The Central Coast urban water supply system
Gosford and Wyong Council, through the Authority, manage the third largest urban water supply system in New South Wales. Early infrastructure was built seventy-five years ago, but most infrastructure in use today was built during the past twenty years.
The water supply headworks dams, weirs, treatment plants and associated works are jointly owned and operated by the two Councils. Water is drawn from Mooney Dam and weir pools on Wyong River, Mangrove Creek and Ourimbah Creek.
During dry periods water can be released from Mangrove Creek Dam to provide sufficient inflow at the weirs on Mangrove Creek and Wyong River. Wyong River and Ourimbah Creek extractions are stored in Mardi Dam.
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| Mangrove Creek Dam | Mardi Dam |
The Hunter urban water supply system
The drinking water for Hunter Water’s customers is drawn from well protected sources, including the pristine Chichester catchment located in a wilderness area. There are two major above-ground storages, Chichester and Grahamstown Dams, both on the Williams River together with the Tomago sandbeds. Many water providers in major cities rely on one main source of drinking water. The lower Hunter is fortunate to be able to draw on these three main water sources.
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| Chichester Dam | Grahamstown Dam |
A catchment is the area of land that water travels across to reach its lowest common point – usually a river, lake, dam or natural underground reservoir. As water cycles through a catchment, its condition is affected by the surfaces with which it comes into contact and by the degree to which the area has been changed by human activity including land clearing, farming, urban development and so on. Keeping catchments clean is an essential first step in maintaining water quality.