Amazon has agreed a 10-year collaboration with the Australian River Restoration Centre to restore part of the Coxs River catchment in New South Wales. The project will cover 14.8 kilometres of degraded waterways upstream of Warragamba Dam.
Amazon is the sole funder of the work, which will focus on a stretch of river within the Greater Sydney drinking water catchment. The Australian River Restoration Centre, a not-for-profit group, will carry out the restoration with local landowners during an initial two-year implementation phase, followed by monitoring and maintenance through to 2036.
The project is intended to improve water quality and increase water availability by nearly 400 million litres a year for Greater Sydney communities. The river system feeds reservoirs that supply drinking water to millions of people.
River damage
The restoration plan targets three longstanding problems in the upper Coxs River catchment: invasive willows, erosion and livestock pollution. Decades of land clearing, grazing and invasive plant growth have damaged riverbanks, increased sediment in waterways and allowed livestock waste to enter the catchment, the organisations said.
Dense willow growth has spread through creek channels, drawing water from the system and suppressing native vegetation. The work will remove willows and replace them with native species to restore riverbank ecosystems and allow more water to move downstream.
Erosion is also a major concern in the catchment. Historic clearing and grazing pressure have contributed to active erosion in some areas, sending sediment into waterways that feed Warragamba Dam and affecting both water quality and farmland.
Another part of the scheme will address livestock access to waterways. Planned measures include livestock exclusion fencing, off-stream watering points and dedicated crossings to reduce nutrients and pathogens entering the water and help vegetation recover along riverbanks.
The project also includes habitat restoration for native species including platypus, freshwater crayfish and other aquatic wildlife. Revegetation along waterways and wetlands is expected to provide shade and stabilise banks as native plants return.
Wider programme
The Coxs River initiative is Amazon's second water replenishment project in Australia. Its first local project, launched with Great Eastern Ranges, is restoring nearly 54 hectares of land in the Buxton district of New South Wales damaged during the Black Summer bushfires.
That earlier work returned about 48.5 million litres of water to the Greater Sydney catchment in 2025, according to Amazon. It achieved this by removing invasive weeds that use more water than native vegetation and by replanting riverbanks to reduce stormwater runoff.
The new collaboration sits within Amazon's broader target to become water positive in its data centre operations by 2030. The company aims to return more water to communities and the environment than it uses directly.
Amazon operates two data centre regions in Australia, in Sydney and Melbourne, and has committed AUD $20 billion to expand, operate and maintain data centre infrastructure in the country from 2025 to 2029. Its Australian sites recorded water usage effectiveness levels below the global industry average in 2025, according to the company.
By the end of 2025, Amazon said it was 75 per cent of the way towards its water positive goal, returning three litres for every four litres used. Globally, it has announced more than 55 water replenishment projects expected to return more than 27 billion litres of water a year once completed.
Matt O'Rourke, Head of Infrastructure Policy at Amazon Australia and New Zealand, described the direct link to Sydney's drinking water supply as a distinguishing feature of the project.
"As part of Amazon's global goal to be water positive by 2030, Amazon is investing in water replenishment projects that expand and improve community water access, availability, and quality," O'Rourke said.
"What makes this project special is its direct connection to the drinking water supply for millions of people in Greater Sydney. By leveraging the ARRC's expertise to address major challenges and restore the Coxs River catchment, we're not only helping to increase water volumes in reservoirs that provide drinking water to millions of people, but we're also helping to reduce treatment costs, restore native ecosystems, and build long-term resilience for one of Sydney's most important catchment areas."
Siwan Lovett, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Australian River Restoration Centre, said the work showed the impact of long-term investment in waterways.
"The Coxs River catchment project shows what's possible when we invest in healthy waterways. By restoring this important part of Sydney's drinking water catchment, we're creating benefits for both people and nature, improving water security for millions of Sydneysiders while helping native plants and wildlife recover and thrive," Lovett said.
"At the ARRC, we see river restoration as one of the most effective ways to build resilience for communities and the environment at the same time. We're delighted to be collaborating with Amazon and local landholders on this project, demonstrating that restoring natural systems can deliver lasting benefits for water security, biodiversity and future generations."