Water catchment

The ACT draws its water supply from three separate catchment systems.

1. The Cotter River catchment, within the ACT. The Cotter River catchment was the first to be developed and is part of the Namadgi National Park.
2. The Googong system, which was developed on the Queanbeyan River in NSW.
3. Murrumbidgee River, at the Cotter Pump Station.

Three dams have been built on the Cotter River, and one has been built on the Queanbeyan River.

Cotter Dam was constructed in 1912 to serve the needs of the Canberra people during the establishment years. Water was pumped from Cotter Dam to Mount Stromlo, where it flowed by gravity to service reservoirs. The height of the dam was increased in 1951 to meet the needs of Canberra's growing population. In the 1950s the Cotter storage could not hold enough water to cope with a drought, and a second dam further up the Cotter River was built. More...

Bendora Dam was finished in 1961 and, as it was higher, water could now flow by gravity to Mount Stromlo Water Treatment Plant (WTP), avoiding the high cost of pumping. The Bendora gravity main was constructed in 1967. More...

A third dam, Corin Dam, was completed in 1968. Water stored in Corin, the highest dam in the Cotter River system, is released into the Cotter River thereby controlling the level of storage in Bendora Dam. More...

Population projections showed that by 1979 the Cotter River system would not be able to cope with the demand for water. A new dam was required and, after extensive investigations, a site was selected on the Queanbeyan River. Googong Dam was constructed. More...

The use of water from the Murrumbidgee River commenced in May 2007 from a location near the Cotter Pumping Station as an additional water supply to the ACT’s depleted water storages. The Murrumbidgee River is one of Australia’s major rivers and many communities use it as their water source. For decades, major towns upstream and downstream of Canberra, such as Cooma and Wagga Wagga, have drawn water from the Murrumbidgee River, treated and safely used it for drinking.

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