Research & Planning

Reports 2005

In April 2004, the ACT Government released: Think water, act water - a strategy for sustainable water resources management. The strategy defined actions to achieve sustainability objectives for water use in the ACT out to 2050, including to:

• increase the efficiency of water use; and
• provide a long-term reliable source of water for the ACT and region.

As part of the development of the Think water, act water strategy, ACTEW produced an evaluation report in April 2004: Options for the next ACT water source, which identified nearly 30 possible options for a long-term reliable water source for the ACT. It concluded that three options were suitable for more detailed assessment:

• building a new dam on the Cotter River, just downstream of, and thus effectively enlarging, the existing Cotter Dam;
• building a new dam on the Gudgenby River near Mount Tennent, south of Tharwa; and
• transferring water from Tantangara Dam in New South Wales to the ACT.

For each of the future water options, alternatives have been assessed on environmental, social and economical aspects to determine the optimum proposal. The alternatives have involved different sizes of storages, and different ways of treating and transferring water. They included the Angle Crossing Option (formerly known as the Virtual Tennent Option), whereby water allocated from the Gudgenby River is pumped from the Murrumbidgee River to the existing Googong Reservoir instead of building a new storage, and allowing Tantangara water to flow to the ACT along the Murrumbidgee River.

The report, Future Water Options for the ACT Region- Implementation Plan: A Recommended Strategy to Increase the ACT's Water Supply, outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the various options for additional water storage. A summary of this report has also been produced.

This follows ACTEW's report in December 2004, An Assessment of the Need to Increase the ACT's Water Storage, which concluded that unless the ACT community was prepared to accept water restrictions to recur regularly, the ACT would need more water storage sooner than previously expected.

Companion reports are available on the many technical studies that informed the analysis, individual reports on each of the three broad options and their alternatives, and a final report to the ACT Government of which this is a summary.

Main reports

Main reports available:

Future Water Options for the ACT Region- Implementation Plan: A Recommended Strategy to Increase the ACT's Water Supply	A report which summarises the technical, social, environmental and economic implications of the various options, restates the need for additional supply and describes the preferred path to provide a reliable water source for the ACT, for consideration by the ACT Government.	2,172 KB PDF
Future Water Options for the ACT Region- Implementation Plan: A Summary of the Recommended Strategy to Increase the ACT's Water Supply	Summary of above	925 KB PDF
The Cotter Dam Option	A report which assesses the environmental, social and economic implications of the Cotter Dam enlargement option.	1,646 KB PDF
The Tennent Dam Option	A report which assesses the environmental, social and economic implications of the new Tennent Dam option.	5,330 KB PDF
The Tantangara Dam Option	A report which assesses the environmental, social and economic implications of the Tantangara Dam option.	1,114 KB PDF
An Assessment of the Need to Increase the ACT's Water Storage	A report which addresses the question of whether and if so when there is a need to provide additional storage for the ACT and region.	746 KB PDF
Options for the next ACT water source	A report which identified nearly 30 options for a new water sources for the ACT and recommended three options for further assessment.	25,179 KB PDF Part 1 - 5,753 KB PDF Part 2 - 918 KB PDF Part 3 - 3,041 KB PDF Part 4 - 1,203 KB PDF Part 5 - 4,788 KB PDF Part 6 - 6,642 KB PDF Part 7 - 3,603 KB PDF

Technical Studies

Watch this space or phone 6248 3111 to request a copy of any of the following: