Tumut Pondage also referred to as Tumut Pond Reservoir or Tumut Pond Dam, is a concrete arch dam and reservoir on the upper reaches of the Tumut River

Tumut River

The Tumut River is a river in New South Wales, Australia.The Tumut River rises on the northern face of Mount Jagungal in the Snowy Mountains of southern New South Wales. It flows about 145km before joining the Murrumbidgee River, at Darbalara near the town of Gundagai...

 near Cabramurra in the Snowy Mountains

Snowy Mountains

The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", are the highest Australian mountain range and contain the Australian mainland's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, which reaches 2,228 metres AHD, approximately 7310 feet....

 of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

. The wall of the dam is 90 metres high measured from the floor of the valley. The top of the wall is driveable and is part of the road between Cabramurra and Khancoban. The road is closed to through traffic in winter as it is not routinely cleared of snow and ice.

The dam and reservoir are a component of the Snowy Mountains Scheme

Snowy Mountains Scheme

The Snowy Mountains scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. It consists of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts and was constructed between 1949 and 1974. The Chief engineer was Sir...

.

Snowmelt and other runoff enter the dam from the upper Tumut River. Water is also diverted from Lake Eucumbene

Lake Eucumbene

Lake Eucumbene is a man-made lake on the Eucumbene River in the Snowy Mountains of Southern New South Wales in Australia. The lake was created by the damming of the river as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The dam was built between 1956 and 1958....

 and the dam on the Tooma River

Tooma River

The Tooma River is a river in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia.The Tooma River starts near Mount Jagungal in the Snowy Mountains and drains part of the western side of the range...

into this reservoir. Water from the reservoir flows through the Tumut 1 and Tumut 2 power stations, and returns to the Tumut River further downstream.