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Waterwrap May–July 2025
Waterside living and healthy rivers! Take a dip at Putney Beach. Grab one more chance to have your say on water prices. Discover game-changing innovation with recycled glass. Learn how we support customers facing domestic violence.
New Putney Beach
Our water-loving lifestyle shines on the Parramatta River.
Putney Beach was opened by the City of Ryde earlier this year, supported by our Urban Plunge program. It's a new family-friendly recreation site for all seasons, with modern toilets, a children’s playground, BBQ areas, a shark net and water stations. This new riverside beach provides another local swimming spot for Sydneysiders to enjoy year-round. Too chilly to take a dip? Locals and visitors can also enjoy cycling, kayaking and bushwalking.
We established Urban Plunge to increase safe swimming and recreation sites in waterways across Greater Sydney. To support the City of Ryde Council in opening Putney Beach, we have conducted rigorous water quality testing since 2019. We're continuing to monitor the site now it's open, and regularly report on water quality.
With free parking and easy bus access, plan your visit today.
Enjoy Putney Beach at any time of year.
Urban Plunge is part of a bigger vision for healthy waterways. From 2020 to 2024, we invested $71.6 million to reduce the volume of stormwater entering our wastewater system in the Upper and Mid Parramatta River catchments. This has reduced the likelihood of overflows from the wastewater network when it rains. Further works that contribute to a healthier river are also in planning.
“Clean and healthy waterways are a key priority for our customers,” says Leanne Niblock, Waterway Coordination Manager. “We also want to make sure that everyone has a local swimming or recreation spot in a waterway close to home. We're so proud to be able to make this possible through Urban Plunge.”
The iconic Parramatta River.
For a greener future
Parramatta River is an iconic part of Sydney's landscape. It's a destination for people to enjoy swimming, paddling and picnicking, and provides a home to countless plant and animal species.
In 2024, we removed 66 cubic metres of rubbish from the Parramatta River. That's 440 bathtubs filled with plastic, rubber balls, footwear, chairs, tyres, and even the odd shopping trolley and car bumper. Imagine hundreds of bathtubs overflowing with waste across a football field!
We also cleared 487 tonnes of sediment – a mix of sand, silt and other particles – from the Upper and Lower Parramatta River catchments, enough to fill 2,000 bathtubs. Stormwater can wash sediment into waterways from poorly managed construction sites, roads and eroded soils, affecting water quality and aquatic life.
By removing pollution, we're helping create a cleaner, healthier river for everyone to enjoy.
Our prices are under review now
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) provides its draft decision on prices in May.
There may still be time for you to have your say before IPART makes its final decision in September. Your voice matters, and IPART wants to hear from you.
If the consultation period has closed, rest assured that IPART is considering all the valuable feedback from customers received during the public consultation periods. New prices will take effect from 1 October 2025.
If you see an additional adjustment to your water service charge in July, it's due to the Sydney Desalination Plant operating cost, and part of our current IPART pricing guideline.
Did you know we're in the business of recycling water, too?
Here's 2024–25 in a snapshot:
- 120,000 customers serviced by recycled water
- 40,068 millilitres of recycled water supplied
- 822 kilometres of recycled water mains owned and operated
- 9 recycled water reservoirs
- 12 recycled water pumping stations
Innovation: building with recycled glass
With growth surging and natural resources under pressure, we're focused on finding smarter solutions.
One breakthrough? Blended recycled glass sand: a game changer in construction.
Supplementing virgin sand with recycled glass sand helps reduce mining and diverts glass waste from landfill. Using blended sand for pipe bedding in our Western Sydney trial achieved a carbon reduction of 14%. For builders, it boosts supply with a top-quality, planet-friendlier option. Rethinking resources paves the way for a more resilient future.
Major infrastructure coming your way
We're supporting new housing, water quality and reliable services. Here are 3 key projects underway right now:
Quarterly water quality report summary
Our water quality monitoring program confirmed that Greater Sydney's drinking water remains high quality and safe from January to March 2025, meeting the high standards set by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
You can find the detailed quarterly water quality report for your area at Water analysis under 'Water quality report'.
Violence at home is not okay
Our Customer Care team supports customers facing domestic violence: our goal is to assist through private, confidential assistance to help customers in need. Our priority is customer safety first. To find out what we can do, please read our policies and procedures for domestic violence.