The Stephens Creek Dam is an earth-filled embankment dam built on a rock foundation with an uncontrolled spillway across the Stephens Creek, located in the Far West region of New South Wales, Australia. The principal purpose of the dam is to supply potable water for the town of. The impounded 2000 ML reservoir is called Stephens Creek Reservoir.

Location and features

The dam was completed in 1892 by the Broken Hill Water Supply Company to provide a continuing water source for drought-ridden Broken Hill. The reservoir soon became inadequate and a further reservoir, Umberumberka, was built to add to the water supply. Stephens Creek Reservoir remains the primary water source for Broken Hill, a city of around 20,000 people and is a popular picnic area. The height of the dam wall is 15 m, and 140 m in length. The earth-filled embankment wall is 112 e3m3 by volume. The uncontrolled spillway discharges overflow at the rate of 900 m3/s. The reservoir has a maximum storage capacity of 2000 ML, over a surface area of 8.5 km2, and drawn from a catchment area of 510 km2. The facility is owned and operated by Essential Energy, which, prior to 2004 was Australian Inland Energy and Water.