Medlow Dam is a heritage-listed major gated concrete-walled arch dam across the Adams Creek in the Blue Mountains region, located at Beauchamp Road, Medlow Bath in the City of Blue Mountains local government area of New South Wales, Australia.

Water supply was first furnished to Medlow Bath in 1907 and subsequently extended to Blackheath, Megalong and Mount Victoria.

Wade) acted under Mr Darley as Supervisor of Works and subsequently succeeding to the latter's position, was responsible for the design as well as construction of the Lithgow No.

[2] The thirteen dams of this type were built of concrete (not reinforced), curved in plan, reliance for stability being placed only on the capacity of the material in the wall and sides of the valley to resist compression.

In designing these dams, the complex question of the exact stresses that may occur and the assistance that may be afforded by the weight of the wall was disregarded; as it was considered that all practical requirements would be met if in theory the dams were treated simply as sections of rigid cylinders subject to exterior water pressure.

The radius of this cylinder depended upon the natural features of the sites, it being stated elsewhere in the paper that the use of such curved walls was restricted to comparatively narrow valleys and gorges.

[2] This local (and as it turned out, entirely successful) design followed an earlier and perhaps even bolder 1884 precedent at the Bear Valley Dam in California but it led, as had the Californian work, to a storm of criticism from the engineering profession of the day, not least, because it had proved to be successful in the face of orthodox theory, which at that time concentrated on gravity dam walls.

He went on, however, to support the design as a practical achievement: it was not a matter of cavilling at theory or formulas; the dams were built and were standing.

It is built of concrete (not reinforced), curved in plan, with reliance for stability being placed only on the capacity of the material in the wall and sides of the valley to resist compression.

[2] Medlow Dam was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 November 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.

[2] The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

[2] The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

[2] The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

[3] This Wikipedia article was originally based on Medlow Dam, entry number 01366 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.