BLUE MOUNTAINS SYSTEM

DAMS OF GREATER AND SURROUNDS Blue Mountains

1 Sydney’s drinking water is collected from five catchment areas, occupying 16,000 square kilometres. Water is stored in 21 dams, holding over 2.5 million megalitres of water. The Blue Mountains System comprises three small catchment areas feeding six dams, which provide water for about 41,000 people living in the Blue Mountains region.

< BLUE MOUNTAINS CATCHMENT AREA Introducing WaterNSW WaterNSW is ’s largest water supplier. We provide two-thirds of the water used in NSW and develop infrastructure solutions for water supply security and reliability. We operate and maintain 42 large dams and we deliver water for agriculture and drinking water supply customers. WaterNSW also protects the health of Sydney’s drinking water catchment to ensure highest quality drinking water is consistently available. 1 Blue Mountains Catchments Greaves Creek Dam Woodford Sydney’s Medlow Dam Dam

Cascade Dams drinking water Lithgow C o er x iv s R

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i r v u e b r s e k w a H Katoomba Prospect catchments Reservoir Pipelines Prospect Water Filtration Plant Sydney er iv anal

Nepean R Lake er wmung R Riv Burragorang Upper C a Ko or n o iv r er o W Dam

Broughtons Pass Weir Pheasants Nest Weir

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ttai R Cataract Wing iv e er Dam c a r r Avon Wollongong ib e Cordeaux e R Dam Crookwell iver Dam

Wingecarribee Reservoir er Riv Fitzroy Falls illy nd lo Reservoir ol Bendeela Pondage Goulburn W Lake Yarrunga

Tallowa Nowra Dam

er iv R Canberra n e v a lh a o h S

Braidwood Sydney’s drinking water catchments

Pumping station

Canals and pipelines

Dam Cooma

2 The catchments

A catchment is an area where water is WaterNSW helps protect five catchment areas, collected by the natural landscape. In which provide water to greater Sydney and a catchment, all rain and run–off water local communities. eventually flows to a creek, , lake or ocean, They are: or into the groundwater system. • Warragamba Catchment Natural and human systems, such as , • Upper Nepean Catchment bushland, farms, industry, homes, plants, • Woronora Catchment animals and people can exist alongside one • Shoalhaven Catchment another in a catchment. • Blue Mountains Catchment The catchments occupy about 16,000 square kilometres in total. They extend from north of Lithgow and Blackheath in the upper Blue Mountains, south to the source of the near Cooma, and from < BLUE MOUNTAINS CATCHMENT Woronora in the east to the source of the near Crookwell.

3 Blue Mountains Catchment

The Blue Mountains catchment comprises three smaller catchments: Katoomba (5 square kilometres) Woodford (9.8 square kilometres) and Blackheath (7.2 square kilometres). A total of six dams are located within these three catchments. Katoomba Catchment: the Lower, Middle and Upper Cascade dams on Cascade Creek Blackheath Catchment: Greaves Creek Dam on Greaves Creek and Lake Medlow Dam on Adams Creek Woodford Catchment: the Woodford Dam at the junction of Bulls Creek and Woodford Creek

Together these dams supply water to about The Katoomba and Blackheath catchments are classified as Special 41,000 people, from Mt Victoria to Springwood. Areas, so access is restricted to protect water quality. Woodford Dam Residents living between Mt Victoria and is not currently used for water supply and the Blue Mountains National Medlow Bath depend solely on the dams in the Park in the previously restricted Woodford Catchment area is now open Blackheath catchment for their water supply. for limited recreational access including walking and cycling. There is still no access to the dam wall or Lake Woodford. These are protected as possible future water supply options for the Blue Mountains.

4 Supplying water to the Blue Mountains

When Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson The re–routing of the road and the reached present–day Hazelbrook on 20 May introduction of the rail link to Bathurst marked 1813 they achieved the first successful crossing the end of these camps. Between 1867 and over the Blue Mountains. The following year 1876 the railway was extended from Penrith to Governor Macquarie commissioned a cart road Bathurst.However inadequate water supplies to the west and soon staging posts were built for the steam locomotives led to the damming where permanent water was found. of Bulls Creek near Woodford in 1884. The construction of the six dams that serve the Blue Mountains region spanned many years – from the construction of Middle Cascade Dam in 1905 to the building of Greaves Creek Dam in 1942. Ownership of these dams was transferred from the Blue Mountains City Council to the then Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board in 1980 and are now part of WaterNSW’s assets.

5 Cascade dams

The three dams on Cascade Creek, Lower Cascade Dam was completed in 1926. supplemented by water from Greaves Creek It lies downstream of the other Cascade dams. Dam and the Scheme, provide the It is an earthfill embankment dam with a bulk water supply storage for ’s central concrete core. Cascade filtration plant. This plant provides < Height: 26 metres filtered water for the communities from SYDNEY WATER’S CASCADE Length: 128 metres Springwood to Mount Victoria. During drought FILTRATION PLANT Total capacity: 320 megalitres water from Warragamba Dam is available for Catchment area: 3.2 square kilometres supply, but only for communities as far west as Wentworth Falls. Upper Cascade Dam is another earthfill embankment dam with a central concrete The first dam, Middle Cascade Dam, was built core. It was built in 1938. in 1908 and upgraded in 1915. It is a concrete arch dam. Height: 30 metres Length: 247 metres Height: 15 metres Total capacity: 1,700 megalitres Length: 105 metres Catchment area: 1.7 square kilometres Total capacity: 160 megalitres Catchment area: 2.1 square kilometres

< MIDDLE CASCADE DAM

6 Woodford Creek Dam

In 1916 the Public Works Department proposed a dam on the junction of Woodford Creek and Bulls Creek. Designed in 1927 and built in 1928 by the NSW Railways, Woodford Creek Dam is a concrete arch structure. The dam was used to supply water, treated at Linden water filtration plant (WFP), to communities from Linden to Emu Plains. Additional water was supplied to this area from Warragamba Dam when necessary. Sydney Water no longer draws water from Woodford Creek Dam, and the region is now supplied from Cascade WFP or Orchard Hills WFP. Height: 16 metres Length: 114 metres Catchment area: 9.8 square kilometres

> WOODFORD CREEK DAM 7 Lake Medlow and Greaves Creek dams

Water from Lake Medlow and Greaves Creek A concrete arch dam, Greaves Creek Dam was dams is pumped to Cascades dams to constructed in 1942 and upgraded in 1993. The supplement supply. dam supplies water to Greaves Creek filtration plant, which in turn supplies the communities Lake Medlow Dam, initially known as Adams from Medlow Bath to Mt Victoria. It can also Creek Dam, was constructed in 1907 on Adams supply water to top–up Cascade Dams. Creek. Used to top–up the Greaves Creek Dam in emergencies, it is the first concrete thin arch Height: 19 metres high stress dam built in NSW. With a thickness Length: 67metres of only 274cm at the bottom and 106cm at the Total capacity: 310 megalitres top, it is reputedly one of the thinnest dams in Catchment area: 7.4 square kilometres the world. The Institution of Engineers Australia placed an ‘Historic Engineer Marker’ on the dam on 24 July 1994. The National Trust and Blue Mountains City Council have registered < the dam on their heritage list. LAKE MEDLOW DAM Height: 20 metres Length: 38 metres Total capacity: 300 megalitres Catchment area: 4.8 square kilometres

8 Pride and workmanship A time capsule is believed to be hidden in the centre line of the wall at the top water level of Greaves Creek Dam. Placed by the workers on 22 January 1941, the capsule contains a parchment listing all their names. It includes this dedication: “All (the workers) are happy in the knowledge that the materials and their combination in the concrete are sound. All have a deep personal satisfaction that the wall is true to shape, that the concrete is well and truly placed, and that the whole of the construction to the smallest detail has been carried out in the most faithful manner. All are confident that, because of their loyal attention to their duties, the wall will remain stable and be durable and will impound the rains which fall on the catchment, for centuries to come. Thus by the efforts of all will future generations be served.”

9 Fish River Scheme

As well as providing water to supply the Blue Ensuring dam safety Mountains region, WaterNSW also sources water from the Fish River Scheme, which It is essential that all WaterNSW dams meet originates at Oberon. the requirements of the NSW Dams Safety Committee (DSC) under the NSW Dams Safety The Fish River Scheme comprises a dam Act (1978). The DSC, the State’s regulator for and a weir for raw water supply, as well as dam safety, develops and implements policies reservoirs, 236 kilometres of pipelines, four and procedures for effective dam safety pumping stations, a tunnel, chlorinator, and management in order to protect life, property clarification plants for water transfer and and the environment from dam failures. reticulation to customers. Water can be used either to replenish the To ensure compliance with its operating Upper Cascades Dam, or go directly to Sydney licence, WaterNSW has adopted a structured Water’s filtration plant at Cascades Dam. This program of surveillance and monitoring that gives WaterNSW and Sydney Water maximum complies with the requirements of the DSC flexibility in sourcing the best quality water, and national and international best practice. as well as providing a supplementary water supply during periods of low rainfall or maintenance activities. This scheme also provides water to three other major customers.

10 Monitoring water quality

In Greater Sydney’s drinking water catchment, Maintaining good water quality WaterNSW conducts extensive routine in the catchment water quality and quantity monitoring in the catchments, storages and in–flows to WaterNSW works with government, industry water filtration plants. Monitoring provides and the community to promote good water information to enable the best quality water quality and healthy, sustainable catchments. to be drawn–off into the supply system, and Extensive research is carried out by to identify areas requiring special catchment WaterNSW to help understand the catchment management attention. WaterNSW also environment. WaterNSW also plays an conducts regular testing at several locations important role in ensuring that proposed for the presence of the protozoan parasites land use and development is compatible with Giardia and Cryptosporidium in the water. preserving water quality. Information collected from WaterNSW’s Field staff undertake a range of on–ground monitoring programs is used for public activities in the catchments, such as pest health reporting and assessment. control, fire control, erosion control and repair, regulating access, containing spills and weed control. In the Special Areas (land closest to the storages) these activities are jointly managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (Office of Environment and Heritage) and WaterNSW. Many successful projects are also undertaken jointly with landholders and community groups including riverbank stabilisation, willow removal, revegetation and riverbank fencing. 11 Did you know?

During World War II the Blue Mountains As the home of the Darug and Gundungarra dams were given extra importance as a water people for at least 17,000 years, the Blue supply in the event of a mass evacuation of Mountains are rich in Aboriginal heritage. Sydney residents to the Blue Mountains.

The Blue Mountains National Park and Water collected in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area adjoins Blackheath and catchments shows naturally high levels of Woodford catchments and is close to the manganese and iron due to the chemical Katoomba catchment. composition of the local sandstone. As a result, the catchments have considerable ecological value and provide habitat to a wide variety of rare and threatened plant and animal species. Threatened fauna include the Tiger Quoll, Blue Mountains Swamp Skink, Glossy Black Cockatoo, Powerful Owl, Sooty Owl, Blue Mountains Tree Frog and Banjo Frog.

12 Recreation in the Blue Mountains catchments

Because the Blue Mountains catchments are recognised as Special Areas, all access – on foot or by vehicle – is prohibited to protect water quality. The exceptions are walking on two defined tracks in the Blue Mountains catchments: Walls Cave walking track in the Blackheath catchment and the Transit of Venus walking track, which provides access to Hazel, Mabel and Edith Falls, in the Woodford catchment. Limited recreational access including walking and cycling is also now permitted to the Blue Mountains National Park in the previously restricted Woodford Catchment area. There is How to get there still no access to the dam wall or Lake Woodford. Walls Cave: The walk starts at Walls Cave Road, off Evans Blue Mountains Lookout Road in Blackheath. facilities The Transit of Venus: The track head is on Woodbury Street at Walking tracks Woodford, off the .

13 Why Special Areas are protected

The three small catchments of the Blue Mountains are classified as Special Areas. In total, Special Areas cover about 3,700 square kilometres of land surrounding WaterNSW water storages. The Special Areas protect our water supply because they act as a buffer zone, helping to stop nutrients and other substances that could affect the quality of water entering the storages. WaterNSW and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (Office of Environment and Heritage) jointly manage the Special Areas, in accordance with the Special Areas Strategic Plan of Management. This long–term plan aims to provide high quality water in the storages, ensure ecosystem integrity, and improve the environmental quality of the catchment areas.

14 Public access to parts of the Special Areas is restricted to protect water quality. This benefits the community by: • ensuring we have safe, clean water • protecting large areas of bushland and plant and animal habitats • protecting threatened plants and animal species • preserving evidence of Aboriginal occupation dating back many thousands of years, and • preserving evidence of European exploration, early settlement, and phases of development such as forestry, mining and dam building.

Restrictions and controls are placed on land use, development and access within Special Areas. Activities such as swimming, fishing, boating and camping are prohibited, unless otherwise specified.

15 How you can help keep our catchments healthy

Saving water Water saving tips In the catchments Water is a precious resource. Each of us has a For great water savings ideas visit People living and working in the catchments responsibility to reduce the amount of water www..com.au/water-quality/ areas play a special role in keeping our we use – no matter where we live. education/learn/using-less-water. catchments healthy. Some of the ways people in the catchments help include: By reducing the amount of water we all use, we • using chemicals efficiently and carefully reduce the need to build expensive new water • controlling weeds and pests supply infrastructure such as dams, reservoirs • retaining and planting vegetation to and pipelines. prevent soil loss Reducing the amount of water we all use • protecting stream bank vegetation to can also help make more water available for provide a buffer against pollution environmental flows, which protect the health • managing on–site sewage systems of the rivers downstream of the dams. effectively • encouraging and developing improved WaterNSW also recognises the need to adopt sewage and stormwater management exemplary practices in managing our own systems business. Minimising leaks in pipelines and fitting • preventing bushfires water saving appliances and devices are just some • reporting spills. of the ways WaterNSW is reducing the amount of water we use.

16 Sydney’s water supply system

17 Contacting WaterNSW Level 4, 2-6 Station Street, Penrith 2750 PO Box 323, Penrith NSW 2751 Phone 1300 662 077 Office hours 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday Website www.waternsw.com.au Email [email protected]

Visitor information Important Warragamba Dam Visitor Centre Information contained in this brochure may change after the date of printing. The WaterNSW Phone + 61 2 4774 4433 accepts no responsibility or liability for any loss or Hours 10am to 4pm daily inconvenience incurred as a result of reliance upon except Christmas Day and Good Friday information printed in this brochure. For the most up–to–date information on WaterNSW dams and Other dams, reservoirs and camping grounds recreational facilities, call 1300 662 077 or visit our Phone 1300 662 077 website at www.waternsw.com.au Hours 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday Acknowledgement Emergency reporting (24 hours) WaterNSW acknowledges the assistance of the Sydney Water Corporation and WaterNSW Fires, chemical spills Historical Research and Archives Facility in Phone: 1800 061 069 researching and supplying historical images for use in this publication.

Photography credits Adam Hollingworth ©WaterNSW TVU ©WaterNSW

ISBN 1 876951 12 5 Reprinted December 2015

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