Sources & supply
Water at a glance
- Council issues water usage charges three times per year.
- We adopt a ‘user pays’ method to encourage water conservation – the less you use, the less you pay.
- A typical Cairns resident uses around 280 litres of drinking water per day.
- Residential properties pay $1.57 for 1000 litres of drinking water.
- Commercial properties pay $1.64 for 1000 litres of drinking water.
Water sources
The Cairns community is supplied with water from Copperlode Falls Dam and Behana Creek. Water from Copperlode Dam supplies areas to the north of Cairns and the Cairns city. The Behana Creek source supplies areas south of Cairns as well as the Cairns city. This raw water is treated at Council's treatment plants and then stored in our 68 reservoirs.
Council's YouTube site Water infrastructure provides a technical account (with subtitles) of water and wastewater infrastructure for professionals and specialist authorities.
Copperlode Falls Dam
Copperlode Falls Dam is the main supply of water for the Cairns Region. The dam has a total capacity of 38,400 megalitres (ML) which is approximately 15,000 olympic swimming pools. The dam is designed to capture some of our high seasonal rainfall and provides a reliable water source for homes and businesses in the region.
Behana Creek
Behana Creek provides run-of-river water extraction and is the region's second major source of water.
Rural intakes
Council also has several low volume, run-of-river water sources that supply towns and suburbs in the southern Cairns region. These include Majuba Creek, Joyce/Worth Creek, Pugh Creek, Frenchman Creek, Junction Creek, Fishery Creek, Little Mulgrave and Mick Creek.
Disclaimer
This water level data is not validated prior to publishing and Cairns Regional Council does not guarantee its accuracy.
Water Summary Report
Annual Drinking Water Quality Report 2022-2023
If you would like more information about which water source supplies your suburb or to view a Monthly Water Quality Report please refer to the table below:
| Zone | Suburb | Water source | Water quality report |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bartle Frere | Bartle Frere | Majuba Creek | Bartle Frere [PDF] |
| Bramston Beach | Bramston Beach | Joyce/Worth Creek | Bramston Beach [PDF] |
| Mirriwinni | Mirriwinni | Pugh Creek | Mirriwinni [PDF] |
| Babinda | Babinda | Frenchman Creek | Babinda [PDF] |
| Bellenden Ker | Bellenden Ker | Junction Creek | Bellenden Ker [PDF] |
| Fishery Falls | Fishery Falls | Fishery Creek | Fishery Falls [PDF] |
| Mountain View/Orchid Valley | Mountain View, Little Mulgrave, Orchid Valley | Little Mulgrave | Mountain View/Orchid Valley [PDF] |
| Bessie Point | Bessie Point | Mick Creek | Bessie Point [PDF] |
| Southern | Aloomba, Bayview Heights, Bentley Park, Edmonton, Forest Gardens, Goldsborough, Gordonvale, Meringa, Mt Sheridan, White Rock, Woree | Copperlode Dam, Behana Creek | Southern [PDF] |
| Central | Aeroglen, Brinsmead, Bungalow, Cairns City, Cairns North, Earlville, Edge Hill, Freshwater, Kamerunga, Manoora, Manunda, Mooroobool, Paramatta Park, Portsmith, Redlynch, Stratford, Westcourt, Whitfield | Copperlode Dam, Behana Creek | Central [PDF] |
| Northern | Barron, Caravonica, Clifton Beach, Holloways Beach, Kewarra Beach, Machans Beach, Palm Cove, Smithfield, Trinity Beach, Trinity Park, Yorkey's Knob | Copperlode Dam, Behana Creek | Northern [PDF] |
Council undertakes an Annual Review of the Drinking Water Quality Management Plan in line with the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008. The management of drinking water quality outlined in the Act aims to protect public health.
The Drinking Water Quality Management Plan includes a Register of critical customers such as the elderly and immunocompromised. Cairns Regional Council’s Water and Waste Department invite those who believe they may fit into this category to apply for inclusion on the Register.
People who believe they fit into this category are invited to apply for inclusion on the Critical Customer Register by completing the Critical Customer Registration form ( PDF, 0.14 MB ).
Sometimes the chlorination and filtration system may not be able to adequately filter and disinfect the water due to storm events decreasing the quality of raw water or due to unforeseen mechanical faults. This increases the risk of microbiological contamination. Council’s Cairns Infrastructure & Assets Directorate regularly takes water samples to test for waterborne pathogens and bacteria, e.g. E.coli and Cryptosporidium which can cause illness. If the supply cannot be guaranteed as fit for use, further testing is undertaken and a Boil Water notice is issued in consultation with Queensland Health.
As the owner of Copperlode Falls Dam, Cairns Regional Council has a legal obligation under the Queensland Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 to have an Emergency Action Plan (EAP).
The EAP has provisions regarding the identification, detection and management of dam hazards and emergency events and how effective warnings and notifications are communicated to those potentially impacted.
Learn more about the Copperlode Falls Dam Emergency Action Plan.
Last Updated: 22 January 2024
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