The project is funded by the Australian Government ($700,000), New South Wales Government ($350,000) and Bathurst Regional Council ($350,000). Australian Government funding is provided through the National Water Grid Fund.
Bathurst Regional Council is identifying opportunities to use other water sources through this detailed business case project.
Project overview
Bathurst experienced its worst drought on record between 2017 and 2019 which highlighted shortcomings in the security of the town water supply.
There is a gap of 2,805 megalitres (ML) between the water supply available and what is required for the current population of Bathurst.
To address this gap, the Bathurst Regional Council is identifying opportunities to use other water sources through this detailed business case project.
The Bathurst Water Harvesting project is being delivered in 2 stages:
- Stage 1 of the project is currently under construction and will provide up to an additional 1,500 ML of water
- Stage 2 could deliver a further 2,000 ML of water, if progressed.
This would bring the total water made available across both stages to 3,500 ML.
The project will investigate Stage 2 and the construction options.
If complete, both stages would help increase drought resilience and enable population growth.
The detailed business case is expected to be completed by late 2028.