Sydney Water

Sydney Water Welcome to the official page for Sydney Water 💧 At Sydney Water, our role and responsibility is broad. Water is key to our cultural identity.

Sydney Water supplies water, wastewater, recycled water and some stormwater services to more than five million people in Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains. From the health of the city and its people, to managing the environment and the health of our waterways to help ensure the overall liveability of our great city. Our value lies far beyond water supply, pipes and wastewater services.

Water is not just a commodity - water gives life to nature, and is the defining force of Greater Sydney and the Illawarra. We have a love affair with our harbour, beaches, rivers and waterways. The waterways encapsulate the spirit, the beauty and the life of our community.

Turns out not even the Desalination Plant could remove the level of saltiness from Queensland after Wednesday night 🧂💧
29/05/2026

Turns out not even the Desalination Plant could remove the level of saltiness from Queensland after Wednesday night 🧂💧

27/05/2026

Just a friendly reminder for all our Queensland supporting friends:

⏰ games aren’t won at half-time
✅ tackle below the shoulder
❌ tissues aren’t flushable 😭

Night night 👋

26/05/2026

Caught short on the loo roll this State of Origin?

Whatever you turn to for back-up, just remember: toilets are only made for flushing p*e, poo and toilet paper 🚽

For everything else (especially that rubbish they wear up north this time of year) – it’s best to bin it 🗑️

26/05/2026

Sydney… we have a tissue issue 😬

While tissues may look and feel like toilet paper, they’re not designed to be flushed.

Unlike toilet paper, tissues are made to stay strong when wet. If you've ever washed clothes with a tissue in the pocket, you'll know tissues wad up and harden when wet - they don't break down.

That means they don’t break down properly in our wastewater system.

Instead, they can clump together with wet wipes, paper towel, fats and grease to create stubborn blockages in pipes — leading to sewer overflows, harm to the environment and costly repairs.

Remember, if it ain’t p*e, poo or paper – then it’s best to bin it 🗑️

Chances are you've seen these signs hundreds of times 👀But have you ever wondered what they mean, and why they're everyw...
25/05/2026

Chances are you've seen these signs hundreds of times 👀

But have you ever wondered what they mean, and why they're everywhere? 🤔

Fire and Rescue NSW might know a thing or two about them 🚒👨‍🚒💦🔥

In the 1880s, one of the biggest engineering projects in Australia changed Sydney forever…Before the Upper Nepean Scheme...
22/05/2026

In the 1880s, one of the biggest engineering projects in Australia changed Sydney forever…

Before the Upper Nepean Scheme, Sydney relied on the Botany Swamps for drinking water. But as the city grew, so did the need for a bigger and more reliable water supply.

So engineers set out to do something extraordinary.

Between 1880 and 1888, they built a vast network of weirs, tunnels, canals and aqueducts stretching almost 100 kilometres from the Nepean catchment to Sydney.

Using gravity alone, water travelled from the Cataract, Avon, Cordeaux and Nepean rivers to Prospect Reservoir, and then on to homes and businesses across the city.

It was one of the most ambitious public works projects of its time — and much of the system is still operating more than 135 years later.

The Upper Nepean Scheme laid the foundations for the modern water network that continues to deliver clean, reliable drinking water to millions of people every day.

Not bad for an engineering project designed in the 19th century💧

Top 📸: Workers pose for a snap above the Leafs Creek Aqueduct on the Upper Canal during construction. Sydney Water/WaterNSW Historical Research Archive
Bottom 📸: 6 foot pipeline built as part of the network to ensure supply of water to Sydney circa 1888. Harold Arthur Blomfield / Dictionary of Sydney

What if we told you there’s no such thing as “waste” in wastewater?That’s why we call our sites Water Resource Recovery ...
20/05/2026

What if we told you there’s no such thing as “waste” in wastewater?

That’s why we call our sites Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs) rather than the old term “Wastewater Treatment Plants.”

Because what flows down your sink, shower and toilet isn’t just something to get rid of — it’s full of valuable resources that can be recovered and reused 💧♻️

Here’s what happens after you flush:
🚽 Water is treated to remove impurities and safely returned to the environment, or in some cases reused for purposes like irrigation and industrial processes.
🌱 Biosolids (the nutrient-rich solids left over after treatment) are processed and reused in agriculture and land rehabilitation to improve soil health.
⚡ Biogas is captured from the treatment process and used to generate renewable energy, helping power our facilities.
💧 Purified recycled water is being explored as part of the future of Sydney’s water supply, where highly treated water can be purified to drinking water standards and added to our dams.

So while the old name focused on “waste,” our modern facilities are all about recovering water, nutrients and energy.

Because in a growing city like Sydney, every drop — and every resource — counts.

19/05/2026

One of those weirdos who "hates water"?

Plot twist, you're still basically drinking it all day.

That flat white you need to function? Water in a mug. The beer you cracked to unwind? Water in a can. Even that 47-ingredient soda? Poseidon still claims responsibility for 90% of it. 🧜‍♂️

Every drink you've ever loved would not be here without water. 🥤 = 💧

18/05/2026

You've been fatberg-struck ⚡️

With more than 5.3 million people connected to our wastewater network every day, small habits can quickly turn into big problems for our sewers.

Flushing the wrong things or disposing of waste down the drain can cause blockages in household pipes - and nobody wants a nasty (or expensive) backup 🤢

to the late 1880s, when Potts Hill Reservoirs became the beating heart of Sydney’s water supply.Completed in 1889 as p...
15/05/2026

to the late 1880s, when Potts Hill Reservoirs became the beating heart of Sydney’s water supply.

Completed in 1889 as part of the groundbreaking Upper Nepean Scheme, Potts Hill was Sydney’s main distribution reservoir for nearly two decades.

Water travelled all the way from the Nepean catchment, through canals and pipelines, before arriving here to be screened and sent on to homes and businesses across the growing city.

At the time, this was one of the most ambitious engineering projects in Australia. Reservoir No. 1 was built with earthen embankments lined with sandstone blocks, and its location on one of the highest points in the area allowed water to flow across Sydney using gravity alone.

As Sydney grew, so did Potts Hill. Reservoir No. 2 was added in 1913, and the site remains a vital part of our network more than 135 years later.

These historic photos show how much ingenuity and hard work went into building the infrastructure that still helps deliver safe, reliable drinking water to millions of people every day.

Ever spotted these huge reservoirs out a plane window while passing over Sydney’s southwest? 💧

📸: Aerial view of Potts Hill Reservoirs 1&2: – 1937 – Royal Australian Historical Society
📸: Construction of Potts Hill water reservoir c1888 - Harold Arthur Blomfield
📸: ATNF Historic Photographic Archive 1954

Address

1 Smith Street
Sydney, NSW
2150

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+61132092

Website

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