A new dam has come online in the Eurobodalla Shire, on the south coast of New South Wales, in an AUD 150 million (USD 108 million) project aimed at shoring up the region’s water supply for decades to come. The Southern Storage Facility, built near Bodalla, largely within Bodalla State Forest, pairs a 3,000 megalitre off river dam with a new pump station on the Tuross River. Funding came from the Australian Government’s National Water Grid Fund (AUD 51.2 million), the New South Wales Government (AUD 25.6 million) and Eurobodalla Shire Council, which contributed AUD 73.1 million. Beyond adding storage, the project is designed to fully link and integrate the Eurobodalla region’s supply system.
The pump station can draw up to 26 megalitres a day from the river and a further 6 megalitres from a local borefield, transferring water into the storage during periods of high flow for release when existing supplies come under pressure. The embankment stands 370 metres long and 39 metres high, and the facility includes a spillway, erosion controls, a thermal stratification control system, and instruments to monitor seepage, water levels and quality. Once full, it will add 581 megalitres a year for irrigation and stock watering downstream, on top of supporting the shire’s household and business supply, with pumping and releases managed under the Tuross River Water Sharing Plan.
A decade from planning to completion
Eurobodalla Shire Council first identified the need for a second storage facility in 2016, prompted by revised water demand forecasts and the Tuross River Water Sharing Plan. An environmental impact statement went on public exhibition in 2018, and the project received state significant development approval in 2019, alongside a biodiversity offset strategy to address impacts on threatened species and their habitats.
After several years of site works, foundations and access road construction, dam wall building began in May 2024 and was completed in 2025, following delays from unusually heavy rainfall. Water has been pumped into the storage since mid-2026, and the facility is currently in wet commissioning, with equipment being tested under operating conditions as the reservoir fills. The dam also includes a boat ramp and perimeter fencing to support ongoing maintenance and water quality monitoring once it is fully operational.
