Water in the water main travels 19.3 kilometres (12.0 mi) from the Bendora Dam via gravity to the treatment plant on Mount Stromlo,[1] adjacent to the Cotter Dam pumping station, upstream from the confluence of the Cotter River with the Murrumbidgee River.
Construction of the water main commenced in 1966 and was opened on 5 January 1968.
Prior to the construction of the gravity main, water was stored in Bendora Dam and released down the Cotter River to the Cotter Dam.
The gravity main is 1.6 metres (5 ft 3 in) in diameter and has been buried nearly the entire length of its construction.
[1] The Bendora Gravity Main also supplies the Mount Stromlo Hydro-Power Station.