Where is the catchment area for Warragamba Dam?

Bordered on the west by the Great Dividing Range, the catchment stretches from north of Lithgow at the head of the Coxs River in the Blue Mountains, to the source of the Wollondilly River west of Crookwell, and south of Goulburn along the Mulwaree River.

What suburbs are near Warragamba Dam?

Warragamba Dam is a heritage-listed dam in the outer South Western Sydney suburb of Warragamba, Wollondilly Shire in New South Wales, Australia.

How full is Warragamba at the moment?

Total

Storage (recorded date) Warragamba Dam Friday 31 December Woronora Dam Friday 31 December
Storage Capacity (ML) 2,027,000 71,790
Current Volume (ML) 1,985,981 54,848
Percent Full % 98.0 76.4
Net Change in past week % -0.3 0.2

Can you swim in Warragamba Dam?

Entry is not allowed to the land along the Warragamba Pipelines and Upper Canal, and the land at Warragamba protecting the water supply infrastructure. Permitted activities in Special Areas – restricted access include walking, camping, fishing, swimming and non-powered boating.

How much did Warragamba Dam cost?

Colong Foundation for Wilderness campaign manager Harry Burkitt said the documents revealed the real cost of raising Warragamba Dam wall. He said the $1.6 billion figure excluded the World Heritage offset cost of $1.34 billion, which was leaked to the Sydney Morning Herald in late 2020.

Is Warragamba Dam safe?

Safety Management of Warragamba Dam Hence WaterNSW dams are designed, constructed, operated, and maintained in a safe manner that complies with regulatory requirements and appropriate industry good practice.

What does the word Warragamba mean?

water running over rocks
Warragamba is a town in New South Wales, Australia, in Wollondilly Shire. Located on the eastern edge of the Blue Mountains, Warragamba is one and a half hour’s drive west of Sydney. The name Warragamba comes from the aboriginal words Warra and Gamba meaning ‘water running over rocks’.

What are the special area catchments?

Special Areas protect water quality by providing buffer zones of pristine bushland around dams and immediate catchment areas. The Special Areas cover about 3700 square kilometres of bushland. The Special Areas are jointly managed by WaterNSW and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

How can we protect catchments?

Living and working in the catchments

  1. Weeds and pests – use organic herbicides and pesticides for control.
  2. Trees and shrubs – plant or retain native trees and shrubs to help prevent soil erosion.
  3. Riverbanks – protect plants on the banks of streams and rivers to provide a buffer against pollution.

What does the word warragamba mean?

How many people get their drinking water from Warragamba Dam?

Every day, we supply about 1.5 billion litres of drinking water to over 5.3 million people in their homes and businesses. About 80% comes from Warragamba Dam. The rest comes from a mix of other dams, the Hawkesbury–Nepean River and Sydney Desalination Plant at Kurnell.

Does Warragamba Dam generate electricity?

Warragamba Power Station is a hydroelectric power station at Warragamba Dam, New South Wales, Australia. Warragamba has one turbine with a generating capacity of 50 MW of electricity. The power station was completed in 1959 and is now disconnected from the electricity grid.

Where is the Warragamba Catchment supplied with water?

Many residents within the Warragamba catchment are actually supplied with water from other areas. Residents in Bowral and Mittagong are supplied with water from Wingecarribee Reservoir, part of the Shoalhaven Scheme.

What is the purpose of the widewarragamba dam?

Warragamba Dam supplies water to more than 3.7 million people living in Sydney and the lower Blue Mountains. Just a one hour drive from Sydney’s CBD, the dam is a popular place to visit and picnic.

Where is the Warragamba Emergency Scheme?

In 1940, a weir and water pumping station, known as the Warragamba Emergency Scheme, reached completion, just downstream of the main dam site, [3] located on the east bank of the Warragamba River. Access to the site was along the road currently known as Weir Road.

Are the western slopes of Warragamba prone to drought?

The western slopes are susceptible to drought, but the catchment’s sheer size allows for substantial inflows to Lake Burragorang, the lake formed by Warragamba Dam.