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Melbourne's water
storages are currently at:

34.4%

breakdown by reservoir

(you can click on each reservoir
for more information)

Thomson: 21.4%

Cardinia: 34.4%

Upper Yarra: 65.8%

Sugarloaf: 60.0%

Silvan: 86.9%

Tarago: 57.5%

Yan Yean: 29.9%

Greenvale: 72.5%

Maroondah: 86.6%

O'Shannassy: 75.7%

protected catchments

Forested catchments high up in the Yarra Ranges

Our forested catchments high up in the Yarra Ranges

Our water catchment areas, where we collect our drinking water, are high up in the Yarra Ranges. Most of Melbourne's water comes from these protected catchments.

More than 157,000 hectares have been closed to the public for over a century. The idea of closed or protected catchments is based on the principle to start with the cleanest water possible, instead of treating water to make it safe. Melbourne is one of few cities in the world that has protected catchments.

When it rains in the catchments, the forests catch, hold and filter rainwater. Rainwater flows off the ground into creeks, rivers and eventually, into reservoirs.

Water is stored in these reservoirs for long periods of time. Over many months, the sediment (fine grit, sand and soil) in the water settles to the bottom of the reservoir, and the sun helps disinfect the water.

Threats to water quality

The main threats to the quality of our water in our catchments are:

  • Bushfires
  • Erosion
  • Human and animal contamination
During summer months, we have someone stationed in our firetowers, to detect bushfires.

Firetowers allow us to detect bushfires in our catchments

Bushfires leave behind soot and ash, which can be washed into the reservoirs. They can also destroy the tall mountain ash trees that cover about half of our catchment areas.

As the forests recover from a bushfire, the mountain ash trees and other plants use a lot of water to help them germinate and grow. As a result, there is less water flowing into our reservoirs, immediately after a fire.

We keep people and livestock out of our catchment areas. This means our water supply is less likely to be contaminated or polluted.

More information