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Purified recycled water
Preparing for tomorrow, today
Learn about our water future
We've been providing world-class water services to Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra for more than 135 years, but – with climate change and an increased demand on our services – we need to think about water differently. We're committed to investigating the use of purified recycled water as a future water source. Any future decision to include purified recycled water as part of our drinking water supply involves ongoing community consultation and requires stringent government approvals.
Purified recycled water
Purified recycled water (PRW) is water recycled from industry and homes (including from kitchens, showers and toilets) that has been purified to meet strict Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling to supplement drinking water sources.
Drinking water made from purified recycled water is triple-treated, passing through 3 different treatment processes before reaching the customer.
We've built a Purified Recycled Water Discovery Centre that gives the community the opportunity to see how some purified recycled water treatment technology works. Learn how we're using purified recycled water to secure our water supply.
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Diving deep into purified recycled water webinar
Learn about PRW, including how it works, its benefits, and why it's a possible water supply solution for Greater Sydney. Hosted by Jo Taranto from Good for the Hood, and featuring speakers James Harrington, Senior Project Manager at Sydney Water, and Danielle Francis, Manager Policy and Strategy at Water Services Association of Australia.
Take a look at our Purified Recycled Water Discovery Centre
Watch this video to see inside our Purified Recycled Water Discovery Centre at Quakers Hill and how the treatment technology works.
Take a deep dive
Watch this video to see Olympic Champion and Sydney Water Ambassador Jess Fox speak with Senior Project Manager James Harrington at the Purified Recycled Water Discovery Centre.
The Purified Recycled Water Discovery Centre
Purified recycled water has many environmental and cost-saving benefits. It could provide up to 25% of water needs across our city by 2056.
We've built a Purified Recycled Water Discovery Centre at Quakers Hill (near Blacktown) to give the community the opportunity to see how some purified recycled water treatment technology works. The Discovery Centre highlights the safety of this proven technology and the range of environmental and cost benefits of using purified recycled water to supplement our drinking water supply.
The PRW Discovery Centre is the first of its kind in NSW. It can host small groups, schools, universities/TAFE and community group tours. Tours are free of charge.
For enquiries about the PRW Discovery Centre, please contact prwdiscoverycentre@sydneywater.com.au.
To book a one-hour free community tour for a weekday, please follow the 'book a tour' button below. To learn more about and book our school and homeschool curriculum-linked excursion programs, please email the education team at education@sydneywater.com.au.
The purified recycled water treatment process
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After first being treated at our water resource recovery facility, recycled water undergoes 3 additional treatment processes (ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and advanced oxidation).
Lastly, as we do for our drinking water, chlorination ensures both the water and pipes are free from any remaining microorganisms.
All these processes ensure we produce high-quality water that meets the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling. All our treatment processes have continuous online monitoring so we're sure all the performance parameters are being met.
For more information on the PRW treatment process, see Future-proofing our water supply.
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Purified recycled water around the world
People have been safely drinking purified recycled water for more than 50 years, all around the world in over 35 cities – including some cities in California, Singapore, and Perth in Australia.
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