Lake Pedder - Old Lake Pedder and The New Lake Pedder

Old Lake Pedder and The New Lake Pedder

In years gone by the lake was named after Sir John Pedder, the first Chief Justice of Tasmania. The name of the original lake was officially transferred to the new man-made impoundment. Although the new Lake Pedder incorporates the original lake, it does not resemble it in size, appearance or (arguably) ecology.

The new lake consists of a massive impoundment contained by three dams:

• Serpentine Dam - a 38 m high rockfill dam with a concrete upstream face on the Serpentine River.
• Scotts Peak Dam - a 43 m high rockfill dam with a bitumen upstream face on the upper reaches of the Huon River near Scotts Peak.
• Edgar Dam - a 17 m high rockfill dam at Lake Edgar near Scotts Peak.

The dams were designed and constructed by Tasmania's Hydro Electric Commission (HEC) as part of the Upper Gordon River hydro-electric generation scheme. The aim of this scheme was to increase Tasmania's capacity to generate hydro-electricity in accordance with the Tasmanian Government's policy of attempting to attract secondary industry to the State with the incentive of cheap renewable energy.

The new Huon Serpentine impoundment, which filled after the dams were completed in 1972, drains into Lake Gordon via the McPartlan Pass Canal at 42°51′4″S 146°11′2″E / 42.85111°S 146.18389°E / -42.85111; 146.18389. Together, the lakes form the biggest water catchment and storage system in Australia.