructed downstream from Gosling Creek Dam to create a larger catchment area. The dam wall was raised in 1947 to increase its capacity to 4500 megalitres.
Suma Park Dam was completed in 1959 with a capacity of 18,100 megalitres. The catchment area for Orange's water supply now includes the three reservoirs – Suma Park, Spring Creek and Gosling Creek.
