SAFETY ALERT! Flooding
SAFETY ALERT! Flooding
Water underpins economic prosperity and is the lifeblood of our ecosystems and our everyday lives. Since 1973, GAWB has been proud to safely and reliably deliver water to our customers.
As the region grows, our role grows with it. We are busy building new infrastructure and pipelines so we can enhance water security in the region. We are building the Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline (FGP), which is expected to be completed in 2026 (weather permitting). The FGP and Awoonga Dam will be the two sources of water for the region.
GAWB supplies bulk water to:
Water is transported from Awoonga Dam to our customers via GAWB’s distribution network.
Find out more about our network.
Raw water supply is transported directly to our industrial customers or stored in dedicated water reservoirs.
This water is raw and untreated, meaning it is not-potable.
Raw water is first transported to either the Yarwun or Gladstone Water Treatment Plants where it undergoes a treatment process to produce safe, high-quality water that is ready to drink. For more information about the quality of water supplied by GAWB, visit our water quality page.
When the treatment process is complete, the water is stored in one of GAWB’s or the Council’s treated water reservoirs before it is ultimately transferred for reticulation to end-users.
GAWB and Gladstone Regional Council use a sophisticated control system called SCADA to monitor water movement between the two individual distribution networks.
Once the treated drinking water enters the Gladstone Regional Council network, Council takes control of the water and is responsible for reticulating that water supply to Gladstone households, businesses and community facilities that are connected to the Lake Awoonga scheme.
The Lake Awoonga scheme is just one water supply scheme operated by Gladstone Regional Council. For more information about Gladstone Regional Council water supply schemes, including individual queries about water bills or your supply visit the Council website.
The diagram below demonstrates the water cycle and supply chain for the Gladstone region:
Water moves in an endless loop — known as the water cycle. It begins when the sun heats oceans, rivers, and lakes, causing water to evaporate into the atmosphere. Plants contribute too, releasing moisture through transpiration (the process by which plants release water vapour into the atmosphere). Once in the sky, this moisture condenses into clouds and eventually falls as rain.
In our region, much of this rain runs off the hills and mountains, flowing into the Boyne River, feeder creeks and into Lake Awoonga, the heart of our water storage. From here, it is pumped, treated, and delivered to serve the needs of our customers.
The Gladstone Area Water Board proudly acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land and water on which we operate. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and recognise the ongoing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the land and water on which we rely.
