Marina Barrage

Marina Barrage

Official name Marina Barrage
Coordinates 1°16′46.124″N 103°52′16.26″E / 1.27947889°N 103.8711833°E / 1.27947889; 103.8711833Coordinates: 1°16′46.124″N 103°52′16.26″E / 1.27947889°N 103.8711833°E / 1.27947889; 103.8711833
Status Operational
Opening date 30 October 2008
Construction cost S$226 million[1]
Dam and spillways
Impounds Marina Channel
Length 350m
Reservoir
Creates Marina Reservoir
Catchment area 10,000 ha
Surface area 240 ha[2]

The Marina Barrage (Chinese:滨海堤坝) is a dam in Singapore built at the confluence of five rivers, across the Marina Channel[3] between Marina East and Marina South. It was officially opened on 1 November 2008. It was Singapore's fifteenth reservoir. It provides water storage, flood control and recreation. It won a 2009 AAEE award.

Purpose

The S$3 billion project turns Marina Bay and Kallang Basin into a new downtown freshwater Marina Reservoir. It provides water supply, flood control and a new lifestyle attraction.

By keeping out seawater, the barrage forms Singapore’s 15th reservoir and first reservoir in the city. Marina Reservoir, together with the future Punggol and Serangoon reservoirs, will increase Singapore’s water catchment areas to one-sixth of Singapore’s total land area.

Marina Barrage also acts as a tidal barrier to keep seawater out, helping to alleviate flooding in low-lying areas of the city such as Chinatown, Jalan Besar and Geylang.[4]

When it rains heavily during low-tide, the barrage’s crest gates will be lowered to release excess water from the reservoir into the sea. If heavy rain falls during high-tide, the crest gates remain closed and giant drainage pumps are activated to pump excess water out to sea.

As the water in the Marina Basin is unaffected by the tides, the water level will be kept constant, making it ideal for all kinds of recreational activities such as boating, windsurfing, kayaking and dragonboating etc.

Impact

The building of the Marina Barrage required the relocation of Clifford Pier from Collyer Quay to Marina South (see Marina South Pier).

It has proved to be a tourist attraction. Marina Barrage is open for viewing 24/7. The information counter is open from 9.00am to 9.00pm daily. Tours for a maximum capacity of 80 people to the Visitor Centre can be arranged prior to arrival. In 2012 and 2013, it played host to annual public youth community and cosplay event EOY Cosplay Festival.

Awards

The Marina Barrage was conferred the Superior Achievement Award[4] - the highest honour of the competition for the best project entry - at the AAEE Annual Awards Luncheon held in Washington, DC, USA on 6 May 2009. The Marina Barrage beat 33 other entries to take home the top prize in this year's competition organised by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers[5] (AAEE), becoming the second project outside of USA to win the award, in the last decade[6].

See also

References

  1. ↑ "PUB annual report: Birth of the barrage". PUB. 2008. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Dealing with Water Scarcity in Singapore: Institutions, Strategies, and Enforcement". The World Bank. 2006. Retrieved Sep 14, 2012.
  3. ↑ Khoo, T. C. (2009). "Singapore Water: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow". Water Management in 2020 and Beyond. Water Resources Development and Management. pp. 237–250. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-89346-2_12. ISBN 978-3-540-89345-5.
  4. ↑ Moh, W. H.; Su, P. L. (2009). "Marina Barrage – A Unique 3-in-1 Project in Singapore". Structural Engineering International. 19: 17. doi:10.2749/101686609787398399.
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