Bermagui Water Security Project

The Bermagui Water Security Project aims to identify sustainable solutions to ensure a reliable water supply for Bermagui, addressing the town's vulnerability during drought conditions.

The department’s Water Group is investigating options aligned with the South Coast Regional Water Strategy. These options include:

• adjusting Brogo Dam’s operational reserve rules to support supply during extreme events
• building a new weir or upgrading the existing weir including updating the offtake and pumping arrangement to help ensure sufficient water reliability during low-flow periods
• upgrading the Brogo Dam wall and spillway to help alleviate town water security risk
• construction of a direct pipeline from Brogo Dam to Brogo Water Treatment Plant to improve water reliability and reduce losses.  
   

The Water Group is currently preparing a preliminary business case assessing these options.

Currently, Bermagui faces risks of water shortages during severe droughts, with the potential for high or persistent water restrictions. The town’s water supply relies heavily on rainfall and is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

For Bermagui to continue to grow and thrive into the future, communities and businesses require confidence their water sources are reliable and able to support future demand.

The NSW and Australian Governments are jointly funding up to $3 million to develop the preliminary business case, with the Australian Government contributing through the National Water Grid Fund.
 

The Water Group is committed to building and maintaining respectful, trusted and collaborative relationships with our communities and stakeholders to ensure water infrastructure projects achieve the best possible outcomes.

We offer opportunities for communities and stakeholders, including First Nations people, to engage with us and provide feedback as we develop the preliminary business case for the project.

Community members were invited to attend a community information session in Bermagui and Cobargo in December 2025 to learn about the project.

A recording of the webinar is provided below and a What we heard report provides an overview of community and stakeholder feedback on key elements and options of the project during the consultation period.

If the project proceeds to a full business case, further, extensive engagement with stakeholders will take place to inform its development.

Engaging with local communities, including the Local Aboriginal Land Councils, is crucial to developing culturally appropriate and effective water security strategies.

Upcoming engagement opportunities will be highlighted on this webpage and on the Water Group’s stakeholder engagement page.

The What we heard report summarising feedback from community engagement undertaken from June 2025 to May 2026 is now available.

The report outlines the responses from key stakeholders, First Nations and the broader community on the options being explored as part of the Preliminary Business Case.

The report includes:

• an overview of the engagement process and community and stakeholder participation
• a summary of what we heard on the key options proposed
• our responses to the feedback received.

Download the What we heard report