Reservoir · New South Wales · Australia · BOM Water Data Online
Cataract
75.4% full
Capacity
97.4 hm³
Volume stored
73 hm³
River
Cataract River
Year completed
1907
Coordinates
34.286°S, 150.868°E
Last updated
2026-10-26
Current fill
75.4%vs 7 days ago
-0.4 pplosing
vs 1 year ago
-20.7 ppyear-over-year
7-day trend
→stable
Drought context
Storage vs October average
87%of normal
75.4% full on 2026-10-26, against an average of 87.1% for October across 4 years of readings (-11.7 points).
Rain over the last three months · 11 October 2026
Near normal
In the three months to 11 October 2026 the area around Cataract had rain close to normal for the season. Rainfall compared with the long-run record for the same season at this point (Copernicus Global Drought Observatory, SPI-3 index −0.41). Rain, not storage. Australia drought figures →
Data source: Bureau of Meteorology — Water Data Online (KiWIS) — daily mean storage volume, quality-controlled. Capacity from the BOM Water Storages ArcGIS layer (total design capacity in ML). Last reading: 2026-10-26.
Catchment Weather
Past 30 days + 14-day forecast · Open-Meteo
Satellite imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics. Map: Esri, HERE, Garmin, © OpenStreetMap contributors. 34.286°S, 150.868°E · Open in Google Maps
About Cataract
As of October 26, 2026, Cataract is filled to 75.4% of its total capacity, holding 73.41 hm³ of water out of a maximum 97.4 hm³. At this level the reservoir is within its normal operating range.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has held broadly steady (-0.4 pp), and it is 20.7 points below its level on the same date a year earlier.
Across the readings we hold for Cataract — 1095 data points between October 28, 2023 and October 26, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 65.1% (November 2, 2023) to a high of 103.3% (August 21, 2025). On average the reservoir is fullest around June and at its lowest around December.
The dam at Cataract was completed in 1907. It is operated by BOM primarily for water supply. It lies within the Cataract River Basin basin at 34.286°S, 150.868°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 75.4% of total capacity
- Water stored
- 73.41 hm³
- Total capacity
- 97.4 hm³
- 7-day change
- ▼ 0.4 pp
- Year-on-year
- ▼ 20.7 pp
- Primary use
- Water supply
- River
- Cataract River
- River basin
- Cataract River Basin
- Year completed
- 1907
- Operator
- BOM
- Coordinates
- 34.286°S, 150.868°E
- Last updated
- October 26, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (hm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Oct 2026 | 75.4% | 73.41 |
| 25 Oct 2026 | 75.4% | 73.45 |
| 24 Oct 2026 | 75.5% | 73.56 |
| 23 Oct 2026 | 75.6% | 73.59 |
| 22 Oct 2026 | 75.5% | 73.54 |
| 21 Oct 2026 | 75.6% | 73.6 |
| 20 Oct 2026 | 75.7% | 73.71 |
| 19 Oct 2026 | 75.8% | 73.82 |
| 18 Oct 2026 | 75.9% | 73.92 |
| 17 Oct 2026 | 76.0% | 74.01 |
| 16 Oct 2026 | 76.1% | 74.09 |
| 15 Oct 2026 | 76.1% | 74.14 |