Keeping safe on our lakes and rivers

WaterNSW encourages all visitors to our dams and recreational areas to report any hazards or incidents.

“Whether you’re heading out for a day of fishing, camping with the kids, or meeting friends for a picnic, we want all visitors to our recreation areas to be safe,” General Manager Regional Operations North, Michelle Yeaman, said.

Michelle, who is based in Armidale on the NSW Northern Tablelands, reminds visitors to check the WaterNSW dams pages for alerts, updates and what facilities are available at each site.

“Be on the lookout for hazards like fast flowing water, flood debris or fallen trees,” Michelle said.

“If you see a hazard or an incident at any of our sites, please let us know by calling our incident reporting line on 1800 061 069. In an emergency, always call 000 first.”

WaterNSW has dozens of dams and recreational areas for people to explore across regional NSW.

Watersports are not permitted at Sydney’s water supply dams like Warragamba, Woronora or the Upper Nepean dams.

Tallowa Dam is the closest WaterNSW dam to Sydney where non-powered activities such as kayaking, canoeing, swimming and fishing are permitted.

“Our Sydney dams are  great places to visit for a family picnic or get together,” General Manager Regional Operations Sydney, Brian Mayhew, said.

Warragamba Dam Visitor Centre is open daily 10am-4pm with interactive displays, viewing platforms of the dam wall and Lake Burragorang, and extensive picnic facilities.

Picnic facilities and toilets are also available at Woronora Dam and the four Upper Nepean dams on the Illawarra Plateau south of Sydney – Cataract, Cordeaux, Avon and Nepean.