Cataract
Cataract Dam on the Cataract River
Location
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Region	Sydney Basin (IBRA), Macarthur
LGA	Wollondilly
Physical characteristics
Source	Illawarra escarpment
• location	west of Mount Pleasant
• elevation	293 m (961 ft)
Mouth	confluence with the Nepean River
• location	Douglas Park
• elevation	78 m (256 ft)
Length	23 km (14 mi)
Basin features
River system	Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment
Reservoir	Lake Cataract
[1][2]

The Cataract River, a perennial river^[1] that is part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment, is located in the Macarthur region of New South Wales, Australia.

Course and features

The Cataract River rises on the western slopes of the Illawarra escarpment, west of Mount Pleasant, and flows generally north northwest, impounded within Lake Cataract, before reaching its confluence with the Nepean River at Douglas Park. The river descends 215 metres (705 ft) over its 23-kilometre (14 mi) course.^[2]

The river is a source of water for the Sydney region. Water is collected by the dams, weirs and aqueducts of the Upper Nepean Scheme.