Canberra's urban lakes and ponds


Molonglo Reach Waterski Area

Molonglo Reach District Park remains closed to the general public for recreational waterskiing. This is due to a large amount of submerged logs that washed downstream during various storm events.

If you would like to use the waterskiing area for training and competitions only, you can apply for a permit from the Environment Protection Authority. The licence allows you to use a small area of Molonglo Reach under strict conditions.

Please email environment.protection@act.gov.au or call Access Canberra on 13 22 81 for further details.

Canberra's urban lakes and ponds

Our urban lakes and ponds are important community resources. They improve visual amenity, offer a place for leisure and recreation, and provide a sanctuary for plants and animals.

The ACT Government maintains two lakes and more than 160 ponds and wetlands in urban areas.

Canberra's lakes and ponds are designed as 'settling ponds'. This means they trap nutrients, soil, litter and debris, while improving the quality of water downstream.

The ACT Government manages Lake Ginninderra and Lake Tuggeranong which contain major recreational facilities for all ages. This includes beaches, designated swimming areas, jetties, boat ramps for non-petroleum powered boats, BBQs and playgrounds.

Each body of water is divided into zones based on water and ecological criteria. They form the basis for managing the water bodies throughout the ACT.

For more information about the management of Canberra's urban lakes and ponds, refer to the Canberra Urban Lakes and Ponds Plan of Management (PDF 12.9 MB).

aerial view of lake ginninderra

The ACT Government manages most of the lakes and ponds in Canberra. The National Capital Authority manages the water surface of Lake Burley Griffin and perimeter areas which are on national land such as Commonwealth Park and the Parliamentary Triangle.

For more information visit:

For information on boat licences and registration visit Access Canberra.

The ACT Government is responsible for removing litter and debris from Canberra's urban lakes and ponds. This includes litter that is floating in the water, washed up on the shoreline or trapped in the reeds.

The regular litter removal program aims to target all Canberra's 160+ urban lakes and ponds at least 6 times a year.

Higher use areas such as lakes or waterways adjacent to town and district parks are targeted weekly.

Flood debris and illegal dumping of trolleys, furniture and other items are removed from waterways reactively where required.

The ACT Government also undertakes:

  • weed removal at wetlands, bio retention basins, ponds, lakes and creek lines
  • revegetation projects at sites where woody weeds have been removed
  • nutrient removal through harvesting azolla (duckweed) from ponds.

Other city services also play an important part in keeping our waterways clean. Regular street sweeping helps stop organic debris and sediment from entering the stormwater system. There is also a program to clean and maintain gross pollutant traps, sediment traps and sediment ponds which help keep our waterways free of litter and debris.

Our monitoring of water quality and ecology has identified a pattern of progressive water quality improvement longitudinally downstream. This has resulted in three distinct water quality and ecological zones.

  • Inlet Zone (Water Management Zone 1): high in suspended solids, nutrients, organic material and bacteria. Typically, this zone comprises the shallow water emergent aquatic plant ecosystems described above. It is a highly productive zone, sustaining high biomass of plants, macroinvertebrates, fish and birds.
  • Intermediate Zone (Water Management Zone 2): edge macrophytes and clear water, having reduced (fine) levels of suspended material, nutrients and bacteria. It typically comprises extensive submerged macrophytes and epiphytic and planktonic algae.
  • Outlet Zone (Water Management Zone 3): low in suspended solids, nutrients and bacteria, and low in planktonic algae. Typically, this zone comprises the deep water planktonic algal ecosystems described above.
Aboriginal artwork