HSC Chemistry

We use chemistry every day to treat, monitor and manage the urban water cycle.

We've developed a range of educational resources to show how we do this.

Want to request an excursion?
You can learn about our high school excursions and make excursion requests online.

Cartoon of urban wter cycle

We use chemistry every day to manage and monitor the urban water cycle.

Investigate these links and learn more about how water is filtered and monitored.

Water quality and filtration - find out how we choose the best source of water and filter it.
Orchard Hills Water Filtration Plant - learn more about the filtration process used at Orchard Hills.
Water analysis - find out the quality of your drinking water.
How is water delivered to your property? Enter your address to find out.

Cartoon of people in house driniking water

We all enjoy clean, safe drinking water every day.

Investigate these links and learn more about how wastewater is treated and how we make recycled water.

Wastewater treatment - find out what wastewater is and how it's treated.
Solids recycling - learn about how we re-use the by-products of wastewater treatment.
St Marys Advanced Water Recycling Plant - learn about technologies used to make recycled water.
Penrith Water Recycling Plant - find out more about the wastewater treatment process used at Penrith.

Cartoon of recycled water and urban Sydney landcape in a water drop

Using recycled water where we can helps us all.

Understanding pH

A buffer helps manage pH levels in water treatment.

Make an indicator out of cabbage! Watch our Make a pH indicator video to see how you can test things in your home and see if they are an acid or a base.
Take a look at an exam Sample answer- Module 6 acid/base.
Watch our Natural buffers in water treatment video.

Balancing chemical equations

The following resources will help you understand the chemistry behind the treatment process at Orchard Hills Water Filtration Plant.

Balancing chemical equations - teacher instructions and answers.
Balancing chemical equations - student worksheet.
Chemical equation card sets Set A, Set B and Set C.

Make a model filter or membrane

Try the Make a simple water filter experiment to make the most effective water filter.

Try the Make a membrane model activity to make a model of a reverse osmosis membrane module.

Polymers

Polymer chains help us recycle water.

Learn more about Polymers in reverse osmosis membranes.
See how we use Polymers in water and solids recycling.
Take a look at an exam Sample answer - Module 7 polymer.
Watch our Polymers in water treatment video.

Drinking water

Use this fact sheet to learn more about Drinking water filtration.
Understand people's perceptions on drinking water with this Drinking water taste test.

Wastewater

Use this fact sheet to learn more about What's in wastewater.
Try doing a wastewater audit.

Reliability and validity

Take a look at an exam Sample answer - Module 8 ions.

Depth study program

Looking for inspiration for a whole class depth study? Take a look at our depth study programs and sample assessment tasks.

Each program gives you ideas for four hours of in-class activities that will support our Stage 6 Chemistry depth study excursions.

Other lesson plans

Cartoon Sydney Water scientist dropping liquid into beaker with eye dropper.

We apply scientific principles everyday to manage the urban water cycle.

HSC Earth and Environmental Science

Community - Education Centre - 15870

HSC Earth and Environmental Science webpage has fact sheets, activities, lesson plans and depth study programs on the urban water cycle.

See our HSC Earth and Environmental Science page for more information.

Syllabus-linked excursion requests

lab testing

Come behind the scenes and see how we apply chemistry to protect public health and the environment as we manage water and wastewater sustainably.

See our Request an excursion page to book an excursion tailored to HSC Chemistry.

See also

Find answers

How do we treat your drinking water?

We use a number of steps to ensure you have safe drinking water

We ensure you have high quality drinking water straight from the tap.

We have nine filtration plants. At each plant, we tailor our processes depending on the quality of the source water.

Typically, the water first flows through fine screens to remove debris, like twigs and leaves.

We then add a solution (coagulant) so small particles stick together (floc) and can be more easily filtered out.

We filter every drop of water through tightly packed beds of sand and anthracite (crushed carbon) to remove any remaining particles.

To ensure your water is safe, we carefully add small amounts of chlorine at our filtration plants. This is called primary chlorination. Chlorine is a safe and effective way to make sure your drinking water is free of harmful bacteria and viruses.

We also add fluoride to protect the health of your teeth. This is done under advice from NSW Health.

To ensure your water remains protected right to your tap, we add small amounts of chlorine to our reservoirs. This step is called secondary chlorination.

Find out more about how we supply you with safe drinking water or look at our daily drinking water quality report to see the quality of drinking water in your area.
What's the average amount of water used around the home?
Family water use is varied

A family's daily water use can vary depending on a number of things, such as:
- the time of year
- the size of your property
- the number of people staying in your home
- the types of fittings and appliances in your home
- your water use habits.
Check your family's water use against our water efficiency targets or read our water wise tips to see how you could save water.

Are you concerned about leaks in your home?
If you’re looking to fix leaks or install water efficient devices in your home, you can also contact our licensed plumbers through our WaterFix® Residential plumbing service. For almost 20 years, we've helped our customers save over 300 million litres of water and reduce their water bills.

Find out if WaterFix® Residential is right for you!
What are the Water Wise Guidelines?

Water Wise Guidelines are simple, common sense actions about the way we use drinking water outside.

The NSW Government has announced that Water Wise Guidelines have replaced water restrictions and apply to everyone in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. This includes all residents and businesses.

If we all do our bit and save a little, it will make a big difference across Greater Sydney.

Find out more about Water Wise Guidelines.
Who owns Sydney Water?

We're a statutory State Owned Corporation, wholly owned by the New South Wales Government.

Our Portfolio Minister is the Minister for Water, Property and Housing.

Our Shareholder Ministers are the Treasurer, and the Minister for Finance.

We're Australia's largest water utility. Our area of operations covers 12,700 km² and includes Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains regions.

Find out more about Who we are and What we do.
How do we advertise available jobs?
if you're interested in a career with us, visit our careers site to find out about:
- careers that make a difference
- our executive team and business groups
- our culture and diversity
- current vacancies and entry level programs.

Printed on : 6/08/21 11:15

URL: http://www.sydneywater.com.au/SW/education/programs-resources/Highschool/hsc-chemistry/index.htm

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