Aroona Dam

The word Aroona is listed in the official government place name gazetteer as the name of some geographic features either adjoining the dam or located within its extent. Mount Aroona is located in the ridge on the north side of the dam’s lake. A former water feature is now located “under the waters of the Aroona Dam” is named as the Aroona Waterhole as well as having the Adnyamathanha name of Arrunha Awi. According to Clif Reed, it is believed that Aroona is a truncation of the Aboriginal word alcaroona, meaning "running water"; although another translation means "place of frogs". Samuel Perry, a surveyor, who exploded the area truncated the name and it was applied to the dam, the creek, the valley, and the mountain. == Overview ==

The concrete gravity dam is high and long. The resultant reservoir has a capacity of when full and covers approximately , draw from a catchment area of . The dam was designed and built by the Electricity Trust of South Australia from 1952 to 1957 by damming the Arrunha Creek and using mainly immigrants engaged by contract for two-years and which peaked at a maximum of 160 men. Two shifts were scheduled during the winter months; and concrete pouring was not conducted between November and March due to “extreme heat.” Water supply Its original purpose was to supply water to the town of Leigh Creek and the Leigh Creek Coalfield which was relying on water pumped from Sliding Rock Mine located about south-east of the current town of Leigh Creek. Recreational use In April 2017, after the November 2015 closure of the Leigh Creek Coalfield, in conjunction with initiatives underway for the future re-use of the Leigh Creek township, the South Australian government commenced a study to investigate the “potential for shore-based recreational fishing access.” In 2018, the dam was repurposed for recreation use and stocked with Murray cod and golden perch. ==See also==