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Don't hit a water main by accident
Before you start excavating, check for underground pipes, cables or utility services through Before You Dig Australia (BYDA). This could prevent any accidental damage that you might need to pay for.
How to lodge an enquiry
Whether you're installing a pool, or working on a commercial site or in a road reserve, get plans of our assets online for free from BYDA 24/7 or the BYDA app. Download the app from the App Store or Google Play.
If you have questions, contact BYDA.
In an emergency
If you need asset locations urgently after hours, call us on 13 20 90 24/7. We may be able to give you approximate details of where our assets are located. Always confirm the information we give you with BYDA.
What the process looks like
- Visit BYDA 24/7 to sign up or sign in.
- Lodge a free enquiry with BYDA online to notify registered asset owners who own underground assets near your proposed excavation site.
- If we own assets near your proposed excavation site, we'll respond to your enquiry and upload plans of our assets to the BYDA portal within a few hours.
- BYDA will send you a notification email with updates corresponding to your enquiry.
Make sure you define your dig site accurately when you lodge your enquiry. The plans you receive will only cover the area highlighted in the 'Locality Indication Only' window on your lodgement request. They won't reflect street address details or any other information in your enquiry.
What you'll receive
- Coloured PDF plans formatted to A4, A3 or A0 depending on the size of the site identified in your enquiry
- Guide to reading Sydney Water Before You Dig plans
- Important information about Before You Dig terms and conditions.
Essential references
These guides will help you locate our assets:
- Avoid damaging our pipes
- Technical guidelines: Building over and adjacent to pipe assets (these guidelines replace the 'Clearances between underground services' fact sheet).
Always check before you excavate.