Learn about catchments in NSW
The department manages groundwater and surface water resources in various basins and catchments throughout the state.
The Barwon-Darling is an unregulated river system which stretches from the Queensland border to the Darling River.
The Bega catchment lies on the NSW far south coast.
The Bellinger catchment is on the mid-north coast, and is renowned for its natural beauty.
The Benanee catchment borders the Murray and Murrumbidgee river basins.
The Border Rivers catchment lies along the boundary of NSW and Queensland, and contains the Dumaresq, Severn and Macintyre rivers.
The Brunswick catchment is made up of a series of small coastal catchments and contains significant wetland areas.
The Castlereagh is an unregulated river catchment in central-western NSW.
The Clarence catchment is situated around the city of Grafton on the far north NSW coast.
The Clyde catchment is on the NSW south coast, between the Moruya and Shoalhaven catchments.
The Condamine-Culgoa catchment is on the NSW-Queensland border.
The East Gippsland catchment is largely within north-east Victoria, with a small proportion on the NSW far south coast.
The Georges River catchment contains most of Sydney and the Heathcote and Dharawal national parks.
The Gwydir catchment is in north-eastern NSW. It is surrounded by the Mastermans, Nandewar and Great Dividing ranges.
The Hastings catchment is on the NSW mid-north coast between the Manning and Macleay catchments.
The Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment is one of the largest coastal basins in NSW.
The Hunter catchment is on the NSW coast, north of Sydney. It contains the state’s second largest city, Newcastle.
Karuah is an unregulated coastal river catchment directly north of the Hunter catchment.
The Lachlan is one of the largest catchments in NSW. It borders on the Murrumbidgee and Darling catchments.
Lake George is a small, internally draining catchment. The lake dries up during dry periods.
The Lower Darling catchment is the portion of the catchment below the Menindee Lakes.
The Macleay river flows from the northern tablelands to the Pacific Ocean at South West Rocks.
The Macquarie-Bogan is a large catchment with large changes in elevation from north to south.
The Macquarie Tuggerah is a small catchment on the NSW Central Coast.
The Manning is a highly fertile catchment on the NSW mid-north coast.
The Mooni catchment lies predominantly in Queensland, with a small portion in NSW.
The Moruya catchment lies on the NSW south coast.
The Murray Riverina is the regulated portion of the Murray River in NSW.
The Murrumbidgee is a large catchment in southern NSW.
The Namoi lies in north-western NSW, and includes the urban centre of Tamworth.
The Barwon-Darling is an unregulated river system which stretches from the Queensland border to the Darling River.
The Paroo catchment has minimal water extraction, and is an important area for water birds.
The Richmond catchment extends from the NSW-Queensland border to the ocean at Ballina.
The Shoalhaven is a smaller catchment which transfers water to Sydney through the Shoalhaven Scheme.
The Snowy catchment is home to the Snowy Hydro-electric Scheme and the Snowy Mountains.
Towamba is a small catchment on the far south coast of NSW.
The Tuross is a smaller catchment on the NSW south coast.
The Tweed catchment is on the far north NSW coast around the Tweed River.
The Upper Murray catchment is a major contributor to water flows in the Murray River.
The Warrego is an important catchment for waterbirds in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Wollongong is a narrow coastal catchment south of Sydney.