Water resource recovery facilities

Wastewater doesn't have to go to waste

The water resource recovery facilities we own and operate treat over 1.3 billion litres of wastewater every day. It's produced by over 1.8 million homes and businesses in Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains. The facilities' role is to make sure that wastewater doesn't create a hazard for Greater Sydney. Where possible, we recycle and reuse it.

To see where our operating wastewater systems are located, take a look at our wastewater systems map.

What our water resource recovery facilities do

Our wastewater treatment levels

Treatment levels at each facility

St Marys Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant

What our water resource recovery facilities do

Our water resource recovery facilities (previously known as wastewater treatment plants, water recycling plants and sewage treatment plants) treat wastewater before it's reused or discharged to rivers or oceans. They follow strict licence conditions issued by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), which monitors the effect of discharges on water quality and aquatic life. They also produce biosolids – the nutrient-rich material created from treating wastewater solids. Biosolids are a rich source of phosphorus and nitrogen, which can be used in agriculture, composting and land rehabilitation.

Our wastewater treatment levels

Treating wastewater is about removing or breaking down what people have added to the water that leaves their home or business. We use different processes to remove impurities from wastewater at our facilities. The type of treatment needed depends on:

  • the facility's location
  • where the treated water will be discharged or reused
  • the nature of the facility's catchment area, including wastewater quality.

There are 3 treatment levels: primary, secondary and tertiary.

Primary

Our primary treatment includes screens, sedimentation and grit removal. Primary treatment methods include:

  • filtering wastewater through fine screens to remove items such as paper, cotton tips and plastic
  • removing sand and grit that has fallen to the bottom of aerated grit tanks
  • removing solids that have settled to the bottom of sedimentation tanks
  • removing oil and grease that floats to the top of tanks using scrapers.

Secondary

Our secondary treatment process removes carbonaceous organic matter and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) from wastewater. This involves converting soluble decomposable organic matter into biomass. After this, the clarification process separates the biomass and any other suspended material from the liquid stream.

We design our treatment process on the characteristics of the sewage and the nutrients we need to remove. We create the conditions so selective organisms grow (mainly bacteria) to help with the treatment process. Our treatment process can even reduce pathogens and heavy metals in some cases.

This system generally has some or all of the following 5 key stages:

  • Fermentation tank
    Solids from the sedimentation tanks are broken down to produce a better carbon supply for microorganisms in the anoxic and aerobic zones. This makes it easier to remove phosphorus. 
  • Anaerobic zone
    Wastewater from the primary treatment process flows into the anaerobic zones. Microorganisms consume carbon into their cells and release phosphates.
  • Anoxic zone
    No oxygen is available for microorganisms. They use carbon in the organic matter as a food source, converting nitrates to nitrogen gas which is released to the atmosphere.
  • Aeration zone
    Air works with microorganisms to further break down the wastewater. A number of processes can occur in this zone like organic carbon removal, nitrogen and phosphorus removal. This depends on the concentration and activity of the biomass, water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels.
  • Secondary clarifiers
    Remaining solids are settled in a tank. The settled solids can be returned to the anaerobic zone and the clear wastewater may be sent on for tertiary treatment.

Intermittently decanted aerated lagoons (IDALs) are an alternative secondary process. Settled wastewater is pumped from the primary distribution structure to the IDAL anaerobic zone. Iron-rich spent pickle liquor is added to help remove phosphorus. In the IDALs, wastewater goes through 3 stages in the one tank: aeration, settling and decanting.

  • Aeration
    Air is pumped into the IDAL through diffusers. The air works with microorganisms in the tank to break down into nitrates and water (nitrification) and organic matter, reducing the BOD.
  • Settling
    Air is no longer pumped into the tank and the water is still. No longer supplied with oxygen, the microorganisms use carbon in the organic matter as a food source, converting nitrates to nitrogen gas. This is then released to the atmosphere. The solid particles settle to the bottom. Some go to a thickening tank before being treated for biosolids production. The rest of the solids are returned to the IDAL to provide microorganisms for incoming wastewater.
  • Decanting
    After settling, the clear wastewater flows over weirs from the top of the lagoon into an equalising basin. This basin controls the flow to the tertiary treatment process.

Wastewater contains nutrient-rich solids. We treat these solids so they can be reused as biosolids to improve soil for agriculture and gardens.

There are 4 key steps in the treatment process:

  • Solids are collected from the primary and secondary treatment tanks.
  • Settled solids may go into digestion tanks for further breakdown of organic matter.
  • Solids go through a range of different processes to remove water, for example using centrifuges. The matter left behind is known as biosolids.
  • Biosolids are ready for reuse in agriculture, forestry, land rehabilitation and landscaping.

Tertiary

Our tertiary treatment includes filtering and disinfecting, and preparing wastewater for recycling.

Treated wastewater from a biological reactor and an intermittently decanted aerated lagoon (IDAL) are combined. We add alum to help remove additional phosphorus particles and group remaining solids together for easy removal in the filters. The treated wastewater then flows to sand filters. The wastewater sinks down through these filters where the sand traps particles.

Filtered water then flows to a chlorine contact tank for disinfection. After the water is disinfected, we remove any remaining chlorine before discharging the treated wastewater. Alternatively, we may use ultraviolet lamps for disinfection.

Treated wastewater from biological reactors can be passed through deep sand filters, where the sand traps any remaining particles. Then clear wastewater goes to a water recycling water plant where it is filtered through fine membranes to remove very small particles.

The water is pumped at high pressure through reverse osmosis membranes. This is the finest level of filtration. It removes molecules including bacteria, viruses and parasites.

The recycled water may also be treated with chlorine before it enters the recycled water distribution pipes. 

Treatment levels at each facility

Different water resource recovery facilities treat wastewater to different levels. We treat the wastewater so it's fit for purpose. It's treated to suit the environment (creek, river or ocean) that will receive it, or to suit how it will be reused.

Water resource recovery facility

Treatment level

Discharge volume limit (ML/day) as stated in the Environmental Protection Licence

Discharge location

Bellambi*

Primary
(includes screening, actiflow treatment and disinfection)

Refer to Wollongong

Bellambi Point during wet weather

Bombo

Secondary
(includes disinfection)

45

Ocean outfall Bombo Point

Bondi

Primary

680

Deepwater ocean outfall 2.2 km from shoreline, 63 m maximum water depth, 512 m diffuser zone

Brooklyn

Tertiary
(includes disinfection)

2.14

Hawkesbury River at 14 m depth on the second pylon of the old road bridge adjacent to Kangaroo Point

Castle Hill

Tertiary
(includes disinfection)

80

Cattai Creek

Cronulla

Tertiary
(includes disinfection)

436

Ocean outfall at Potter Point, Kurnell

Fairfield*

Primary
(includes chemically assisted sedimentation)

Refer to Malabar

Occasional discharge to Orphan School Creek (to Georges River) during wet weather

Glenfield^

Secondary
(includes disinfection)

Refer to Malabar

Occasionally discharge to Georges River in wet weather

Hornsby Heights

Tertiary
(includes phosphorus and nitrogen removal and disinfection)

85

Calna Creek to Berowra Creek

Liverpool^

Secondary
(includes disinfection)

Refer to Malabar

Treated wastewater occasionally discharged to Georges River in wet weather

Malabar

Primary

1,199

Deepwater ocean outfall 3.6 km from shoreline, 82 m maximum water depth, 720 m diffuser zone

North Head

Primary

1,400

Deepwater ocean outfall 3.7 km from shoreline, 65 m maximum water depth, 762 m diffuser zone

North Richmond

Tertiary
(includes phosphorus removal and disinfection)

11.2

Redbank Creek to the Hawkesbury River

Penrith

Tertiary
(includes disinfection)

238

Boundary Creek to Hawkesbury-Nepean River

Picton

Tertiary
(includes disinfection)

14

Reused for onsite agricultural irrigation; wet-weather overflows to Stonequarry Creek

Port Kembla*

Primary
(includes screening, de-gritting, primary sedimentation and disinfection)

Refer to Wollongong

Red Point during wet weather

Quakers Hill

Tertiary
(includes disinfection)

281.2

Breakfast Creek to Eastern Creek

Richmond

Tertiary
(includes disinfection)

20.1

Reused for irrigation at the University of Western Sydney Richmond campus and Richmond Golf Club; excess overflows to Rickabys Creek

Riverstone

Tertiary
(includes phosphorus removal and disinfection)

104

Eastern Creek to South Creek

Rouse Hill

Tertiary
(includes disinfection)

151

Second Ponds Creek to Cattai Creek; also reused for local recycling scheme

Shellharbour

Secondary
(includes disinfection)

170

Offshore outfall 130 m from Barrack Point, with diffuser zone 

St Marys

Tertiary
(includes disinfection)

250

Unnamed Creek to South Creek

Wallacia

Tertiary
(includes phosphorus and nitrogen removal and disinfection)

15

Warragamba River to the Hawkesbury-Nepean River

Warriewood

Secondary
(includes disinfection)

125

Ocean outfall Turimetta Head

West Camden

Tertiary
(includes disinfection)

120

Matahil Creek to the Hawkesbury-Nepean River

West Hornsby

Tertiary
(includes phosphorus and nitrogen removal and disinfection)

154.3

Waitara Creek to Berowra Creek

Winmalee

Tertiary
(includes phosphorus and nitrogen removal and disinfection)

330

Unnamed creek to the Hawkesbury-Nepean River

Wollongong

Tertiary
(includes disinfection)

320

Deep water Ocean Outfall approximately 1 km off Coniston Beach, with Emergency Ocean Outfall off Coniston Beach

Less than 1% of Sydney's wastewater is discharged to the ocean untreated, at Vaucluse, Diamond Bay and Diamond Bay South. The Refresh Vaucluse Diamond Bay project will ensure that all wastewater is treated at the Bondi Water Resource Recovery Facility in the future.

* Bellambi, Port Kembla and Fairfield water resource recovery facilities only receive flow during storm events.
** Port Kembla and Bellambi water resource recovery facilities are part of the Wollongong system.
^ Fairfield, Glenfield and Liverpool water resource recovery facilities are part of the Malabar system.

Show less

St Marys Advanced Water Treatment Plant

The St Marys Advanced Water Treatment Plant takes wastewater treatment to an even higher level. The plant receives tertiary treated wastewater from 3 water resource recovery facilities: Quakers Hill, St Marys and Penrith. It provides advanced treatment using membrane technology, and produces up to 50 million litres (ML) of highly treated recycled water each day.