Water strategies & projects

Our capital works program strengthens its asset maintenance by delivering major projects that:

• Upgrade, refurbish and improve existing infrastructure;
• Build and/or improve water and wastewater assets.

Please visit the Works in Progress page for a list of current Water, Waste and Road projects. This page is updated regularly.

Find out more about Cairns Water Security Stage 1 Project.

Cairns Regional Council has been planning for the water needs of a growing population.

The Cairns Water Security Strategy (CWSS) was adopted by Cairns Regional Council in September 2015 as a way of planning for the future of our water supply to ensure that we have enough of this precious resource to sustain our community as it grows.

Cairns currently has two main sources of water supply: the release of water stored in Copperlode Falls Dam (Lake Morris) on Freshwater Creek and run-of-river extraction from the Behana Creek intake. There are also smaller rural intakes that service communities to the south of Cairns.

With our population projected to reach 265,000 people by 2050, the CWSS contains a range of actions to help us get ready. The following short-term actions are Council’s current priorities.

Action 1: Water demand

A Demand Management Strategy has been developed to manage the water demand across the community and achieve overall water savings of at least 10%. The strategy details the following focussed actions:

• Intelligent water networks
• Water education programs
• Water efficiency upgrades and retrofits.

Action 2: Water supply

Cairns Water Security Stage 1 (CWSS1) project – a new water intake and treatment plant to deliver a new drinking water supply to the Cairns community. The project includes:

• A water intake at the Mulgrave River at Gordonvale
• A Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and water reservoirs at north Gordonvale
• Pipelines to take raw water from the water intake to the WTP and treated water to residents throughout the Cairns region
• Associated works to improve the treatment of the existing Behana Creek water supply.

Find out more about Cairns Water Security Stage 1 Project.

Action 3: Drought response plan

Drought Response Plan - a water supply solution in the highly unlikely situation of an extreme drought where Cairns’ main sources of supply are depleted.

• Emergency Water Supply Plan – we are preparing to implement the best water source option available in the event of an extreme drought
• Temporary bore field extractions from Mulgrave River Aquifer activated only when Copplerlode falls dam level reaches 0.5%.

Cairns Regional Council is developing the Water Efficiency Strategy 2026–2035 to support long-term, responsible water management across the region. As Cairns continues to grow, the Strategy will guide actions to manage water demand, protect natural systems and strengthen community resilience.

The Strategy outlines a future-focused approach to ensure the right tools, infrastructure and policies are in place so Council and the community can work together to secure a sustainable water future.

Learn more about the Water Efficiency Strategy 2026–2035.

As a water service provider to the community, Cairns Regional Council has a legislative requirement under the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 (the Act) to demonstrate our commitment to providing safe and reliable drinking water to our customers.

The Drinking Water Annual Report describes Council’s operational performance in drinking water quality and reports on activities detailed in the Council's Drinking Water Quality Management Plan, including results of tests taken to check drinking water quality.

Council SWIM Annual Data Reports provide details about Key Performance Indicators as required under the Water Supply (safety and reliability) Act 2008.

Explore how Cairns Regional Council compares to other urban water and sewerage service providers in Queensland.

Cairns Regional Council Water and Resource Recovery Customer Service Standards 2025-2030 outlines Council's obligations in delivering water, wastewater and waste services to the Cairns community as well as the level of service they can expect to receive and how they interact with Council's Cairns Infrastructure Directorate as the service- provider.

The Standards provide information regarding:

• billing, charges, fees and accounts
• performance targets
• customer consultation, complaints and disputes resolution
• network supply, blockages and breaks, metering and new connections.
• quality and compliance information

Council's Smart Catchments: Saltwater Creek project has been conducted in partnership with James Cook University, the Wet Tropics Healthy Waterways Partnership and Itron Australasia with funding support from the Australian Government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs program.

Smart Catchments: Saltwater Creek