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What we do
Our role and responsibility
From the health of the city and its people to managing the environment and the health of our waterways, we help ensure the overall liveability of our city. We supply water, wastewater, recycled water and some stormwater services to more than 5 million people in Greater Sydney and the Illawarra.
Drinking water
We supply about 1.5 billion litres of safe drinking water to our customers each day, which is sourced from a network of dams managed by WaterNSW. About 80% of our water comes from Lake Burragorang behind Warragamba Dam. However, we can also receive water from the Shoalhaven catchment and Sydney Desalination Plant when the dams reach the levels set in the Metropolitan Water Plan.
Learn more about our water network.
Recycled water
Water recycling reduces demand on water supplies. It leaves more water in our dams for drinking, and reduces the amount of wastewater discharged to the environment.
Water that's already been used in homes and businesses goes through a multi-step treatment process to remove impurities. This allows it to be used again. Each day, we recycle about 100 million litres of water, treating it so it's safe for its intended use.
Learn more about recycling and reuse and our recycled water network.
Wastewater
Our water resource recovery facilities collect and treat about 1.5 billion litres of wastewater each day before it's reused or released into rivers or the ocean.
We monitor all our water resource recovery facilities to protect the environment. Inland facilities treat wastewater to a high level so it can be released into rivers. Our Fairfield, Bellambi and Port Kembla facilities are only used during major storms. The biosolids we produce and capture in the treatment process are used in agriculture, composting and land rehabilitation.
Learn more about our wastewater systems.
Stormwater
Stormwater is rainwater that runs from roofs, roads and parks into stormwater drains. It then runs into creeks, the harbour and the ocean.
We provide stormwater services to about 640,168 properties mainly in south and south-west Sydney. Our work includes repairing and naturalising stormwater channels like Alexandria Canal. We also manage flood-prone areas and trunk drainage at Rouse Hill. In the rest of Greater Sydney, we work with local councils and other agencies to manage the stormwater system.
See our stormwater catchment map to see if we manage your local stormwater, and learn more about our stormwater network.
Dams safety
Dams Safety NSW declares dams that can potentially endanger life downstream, cause major damage or loss to infrastructure or the environment, or have major health and social impacts. Each declared dam has a consequence category that reflects its potential. Any risks concerning our dams must follow safety requirements from the Dams Safety Act 2015 and the Dams Safety Regulation 2019. These provide the framework and activities that ensure dams don't put the safety of persons, property or the environment at risk.
Each year we produce a Dams safety standards report for each of our declared dams – see the latest summary. For more information or complete reports, email damsafety@sydneywater.com.au.
We work in partnership with WaterNSW, which supplies much of the untreated raw water from rivers and dams. WaterNSW manages 11 major dams and reservoirs (21 declared storage dams) that provide drinking water to Greater Sydney. Sydney Water manages 16 declared dams within our area of operations:
Our 16 declared dams
| Sydney Water declared dams | Consequence category |
|---|---|
Manly Dam |
Extreme |
Killara Reservoir |
Extreme |
Oak Flats Reservoir |
High A |
Maroubra Reservoir |
High A |
Dover Heights Reservoir |
High A |
Potts Hill Reservoir 2 |
Low |
Warringah Reservoir |
High A |
Waverley Reservoir |
High A |
Thornleigh Reservoir |
Extreme |
Rouse Hill Retarding Basin 13, 9B, 16AB |
Significant |
Rouse Hill Retarding Basin 5, 9 |
Significant |
Centennial Park Reservoir No. 1, No. 2 |
Significant |
Our strategy
We have an ambitious vision from which we've designed our strategy: Creating a better life with world-class water services.
Water is an essential part of daily life. How we use water helps our city thrive and supports the productivity and prosperity of our economy. By delivering world-class water services, we can create a better life for our people, our business partners and our communities: safe, clean drinking water, tree-lined streets, parks and green spaces, and access to safe, local waterways and beaches for recreation and fun. To achieve this, we're focusing on 4 strategic outcomes:
- First choice of customers and partners
We deliver a world-class customer experience and collaborate with our current and future customers, communities, stakeholders and partners to deliver better outcomes. - High-performance culture
We make a positive impact, achieving together, we are customer-centric and innovative. - Thriving, liveable and sustainable cities
We deliver world-class products and services to our city and are champions for the environment, public health and resilience. - Successful and innovative business
We're socially responsible and sustain a positive return for our shareholders and the community.
The Boiler House at West Ryde is now home to our Historical Research Archive.
Our history
We have a long history of serving Greater Sydney, and protect over 200 heritage-listed assets. We have many available resources, including a Historical Research Archive in the former Boiler House at West Ryde. Our collection dates back to the beginning of the Board of Water Supply & Sewerage in 1888.
Learn more about heritage conservation. If you have questions, ask our archivist at archiverequests@sydneywater.com.au.
Regulatory requirements
Our Operating Licence sets out the standards and requirements we must meet as a water utility. It includes our Customer Contract.