Collie River Level   

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Wellington Dam Releases for next 28 hours - click here   (thanks to Harvey Water - formerly South West Irrigation) *

Water Releases & Corresponding Height at the Gauging Station, Upper Collie
Gauging Station Height (cm) Release (megalitres/day) Gauging Station Height (cm) Release (megalitres/day) Gauging Station Height (cm) Release (megalitres/day)
25 44.928 65 190.080 100 358.560
30 58.752 70 210.816 105 386.208
35 74.304 75 234.144 110 414.720
40 90.720 80 256.608 115 443.232
45 108.00 85 280.800 120 472.608
50 127.008 90 304.992 125 501.120
55 146.880 95 331.776 130 531.360
 Most paddling on the Collie River below Wellington Dam is done in summer on water that is released for irrigation. The amount of water released depends on farmers' needs. It tends to be greatest during the week in mid-late summer when temperatures and evaporation are highest, with lower water levels at weekends, even in mid summer.
It takes 20 hours for water to reach Burekup Weir and then up to another 8 hours to reach the farmers on the outlying areas of the Collie Irrigation District, such as Benger or Dardanup. Hence, for example, water is released early on Sunday to reach the farmers by Monday.

Summer

  • Paddlers divide the Collie River into the Upper Collie (from Wellington Dam to Honeymoon Pool) and the Lower Collie (from Honeymoon Pool to Burekup Weir and the irrigation channel).
  • All the rapids are easier with more water.
  • Paddlers commonly refer to the height at the gauging station on the Upper Collie. 1.2 m at the gauging station is an excellent level. 0.8 m is just paddleable, with some rapids very rocky.
  • To find out the amount of water to be released for the next 28 hours click on link at top of page or here
  • Then go to the table above to see the height at the gauging station.

 Winter

  • Heavy winter rainfall may result in Wellington Dam overflowing and the Collie is paddleable at these times. You need to check a local source for this information. It is a dangerous river to paddle during high flood level.
  • From time to time the water authority scours the dam during winter to lower the salt level by releasing water from the lower valve and the river is paddleable. 

*Note to paddlers from Harvey Water re their water release figures for Wellington Dam: Due to the long delay time getting water from Wellington Dam to the users, the computer will only process orders 28 hours in advance. The last release can be a guide to the future as the system cannot change greatly over a short period of time.  


> Canoeing in Western Australia       > Water Level Index