Water supplies
We operate six water supply systems across the MidCoast and produce around 9 billion litres of water per year.
Our largest water supply system is the Manning scheme, which provides water to customers from Crowdy Head in the north to Smiths Lake in the south.
We also operate smaller water supply systems to cater for our customers at:
- Stroud and Stroud Road
- Bulahdelah
- Gloucester and Barrington
- Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens
- North Karuah.
Altogether, these systems serve more than 40,000 properties. It's estimated that by 2050 we will need to supply water to around 60,000 properties.
Increasing the long-term security of our water supply systems is one of our major priorities. We are continuing to invest in upgrades to these systems to cater for our growing population.
For more information on each water supply system, click on the info bars below.
To find out how we ensure our water is safe to drink, refer to our Drinking Water Quality Management System Annual Report Summary(PDF, 8MB).
Fluoride is added to all our water supplies, as mandated by NSW Health and NSW DPI Water. For more information on fluoridation, please go to the NSW Health website.
For any service requests, or to report any water supply faults, call us on 1300 133 455.
Bulahdelah water supply
We supply water to around 600 homes and businesses in Bulahdelah.
Water is drawn from a weir on the Crawford River and treated at the nearby Bulahdelah Water Treatment Plant, which can treat up to 2 million litres of water per day.
The system was developed in the 1950s. It was last upgraded in 2010.
Gloucester water supply
We supply water to around 1800 homes and businesses in Gloucester and Barrington.
Water is drawn from the Barrington River and treated at the Gloucester Water Treatment Plant, which can treat up to 4.5 million litres of water per day.
The system was developed in the late 1930s. It underwent a major upgrade in the 1980s and was upgraded again in 2016.
The Gloucester water supply network is currently undergoing a $21 million upgrade. To find out more, visit the project page here.
Manning water supply
We supply water to more than 35,000 homes and businesses from Crowdy Head to Smiths Lake, including the major population hubs of Wingham, Taree, Old Bar, Hallidays Point and Forster-Tuncurry. More than 80 per cent of our customers receive water from this system.
Water is drawn from the Manning River and stored in Bootawa Dam, upstream of Wingham. It is then treated at the Bootawa Water Treatment Plant and pumped to reservoirs across the Manning and Great Lakes for distribution to homes and businesses.
The system was developed in the 1960s and has undergone numerous upgrades and expansions since. In 2010, we opened the Bootawa Water Treatment Plant, which can treat up to 60 million litres of water per day. There is also an education centre at the facility where school and community groups can learn more about our largest water supply system.
Bootawa Dam can hold up to 2200 million litres of water. It is our largest water storage.
Bootawa Dam Annual Dams Safety Standards Report(PDF, 317KB)
Nabiac aquifer water supply
The Nabiac aquifer water supply can provide an extra 6 - 10 million litres of water per day to the Manning scheme.
Water is drawn from an inland dune aquifer between Nabiac and Tuncurry and treated at the Nabiac Water Treatment Plant. It is then pumped to the Darawank reservoir and distributed to homes and businesses in the Great Lakes. The system can also supply water to properties in the Manning area during a drought.
The system opened in early 2019 and played a critical role in our response to the record drought we faced later that year. Projects are currently underway to upgrade the water treatment plant and expand the borefield. This will provide further drought security for the region.
The aquifer can hold around 200 million litres of water. It is recharged by a combination of direct rainfall and stormwater runoff from nearby Bundacree Creek. The land on which the aquifer is located is culturally significant to the local Aboriginal people. A historic land partnership deal ensures members of the Forster Local Aboriginal Land Council maintain perpetual right of cultural access to the site.
More information
Wondering what an aquifer is? Check out our An Aquifer Explained poster(PDF, 2MB) or this fun video we made with Whizzy.
You can also download and print our poster series on the construction and operation of the Nabiac aquifer water supply scheme here:
Poster 1 - Financing and construction(PDF, 7MB)
Poster 2 - Objectives and background(PDF, 1MB)
Poster 3 - Protecting the aquifer(PDF, 5MB)
Poster 4 - The water treatment process(PDF, 355KB)
Poster 5 - Images of the water treatment plant(PDF, 4MB)
Poster 6 - Distribution - from plant to the customer(PDF, 4MB)
Stroud water supply
We supply water to around 500 homes and businesses in Stroud and Stroud Road.
Water is drawn from a weir on the Karuah River and pumped to a 50 million litre off-stream storage dam. It is then treated at the Stroud Water Treatment Plant, which can treat up to 2 million litres of water per day.
The system was developed in the 1960s. It underwent a major upgrade in 1997, when the storage dam was added.
Tea Gardens water supply
We supply water to around 3000 homes and businesses in Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest.
Water is drawn from an aquifer borefield north-west of Tea Gardens and treated at the Tea Gardens Water Treatment Plant, which can treat up to 8 million litres of water per day.
The system was developed in 1962 and was last upgraded in 2013.
North Karuah water supply
We supply water to around 40 properties in the small village of North Karuah.
This water is purchased from Hunter Water and distributed to North Karuah via a pipeline from the Karuah Reservoir.
The water is drawn from the Tomago Sandbeds aquifer and treated at the Lemon Tree Passage Water Treatment Plant, which is owned by Hunter Water.