Sydney Water provides notification of overflows or bypasses. These tables list all events that have occurred in the last seven days.
If you see an overflow, please phone Sydney Water on 13 20 90.
| Event type | Link to description |
| Waterways | No Dry Weather Waterway Notification |
| Sewage treatment plant bypass | No Dry Weather STP bypass Notification |
| Event type | Link to description |
| Waterways | No Wet Weather Waterway Notification |
| Sewage treatment plant bypass | No Wet Weather STP bypass Notification |
| Sewage treatment plant overflow | No Wet Weather STP overflow Notification |
| Event type | Link to description |
| Waterways | No Dry Weather Waterway Notification |
| Sewage treatment plant bypass | No Dry Weather STP bypass Notification |
| Event type | Link to description |
| Waterways | No Wet Weather Waterway Notification |
| Sewage treatment plant bypass | No Wet Weather STP bypass Notification |
| Sewage treatment plant overflow | No Wet Weather STP overflow Notification |
Sydney Water's sewerage system transports and treats sewage through a network of pipes, sewage pumping stations (SPSs) and sewage treatment plants (STPs).
In dry weather, overflows of sewage can occur for many reasons. For instance, when there is a blockage in a sewerage pipe caused by tree roots or other material, or if a pump fails at a pumping station. At treatment plants, bypasses may result from a power failure.
In wet weather, stormwater flows into the sewerage system and may exceed the system's capacity and result in overflows from our pipe network and/or the diversion (bypassing) of one or more process units at the treatment plant. These events are recognised within the Environment Protection Licences set by Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (NSW).
Sydney Water is committed to reducing overflows from our sewerage systems through our SewerFix, maintenance and improvement activities.
Property owners are responsible for maintaining the sewer pipes and downpipes on their property to ensure plant roots and stormwater does not enter the sewerage system.
| Bypass | A sewage treatment plant bypass occurs when flows exceed the hydraulic design capacity of one or more process units, and are diverted by means of a civil structure. Bypassed flows may rejoin fully treated flows and receive further treatment in down stream processes. | |
| Overflow | A sewage treatment plant bypass occurs when flows exceed the hydraulic design capacity of one or more process units, and are diverted by means of a civil structure. Bypassed flows may rejoin fully treated flows and receive further treatment in down stream processes. | |
| Tree roots | Roots can damage sewer pipes, obstruct the flow and eventually cause blockage. Root damage can also let stormwater into pipes. During heavy rain this extra water can overload the sewerage system causing it to overflow into waterways and the environment. If the problem occurs in your private sewer pipes, it is your responsibility to have it fixed. |