Catchments

A map of the ACT water catchment areas – Cotter dam, Bendora dam, Corin dam and Googong dam

A catchment is the area of land surrounding a dam and the river that feeds it. Rain falling in the catchment area that isn’t absorbed into the ground runs into the river and dam.

The quality of the water is determined by how ‘clean’ the catchment area is. Land use authorities control activities in a catchment area to minimise soil erosion and the washing of silt and pollution into rivers and dams. Usually the catchment area immediately around a dam is a declared reserve and there are restrictions on any building, agricultural or recreational activities.

It is important that we take care of our catchment areas, as good water quality is important for healthy and successful communities.

ACT water supply catchments

The two main catchments for the ACT are the Cotter River catchment and Queanbeyan River catchment. They are both part of the Upper Murrumbidgee catchment area.

The Cotter River catchment lies within the borders of the ACT. It is part of Namadgi National Park and is managed by ACT Parks and Wildlife. It has an area of 480km. The Queanbeyan River catchment is in NSW and is a water source for the ACT. The Queanbeyan river catchment and the Googong Dam foreshores are managed by Googong Foreshores within the ACT Department of Urban Services. It has an area of 873km.