Catchments
More than four million people in Sydney, the Illawarra, the Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands rely on the catchments of the Warragamba, Upper Nepean, Blue Mountains, Shoalhaven, and Woronora river systems to supply their drinking water. This is about 60 per cent of the NSW population.
These catchments cover an area of almost 16,000 square kilometres. They extend from north of Lithgow in the upper Blue Mountains, to the source of the Shoalhaven River near Cooma in the south - and from Woronora in the east to the source of the Wollondilly River west of Crookwell.
The catchments are the source of the raw bulk water stored in the SCA's dams, which is supplied to Sydney Water Corporation, Shoalhaven City Council and Wingecarribee Shire Council. Keeping the catchments healthy, and better understanding our impact on them, is the first step in protecting water quality.
The SCA works with the community, other government agencies, local councils, industry bodies, environment groups and landholders to cooperatively manage and protect the catchments. This ensures a high quality water supply, and enhances the catchment areas so that they remain healthy and sustainable for future generations.
You can view a map of the SCA's drinking water catchments.
