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Wastewater Treatment Plants
Sydney Water owns 31 sewage treatment plants, 30 of which are operated by Sydney Water and 1 (Gerringong-Gerroa) which is operated by Veolia.
There are 10 coastal treatment plants. The three largest are located at North Head, Bondi and Malabar and treat most of Sydney's sewage, discharging via deep ocean outfalls.
The smaller coastal treatment plants---Warriewood, Cronulla, Bombo, Wollongong, Port Kembla, Shellharbour and Bellambi---discharge treated effluent closer to the shore. Approximately 0.5 per cent of Sydney's sewage is discharged untreated to the ocean at Vaucluse, Diamond Bay and Diamond Bay South.
Planning and community consultation was carried out between 2001 and 2003 to address this situation. Several strategies were considered including:
- redirect these flows to Bondi STP
- local treatment.
Sydney Water is in the process of reviewing the outcomes of the community and stakeholder consultation process and refining the various strategies being considered to improve the sewerage system.
Following a decision on the preferred strategy, Sydney Water will undertake an environmental impact assessment (EIA). Community consultation is a key component of the EIA process.
There are 18 inland plants which discharge into the Hawkesbury-Nepean, Blue Mountains, South Creek, Berowra Creek and Cattai Creek and Gerringong-Gerroa catchments.
Effluent from two of the Georges River plants, Glenfield and Liverpool, is transported to Malabar STP for discharge into the ocean. However, during periods of wet weather, when the capacity of the system is exceeded, treated sewage from these plants may be discharged to the Georges River. The third Georges River plant (Fairfield) operates only in wet weather.
