Most people will never have heard of, let alone seen, the Coxs River – but if you live in Sydney and turned on a tap this morning, there's a good chance some of that water passed through it. The Coxs River feeds reservoirs that supply drinking water to millions of people.

Unfortunately, stretches of the upper Coxs River have been under pressure for decades. Willows have crowded out native vegetation and pulled water from the system. Grazing and historic land clearing have left banks exposed to erosion, sending sediment into the waterways that feed the dam. Unrestricted livestock access to the creek has added pathogens to water that flows into Sydney's drinking water catchments.

While none of this can be undone overnight, we're pleased to share that work to turn this around has officially begun.

Shane Laverty, our River Restoration Program Manager, out at the new project site.

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A ten-year commitment

The ARRC has partnered with Amazon on a ten-year project to restore 14.8 kilometres of the upper Coxs River catchment and improve water availability in Sydney's drinking water catchments by nearly 400 million litres per year.  

The first two years will focus on delivery, with work including:

  • Removing invasive willows and replacing them with native species
  • Stabilising active erosion across the catchment
  • Installing livestock exclusion fencing, off-stream watering points and dedicated crossings to keep stock out of the waterways

From there, we move into monitoring and maintenance, continuing through to 2036.

Once complete, the project is expected to improve water quality and much of that comes down to restoring healthy catchment function: removing water-hungry willows and revegetating with native species means less water is lost to excessive evaporation and transpiration, leaving more of it in the catchment.

But that's not all – this is also great news for habitat recovery. Platypus, freshwater crayfish and other native species stand to benefit from a healthier home. Revegetated banks mean shade, stability, and the slow return of an ecosystem that's had a rough few decades.

A restoration site showing native reeds and grasses in the foreground, with dense willow infestation beyond. Photo credit: Simon Kelly

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Why this stretch of river matters

It's simple: healthy catchments make everything downstream easier. Every tonne of sediment kept out of Warragamba Dam is water storage capacity protected. On-ground river restoration ensures that the bank is held together rather than washed away, safeguarding water quality before it reaches a treatment plant.
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The Coxs River catchment project shows what's possible when we invest in healthy waterways. By restoring this important part of Sydney's drinking water catchment, we're creating benefits for both people and nature, improving water security for millions of Sydneysiders while helping native plants and wildlife recover and thrive.


It's also a project built on partnership. Local landholders are working alongside us throughout, because lasting restoration only happens when the people living on the land are part of the plan. It's the approach that underpins all of our on-ground work, which is grounded in science and shaped by local knowledge.


‍Head to the Coxs River Catchment project page to see the full scope of the works as restoration takes shape.

A view across a restoration site where revegetation and waterway restoration will improve water quality and support healthier ecosystems. Photo credit: Simon Kelly