Canberra water goes to Braidwood

Some good news for Braidwood residents today, with ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Mayor Tim Overall, Federal MP Mike Kelly and Icon Water Managing Director Ray Hezkial jointly announcing Braidwood will receive up to 300kL of water a day from the Canberra water supply. 

This temporary arrangement comes as Braidwood finishes its first week of Level 4 water restrictions – the highest possible level.  

Tankers will draw up to 300kL of water each day from Queanbeyan’s reticulation network, which is supplied by Icon Water, and cart it to Braidwood to supplement its supply given dry conditions no longer make drawing water from the Shoalhaven River possible. Though not unaffected by dry conditions, Canberra’s water supply is more secure than other areas at the moment, especially regional towns. This is in part due to the significant investment that was made in the last decade to improve water security in the ACT following the millennium drought. 

Icon Water’s Managing Director Ray Hezkial said: 

“I’m pleased that Icon Water is able to work with the ACT Government to to provide some support to our neighbours – something the Canberra and Queanbeyan communities are known for – which we have seen recently with the surrounding bushfires. Regardless of borders, we all need to support each other wherever we can, while we’re in the fortunate position to do so”. 

“I also want to reassure the Canberra and Queanbeyan community that this temporary arrangement will have a relatively small impact on our own water storage levels. By way of comparison, the amount of water that would be provided to Braidwood over a six-month period is less than a single day’s supply to residents of Canberra and Queanbeyan. 

Icon Water will regularly monitor the water security outlook to ensure that any arrangement with Braidwood is sustainable and does not impact the water security of Canberra and Queanbeyan.  

While we have enough water to share with our neighbours when they need it, we want to make sure we can keep it this way – so we’re still asking everyone in Canberra and Queanbeyan to save water wherever you can. There are lots of things we can do, like shorter showers, mulching our gardens, or only using the washing machine with a full load. Check out our water saving pages for tips, or submit your own tip for a chance to win a $100 gift card.