Wastewater treatment plants
We own and operate 16 wastewater treatment plants.
We collect more than 1.3 billion litres of wastewater from over 1.8 million homes and businesses in Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains every day.
We treat the wastewater before it's re-used or discharged to rivers or oceans, following strict licence conditions issued by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). They also monitor the effect of discharges on water quality and aquatic life.
We 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.
Treatment plant | Treatment level | Discharge (ML/ day) |
Discharge location |
---|---|---|---|
Bellambi* | Primary (includes screening, actiflow treatment and disinfection) |
0 | Bellambi Point during wet weather |
Bondi | Primary | 126.5 | Deepwater ocean outfall 2.2 km from shoreline, 63 m maximum water depth, 512 m diffuser zone. |
Brooklyn | Tertiary (includes disinfection using ultra-violet light and membrane bioreactor technology) |
0.2 | Hawkesbury River, Brooklyn |
Cronulla | Tertiary (disinfection) |
53 | Potter Point, Kurnell |
Fairfield* | Primary (includes chemically assisted sedimentation) |
0 | Orphan School Creek (to Georges River) during wet weather |
Hornsby Heights | Tertiary (includes additional phosphorus and nitrogen removal and disinfection) |
5.2 | Calna Creek to Berowra Creek |
Malabar | Primary | 488 | Deepwater ocean outfall 3.6 km from shoreline, 82 m maximum water depth, 720 m diffuser zone |
North Head | Primary | 336 | Deepwater ocean outfall 3.7 km from shoreline, 65 m maximum water depth, 762 m diffuser zone |
North Richmond | Tertiary (includes additional phosphorus removal and disinfection) |
0.9 | Redbank Creek to the Hawkesbury River |
Port Kembla* | Primary (includes screening, de-gritting, primary sedimentation and disinfection) |
0 | Red Point during wet weather |
Riverstone | Tertiary (includes additional phosphorus removal and disinfection) |
1.8 | Eastern Creek to South Creek |
Shellharbour | Secondary (includes disinfection) |
16.9 | Offshore outfall 130 m from Barrack Point, with diffuser zone |
Wallacia | Tertiary (includes additional phosphorus and nitrogen removal and disinfection) |
0.6 | Warragamba River |
Warriewood | Secondary (includes disinfection) |
17.6 | Turimetta Head |
West Hornsby | Tertiary (includes additional phosphorus and nitrogen removal and disinfection) |
11.9 | Waitara Creek to Berowra Creek |
Winmalee | Tertiary (includes additional phosphorus and nitrogen removal and disinfection) |
16.5 | Unnamed creek to the Nepean River |
The smaller coastal treatment plants at Warriewood, Cronulla, Port Kembla, Shellharbour and Bellambi discharge treated effluent closer to the shore.
Less than one per cent of Sydney's wastewater is discharged untreated to the ocean at Vaucluse, Diamond Bay and Diamond Bay South.
* Bellambi, Port Kembla and Fairfield are stormwater plants and only receive flow during storm events.