Service difficulties
and emergency
service: 13 20 90
Inland sewage treatment plants operated by Sydney Water
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 18 inland plants that discharge into the Hawkesbury-Nepean, Blue Mountains, South Creek, Berowra Creek and Cattai Creek catchments.
These STPs are currently being upgraded to advanced tertiary standard to protect the sensitive Hawkesbury-Nepean waterways.
Sydney Water is also working as part of a cross-government approach to review future options for further improving water quality and providing for environmental flows.
| Treatment plant | Treatment level | Discharge (ML/day)1 | Equivalent population2 | Discharge location |
| Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment | ||||
| North Richmond | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus removal & disinfection) |
1.4 | 5,200 | Redbank Creek to the Hawkesbury River |
| Penrith | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus & Nitrogen removal & disinfection) |
22.8 | 85,150 | Boundary Creek to the Nepean River |
| Picton | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus removal & disinfection) |
1.7 | 6,300 | Re-used for on-site agricultural irrigation (100 per cent in dry weather); excess wet weather overflows to Stone Quarry Creek |
| Richmond | Secondary (Includes disinfection) |
3.4 | 12,600 | Reused for irrigation at the UWS Richmond Campus, excess overflows to Rickabys Creek |
| Warragamba | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus removal & disinfection) |
0.6 | 2,200 | Warragamba River |
| West Camden | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus removal & disinfection) |
8.1 | 30,000 | Matahill Creek to the Nepean River |
| Blue Mountains catchment | ||||
| Blackheath | Tertiary (Includes microfiltration for disinfection) |
1.0 | 3,700 | Hat Hill Creek to the Grose River |
| Glenbrook | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus removal & disinfection) |
4.0 | 14,800 | Lapstone Creek to the Nepean River |
| Mt Victoria | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus & Nitrogen removal & disinfection) |
0.17 | 630 | Fairy Dell Creek to the Coxs River |
| Winmalee | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus & Nitrogen removal & disinfection) |
16.9 | 62,500 | Unnamed creek to the Nepean River |
| South Creek catchment | ||||
| Quakers Hill | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus & Nitrogen removal & disinfection) |
30.6 | 113,000 | Breakfast Creek to Eastern Creek |
| Riverstone | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus removal & disinfection) |
1.8 | 6,700 | Eastern Creek to South Creek |
| St Marys | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus & Nitrogen removal & disinfection) |
35 | 130,000 | Unnamed creek to South Creek |
| Cattai Creek catchment | ||||
| Castle Hill | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus removal & disinfection) |
7.2 | 27,000 | Cattai Creek |
| Rouse Hill | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus & Nitrogen removal & disinfection) also includes additional microfiltration & super chlorination for reuse water |
9.0 | 27,500 | 1. Recycled back to households for non-potable use 2. Excess discharged to Second Ponds Creek via wetlands to Cattai Creek |
| Berowra Creek catchment | ||||
| Hornsby Heights | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus & Nitrogen removal & disinfection) |
5.3 | 20,000 | Calna Creek to Berowra Creek |
| West Hornsby | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus & Nitrogen removal & disinfection) |
13.8 | 51,000 | Waitara Creek to Berowra Creek |
| Gerringong-Gerroa catchment | ||||
| Gerringong-Gerroa | Tertiary (Includes additional Phosphorus removal & ozonation, microfiltration, activated carbon & disinfection) |
0.7 | 11,000 | Reused for on-site agricultural irrigation. Excess is discharged to sand dune systems. Once sand dunes reach capacity, excess is discharged to Crooked River. |
1 Average daily dry weather discharge.
2 Equivalent population (EP): an estimate of the number of people served by a treatment plant.
