Catchment‑to‑Tap Risk Assessment

The challenge

The Clarence Valleyand Coffs Harbour Regional Water Supply Scheme is a major shared water infrastructure system linking the Nymboida River, Shannon Creek Dam and the bulk supply networks serving both council areas. As a long-life regional asset designed to secure water supply for a growing population, it required a structured risk assessment to identify operational, governance and system risks and support better joint decision-making across the scheme.

Our approach

Cobalt59, with Clearwater and Directors and expert staff from both Councils, prepared a focused risk assessment for the Regional Water Supply Scheme. It examined the scheme as an integrated system rather than as a set of isolated assets. The work considered how technical, operational and governance risks interact across shared infrastructure, including implications for asset performance, water security, maintenance responsibilities and future investment priorities. This systems-based framing was particularly important because the scheme operates across two councils and multiple key assets, including the pipeline network and Shannon Creek Dam, with effective performance depending on coordinated oversight rather than single-asset optimisation.

The result

The risk assessment gave the project partners a practical basis for discussing risk ownership, mitigation priorities and future governance arrangements for the scheme. It helped frame the Regional Water Supply Scheme as a shared regional utility requiring clearer joint oversight, consistent investment logic and proactive risk management to maintain water security over the long term.

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