Recycled water quality

• Recycling for new residential areas
• Recycling for industry
• Recycling for the environment
• Recycling for irrigation
• Recycling and reuse - what it is
• Recycled water updates and fact sheets
• Recycling and reuse in action
• Recycled water quality
• Recycled water plumbing
• Recycled water pricing
• Sewer mining
• Stormwater harvesting and reuse agreement (PDF - 354KB)
• Stormwater Harvesting Guidelines (PDF - 525KB)

Recycled water is treated to meet the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling: Managing Health and Environmental Risks (Phase 1 - 2006) to protect public health. NSW Health advises Sydney Water on the health aspects of recycled water use and quality.

The high quality of both recycled water and drinking water is monitored during treatment, at the reservoirs, along the pipelines and at customers' homes.

Used as intended, recycled or reused water is a safe alternative to using our fresh drinking water.

• Recycled water for home use is treated to a very high standard for flushing toilets, watering gardens, washing cars, ornamental ponds, and firefighting. See Recycled Water and Your Health for more information.
• Treated to less stringent standards, recycled water is used by local councils and businesses for irrigation, watering grounds, construction, flushing sewers and potentially for recharging groundwater.
• Water from rainwater tanks is for flushing toilets, washing clothes, watering gardens and washing cars.
• Untreated household greywater from showers, baths and washing machines is for watering gardens.
• Recycled water can be used for a range of industrial processes and dust suppression. Water quality is established to suit the specific uses and human exposures.

It is possible to treat wastewater to the highest drinking standard. However, overseas experience and Australian research shows communities are not keen to drink treated wastewater.