Source Water Protection for the ACT

Document Summary

As Canberra’s water requirements have increased, our need to find additional sources of water to cope with this demand has led to a greater reliance on all of the river systems flowing through the ACT. Up until the late 1970s only the Cotter River catchment with its system of three dams (Corin, Bendora and the Cotter) was necessary to meet all of our water needs. Such was the quality of water provided by the Cotter catchment that the water needed little treatment.

This clarity and purity was made possible because the Cotter catchment lies within Namadgi National Park and is protected from human and domestic animal activities and faecal contamination, as well as other pollutants present within urban landscapes.

Written and compiled by Martin Lind (BSc, Grad DipEd) Water Education Project Officer, (Southern ACT Catchment Group). ‘Our Water’ (first edition) was produced by the Southern ACT Catchment Group with initial funding and support provided by ActewAGL, program and the ACT Government Environment Grants in 2009

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