Our water supply

The water supply in the Shoalhaven comes directly from the Shoalhaven River. We pump raw water from the river at the Burrier pumping station into an off-creek storage dam at Bamarang.

Water from the Bamarang Dam is pumped to the adjacent treatment facility where it is processed and distributed throughout the community. 

There are three main storage dams in the Shoalhaven.

Bamarang Dam

Bamarang Dam is our main water supply in the Shoalhaven, and at full capacity holds up to 3,800 ML. It is an off-creek storage dam that is topped up by pumping water from the Shoalhaven River further upstream at Burrier pumping station.

The water from the dam is treated at the Bamarang water treatment facility which has the capacity to process up to 75 ML (million litres) of water every day for the community.

Image of Bamarang Dam

Danjera Dam

Danjera Dam is the largest dam in the Shoalhaven and at full capacity holds around 7,660 ML. It is located in a remote catchment west of Nowra and is used as a backup water supply. Water from this dam is only released because of water restrictions. 

When we release water from here, it takes up to three (3) days to make its way down the Shoalhaven River to our pumping facility at Burrier. Once the water flow has peaked, we can then pump water to Bamarang Dam to top up our supplies.

Image of Danjera Dam

Porters Creek Dam

Porters Creek Dam has a capacity of 1,900 ML and is in a catchment inland of Lake Conjola. Depending on water levels, this dam supplies water to the southern end of the Shoalhaven. The water from this dam is treated at the Milton water treatment facility.

Image of Porters Creek Dam

Annual safety reports

The below reports demonstrate our compliance with dam safety standards as set out in the Dams Safety Regulation 2019.

• Bamarang Dam - Annual Safety Report
• Cambewarra Dam - Annual Safety Report
• Danjera Dam - Annual Safety Report
• Porters Creek Dam - Annual Safety Report

Image of Bamarang Water Treatment Plant

Shoalhaven Water own and operate four (4) water treatment plants that ensure high quality drinking water is provided to the residents and visitors of the Shoalhaven. Our treatment plants operate every day of the year supplying water from Berry in the north to Lake Tabourie in the south.

Our water treatment facilities are located at Bamarang, Flatrock, Milton and Kangaroo Valley. You can find more information on the treatment process here.

Tours

Treating water is a complex and fascinating procedure. If you are interested in finding out how water is treated before arriving at your home, join us on one of our community Open Days.

To register your interest, please email swengagement@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au and we will notify you when our next tour is scheduled.

Our water supply network consists of 28 water pumping stations that continuously pump water from our water treatment plants to the individual town and village reservoirs.

The pumping stations contain powerful electric pumps that enable us to pump water across varying degrees of topography and into the town and village reservoirs for storage.

Image of a town reservoir

Throughout the many towns and villages of the Shoalhaven you will find 44 various sized water reservoirs that store fresh clean drinking water for the residents and businesses.

These individual storage tanks help create a higher level of water pressure so that distribution to the community can be achieved during high demand periods.

Water is distributed from the reservoirs to the community through a network of pipes called water mains. These water mains deliver water directly to your house. 

Water is delivered to your home or business through a network of water mains (pipes) that across the Shoalhaven measure in total around 1,616 kilometres in distance.

Water mains are buried deep underground and usually located along your property boundary toward the back of the kerb. You should be able to locate these by looking for fittings such as hydrant lids (which can be found by looking for the raised reflective markers on the road).

Water enters your home from the main through a water meter which is installed at the property boundary.