Proud custodians

At WaterNSW, we are proud custodians of a vital natural resource.

With 41 major dams and hundreds of waterways across the state, we play a vital role at the source of the state’s water – capturing, storing and delivering.

We use our expertise to monitor the health of rivers and waterways across NSW. We are also responsible for operating the state’s regulated rivers – to deliver water and manage river levels.

World Water Day

World Water Day, celebrated each year on 22 March, spotlights the important role of water sources – such as rivers, lakes, creeks and groundwater– and advocates for the sustainable management of this vital resource.

This World Water Day, we take a moment to celebrate the importance of the waterways we manage and reflect on our role as custodians of the state’s water.

Managing a vital natural resource

We use our knowledge, passion and expertise to manage water responsibly and are dedicated to doing our part to keep the state’s waterways and rivers healthy, for our customers, communities and the environment.

We deliver two thirds of all water used in NSW and are responsible for delivering the source water that becomes drinking and household water to Sydney Water in Greater Sydney, and local water utilities and councils across regional NSW. The water we supply in regional NSW is also used for farming and irrigation purposes.

Monitoring water quality in regional NSW is important. We provide water quality management support through the NSW Government’s Town Water Risk Reduction Program and have partnered with more than 14 councils and local water utilities including Bourke, Dubbo, Gwydir, Richmond Valley and the Murrumbidgee, to help them better understand hazards in their catchments, manage dam safety and drinking water quality risks, and share water monitoring data and advice.

The water we supply comes from rivers and lakes, where quality can vary at times as these are natural environments. Source water quality can be impacted by natural events such as rainfall, drought and biological organisms such as algae.

Operating the largest surface and groundwater monitoring network in the southern hemisphere allows us to monitor river and waterway health across NSW.

Expert operators

Nature is an unpredictable partner and as one of the key organisations working on the frontline of a changing climate, we skilfully manage our dams through challenging times such as flood and drought.

In addition to monitoring the health of our rivers and waterways, we also are also responsible for operating regulated rivers by releasing stored water from dams and weirs.

A regulated river is one that contains water storages in the form of dams and weirs, which means the river level and flow rate can be controlled or regulated, by water being released from a storage.

Our Water Delivery teams use their expertise and knowledge to carefully manage the release of water, ensuring the right amount is released from our dams and weirs to fulfil customer orders, to keep the river environment healthy and to grow our delicious food and fibre.

When we deliver water to our customers, we do it highly efficiently to minimise any loss and conserve supply.

We factor in many complex variables such as dam levels, inflows and releases, water and evaporation losses and weather forecasts. For some customers living down river it can take a whole month for their water order to arrive at their farm. This takes expert modelling by our team to make sure their water is delivered on time, when they need it.

Keeping our rivers healthy

We also work with the NSW and Australian Governments to release environmental water from our dams to protect our ecosystems and keep rivers flowing.

An environmental flow is when water is released from a dam or weir to keep downstream rivers and wetlands healthy for the plants and animals that rely on the river. These environmental releases are designed to mimic the flow patterns of a river by ensuring some of the water flowing into the dam is passed downstream.

Environmental flows help to:

  • maintain river health
  • protect aquatic ecosystems and reduce aquatic weeds
  • reduce frequency of algal blooms
  • improve conditions for native animals such as fish, frogs, water birds and river dependent plants
  • prepare inland lakes for bird breeding events, like pelicans at Lake Brewster
  • protect river conditions for recreational use such as boating and swimming.

We are dedicated to doing our part to keep our precious waterways and rivers healthy, protecting our ecosystems and managing water responsibly – to support the resilience of NSW for generations to come.

Published date: 24 March 2025

WaterNSW acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on which we work and pay our respects to all elders past, present and emerging. Learn more