Water filtration plants

Water catchments, filtration plants & pumping stations

Most drinking water is collected in the protected catchment areas surrounding Sydney's dams. From the dams or rivers it is piped into one of nine water filtration plants, filtered and disinfected, then delivered through a network of reservoirs, pipes and pumping stations to customers' homes. Water from the desalination plant is treated on site.

To ensure drinking water is of the highest quality, all water supplied by Sydney Water is disinfected using chlorine after it has been filtered. Ammonia is also added in combination with chlorine in some systems in a disinfection process known as chloramination. Legislation also requires that we add fluoride for dental health.

Sydney Catchment Authority

The Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) manages the catchments and dams, which supply the bulk of Sydney's water. Sydney Water and the SCA work together to ensure that Sydney's drinking water is safe to drink.

The SCA monitors water quality in the catchments and dams before it is delivered to Sydney Water's water filtration plants.