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National Water Account 2019

Canberra: Geographic information

  • The Canberra region is located in the upper reaches of the Murrumbidgee River catchment; the Murrumbidgee is the main source of the region's water supply.
  • The region covers the Australian Capital Territory and parts of New South Wales.
  • Surface water is the main water source and is used primarily for urban supply to Canberra.

Map showing the following summary information for the Canberra region. Water use: 0.3% of Australia's water use. Land use: 47% of the region used for conservation of the natural environment. Ecosystems: 12 nationally important wetlands including Ramsar listed Ginini Flats Wetland complex. Water resources: 98% of water is sourced from surface water.

For further geographic information about the region scroll down this page or click on the links below:

 

General description

Area: 4,202 km²
Population: 450,000 (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016)

 

Map showing the key water features of the Canberra region. The Canberra region boundary is defined by five surface water catchments. These are Cotter, located in the west; Gudgenby, located in the southwest; Murrumbidgee (part), located in the centre and north; Molonglo, located in the east and northeast; and Queanbeyan located in the southeast.
Figure R1 Contextual map of the Canberra region

 

  • The Canberra region is located in the southeast of Australia and within the Murray–Darling Basin.
  • The Canberra region boundary encompasses the Australian Capital Territory and extends into New South Wales.
  • Included in the region are five river catchments: Cotter River, Gudgenby River, Molonglo River, Murrumbidgee River (part) and Queanbeyan River.
  • Only 0.3% of Australia's water use occurs within the region. Most of the water used is from surface water stores for urban purposes.

Land use

Map showing the distribution and land use types within the Canberra region. Major towns are marked on the map for Hall (north), Canberra (central north), Queanbeyan (central, south of Canberra) and Captains Flat (southeast). The main land use in the Canberra region is conservation and natural environments. This occurs in the west and southeast of the region. The second largest land use is grazing. This occurs in the north, central, east and southeast of the region. Urban is the other major land use. This occurs in the northern part of the region, where the city of Canberra is. Other land use types scattered throughout the region are forestry, dryland agriculture, irrigated agriculture, mining, water, and other intensive uses.
Figure R2 Land use in the Canberra region

 

  • The Canberra urban area is the major population centre in the region. It accounts for 11% of the region's land use and is home to approximately 432,000 residents.
  • Conservation and natural environment areas account for 47% of the region's land use, and are particularly extensive over the south and west of the region.
  • 29% of the region is used for grazing, which is a key land use activity outside the urban centres.

 

Significant aquatic ecosystems

Map showing the locations of national parks and 12 nationally important wetlands in the Canberra region. Major towns are marked on the map for Hall (north), Canberra (central north), Queanbeyan (central, south of Canberra) and Captains Flat (southeast). National parks mainly occur in the west and southwest of the region, and include most of the Cotter River catchment. Other national parks occur in the southeast of the region and north of Captains Flat. Most wetlands are located within the national parks in the west and southwest of the region. These wetlands are: Cotter Flats, Ginini and Cheyenne Flats, Rock Flats, Rotten Swamp, Scabby Range, Upper Cotter River, Upper Naas Creek, Bendora Reservoir and Nursery Swamp. Coopers Swamp wetland is in the southeast of the region. Horse Park Wetland is in the north near Hall. Jerrabomberra Wetlands are next to Lake Burley Griffin, south of Canberra.
Figure R3 Significant wetlands in the Canberra region

 

  • The Canberra region contains the Ramsar-listed Ginini Flats Wetland Complex in the Namadgi National Park, which consists of a series of interconnected flats known as the Ginini Flats and the Cheyenne Flats.
  • The region contains 12 nationally important wetlands listed in the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia (Environment Australia 2001).
  • The nationally important wetlands in the region are located upstream of any water abstraction or storage and so are unaffected by water resource management activities.

 

Water resources

  • Most of the region's water supply comes from surface water, including a small volume of water transferred from outside the region to supply the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council service area.
  • Groundwater resources are used primarily for town supply and stock and domestic purposes. Recycled wastewater is used for treatment plant operations and irrigation of sports fields.

 

Surface water

Rivers

Map showing the locations of key gauging stations along the main rivers in the Canberra region. Major towns are marked on the map for Hall (north), Canberra (central north), Queanbeyan (central, south of Canberra) and Captains Flat (southeast). Molonglo River at Burbong, station ID 410705, is located east of Queanbeyan, upstream of the confluence of the Molonglo and Queanbeyan River. Cotter River at Gingera, station ID 410730, is in the west of the region. Queanbeyan River Upstream Googong Dam, station ID 410781, is in the central east part of the region.
Figure R4 Key flow gauging stations on the Cotter, Molonglo, and Queanbeyan rivers within the Canberra region

 

  • The three main rivers in the Canberra region are the Molonglo, Cotter and Queanbeyan rivers, which all contribute to the Murrumbidgee River.
  • The Murrumbidgee is the largest river that flows through the Canberra region, draining much of southern New South Wales and all of the Australian Capital Territory.

 


Figure R5 Mean monthly flows along the Molonglo, Cotter, and Queanbeyan rivers and mean monthly rainfall for the Canberra region

 

  • The seasonal flow characteristics of rivers within the region reflect seasonal variations in evapotranspiration more so than rainfall, which is relatively uniform throughout the year.
  • Typically, high streamflows occur in winter and spring following high runoff from partially saturated catchments in autumn and winter. Summer typically sees drier catchment conditions due to higher evapotranspiration.

 

Storages

Map showing the locations of major storages in the Canberra region. . Circle size indicates storage capacity. Three reservoirs are located on the Cotter River. Cotter Reservoir is in the northwest of the region and has a capacity of 79,374 ML. Bendora Reservoir is in the west of the region and has a capacity of 11,543 ML. Corin Reservoir is in the southwest of the region and has a capacity of 70,897 ML. Googong Reservoir, located on the Queanbeyan River, is in the central east of the region and has a capacity of 121,084 ML.

Figure R6 Major storages and lakes in the Canberra region; capacity of each storage is also shown

 

  • The four major storages in the region are Bendora, Corin, Cotter and Googong Reservoir. All are used mainly for urban supply.
  • The region also has three lakes used for recreational purposes and water pollution control: Lake Burley Griffin, Lake Ginninderra and Lake Tuggeranong.

 

Groundwater

  • The Canberra region falls within the Lachlan Fold Belt geologic province. The region encompasses low-yield fractured volcanic aquifers overlain in places by minor, high-yield aquifers in superficial, unconsolidated alluvium and colluvium.
  • The alluvial aquifers have local significance as a source of water, but across the wider region groundwater is a minor component of total water use.

 

Map showing the three groundwater management areas in the Canberra region. A small part of the Yaas Catchment groundwater management area is located at the northern edge of the Canberra region. Most of this management area extends north beyond the region boundary. The Australian Capital Territory groundwater management areas covers the central, west and southwest of the Canberra region. The Lachlan Fold Belt groundwater management area covers the central east and southeast of the Canberra region. It also includes a small area in the northwest of the region. The Lachlan Fold Belt groundwater management areas extends beyond the Canberra region boundary to the south, west and northeast

Figure R7 Groundwater management areas in the Canberra region

 

  • There are three groundwater management areas in the Canberra region: the Australian Capital Territory, the Lachlan Fold Belt, and the Yass Catchment. The Lachlan Fold Belt and Yass Catchment groundwater management areas extend beyond the region's boundaries.

Water systems

Urban water system

Map showing key urban water system infrastructure in the Canberra region. Pump station abstraction points include: Angle crossing on the Murrumbidgee River, in the central south of the region; and Murrumbidgee, on the Murrumbidgee River in the north west of the region, near the confluence with Cotter River. Wastewater treatment plants include: Lower Molonglo, in the north, upstream of the confluence of the Murrumbidgee and Molonglo rivers; Fyshwick, upstream of Lake Burley Griffin; Queanbeyan, in the north east of the region. Water treatment plants include: Mt Stromlo, in the northwest; and Googong, in the central east, close to Googong Reservoir. There is one sewer mining facility, Southwell Park in the north of the region, north of Canberra.
Figure R8 Key infrastructure of the urban water system in the Canberra region

 

  • Water service providers in the region are Icon Water, a statutory body of the Australian Capital Territory government, and Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council.
  • Icon Water owns and manages most of the region's water supply system, including major storages and two water treatment plants. The Mount Stromlo water treatment plant receives water from the Corin, Bendora, and Cotter reservoirs; the Googong water treatment plant receives water diverted from Googong Reservoir.
  • Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council receives bulk water from Icon Water, supplies potable water through its reticulation system and collects and treats wastewater for its own local government area.
  • More information about the Canberra urban water system can be found at the Icon Water website.

 

Recycled water

  • Three wastewater reuse schemes operate in the Australian Capital Territory: North Canberra Water Reuse Scheme, Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre effluent reuse scheme, and Southwell Park Watermining® Project.
  • Most treated wastewater from Icon Water is discharged to the Molonglo River, with the balance recycled for internal use at the treatment plants and/or irrigation purposes.

 

Farm dams

  • Farm dams refer to landscape catchment storages used to harvest runoff, floodwater, or collected rainwater. They are an important water resource in the region; however, water held in farm dams is considered to be taken from the shared pool of water resources and, as such, is not included as part of the region's water assets.
  • Water held in farm dams is primarily used for stock and domestic, and agricultural purposes.
  • The majority of the region's farm dams are filled by rainfall–runoff capture; it has been estimated that runoff harvesting to farm dams reduces runoff to surface water in the Canberra region by approximately 1%.
  • A smaller portion of farm dams are filled by groundwater extractions, surface water diversions, or recycled water transfers. Farm dams in the region hold approximately 7,500 ML, or 2% of the total surface water storage capacity in the region.