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New PFAS guidelines under review
We welcome the review of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) provided by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The new guidelines are available for public consultation. We assure customers that the levels of PFAS in drinking water supplied from our 9 water treatment plants are well inside the current ADWG, ensuring the continued delivery of safe, high-quality drinking water.
What are PFAS chemicals?
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals found in many everyday products. They have been widely used in many industrial and consumer applications as they are effective at resisting heat, stains, grease and water. Common consumer products include carpet and upholstery protection, paper coating, cosmetics and sunscreen. Some PFAS have also been used in fire-fighting foams.
The properties that make PFAS useful in industrial and consumer products can also make them problematic in the environment. This is because PFAS are highly mobile in water. This means they travel long distances from their source and don't break down fully in the environment.
Dam and catchment water vs treated water
It's important to know that the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines only apply to treated water. This is the water we supply to you. The water found in dams and other catchments is untreated water. Untreated water is managed by WaterNSW and is not subject to the guidelines.
We ensure that all your treated drinking water meets the strict standards set out in the guidelines.
Who sets the standards for safe drinking water?
To ensure the safety of drinking water and to provide a basis for determining the quality of water supplied to consumers throughout Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has developed the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. These guidelines are underpinned by available scientific evidence. They are used by state and territory health departments, drinking water regulators, local health authorities, and water utilities like us.
The guidelines include maximum health-based guideline values for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) in drinking water. Published in 2018, these values were derived using tolerable daily intake (TDI) values recommended by the Department of Health and Aged Care. They undergo rolling revisions to ensure they represent the latest scientific evidence on safe drinking water.
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines are created by two trusted independent bodies with no commercial interest:
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
This is Australia's leading expert on public health and medical research. It bases its decisions on the latest scientific evidence, ensuring that guidelines are up to date and safe. - Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC)
This council brings together government experts from across Australia to manage natural resources, including water, ensuring it's safe for the community.
Why you can trust our testing
The quality of your drinking water is constantly monitored by highly trained specialists in state-of-the-art laboratories. We use the most advanced research and testing methods to detect and measure trace amounts of substances like PFAS. In fact, we conduct our tests so stringently that they pick up PFAS levels that are almost undetectable, and significantly lower than what is regulated.
Our commitment to you
We are continuously reviewing and improving our practices. Our understanding of PFAS and their long-term effects is under constant review, and we closely monitor the latest research to ensure we stay ahead of any potential risks. As we learn more, we may adapt our practices. We will communicate important updates to you as they happen.
On 20 August 2024, our Public Health Advisor Dr Kaye Power addressed the press. Dr Power is responsible for overseeing our PFAS testing programs. She has the expertise and authority to give our customers confidence that the water from Greater Sydney's taps is safe to drink.
"The levels of PFAS in our water right now are very low for all of our systems … they meet the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, which means it's safe."
What the guidelines say about PFAS
There are many types of PFAS. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines specify limits for PFOS and PFHxS, and PFOA.
- For PFOS and PFHxS, the limit is a combined total of less than 0.070 micrograms per litre (µg/L).
- For PFOA, the limit is less than 0.56 µg/L.
The guidelines are underpinned by available scientific knowledge. They are currently being reviewed for PFAS by the National Health and Medical Research Council. When the Australian review is complete, we will work with NSW Health on the impact of those changes, if any, on us.
The Water Services Association of Australia has produced a detailed per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) fact sheet. It outlines the process of guideline development in the Australian context.
Ongoing monitoring
We have been monitoring drinking water from the North Richmond Water Filtration Plant since 2019. All results have been below the limits specified by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
In June and July 2024, we undertook sampling of treated water from the outlets of all our water filtration plants, and repeat sampling from the Cascade Water Filtration Plant because levels were slightly higher than other sites. We recently increased the frequency of monitoring the drinking water from Cascade and North Richmond water filtration plants to weekly, and all other plants to monthly.
All treated water samples tested for PFAS were below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines values:
- PFOS + PFHxS = 0.070 µg/L
- PFOA = 0.56 µg/L
These can be seen below. NSW Health has been informed of these results.
2024 monitoring results
Drinking water sampling 9 October 2024
| Water filtration plant | PFOS (µg/L) | PFHxS (µg/L) | PFOA (µg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
Cascade – Blackheath |
0.0118 |
0.0117 |
0.0006 |
Cascade – Katoomba |
0.0127 |
0.0147 |
0.0006 |
North Richmond – outlet |
0.0013 |
0.0043 |
0.0014 |
Drinking water sampling 3 October 2024
| Water filtration plant | PFOS (µg/L) | PFHxS (µg/L) | PFOA (µg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
Cascade – Blackheath |
0.0089 |
0.0123 |
0.0004 |
Cascade – Katoomba |
0.0091 |
0.0123 |
0.0006 |
North Richmond |
0.0009 |
0.0031 |
0.0007 |
Drinking water sampling 17 September 2024
| Water filtration plant | PFOS (µg/L) | PFHxS (µg/L) | PFOA (µg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
Cascade – Blackheath |
0.0108 |
0.0133 |
< 0.0010 |
Cascade – Katoomba |
0.0131 |
0.0139 |
< 0.0010 |
Drinking water sampling 27 August 2024
| Water filtration plant | PFOS (µg/L) | PFHxS (µg/L) | PFOA (µg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
Cascade – Blackheath |
0.0134 |
0.0130 |
< 0.0001 |
Cascade – Katoomba |
0.0134 |
0.0143 |
< 0.0001 |
Drinking water sampling 9 July 2024
| Water filtration plant | PFOS (µg/L) | PFHxS (µg/L) | PFOA (µg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
Cascade – Blackheath |
0.0147 |
0.0191 |
< 0.0001 |
Cascade – Blackheath (duplicate sample) |
0.0146 |
0.0160 |
< 0.0001 |
Cascade – Katoomba |
0.0140 |
0.0179 |
< 0.0001 |
Drinking water sampling 25 June 2024
| Water filtration plant | PFOS (µg/L) | PFHxS (µg/L) | PFOA (µg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
Cascade – Blackheath |
0.0155 |
0.0136 |
< 0.0001 |
Cascade – Katoomba |
0.0164 |
0.0142 |
< 0.0001 |
Illawarra |
< 0.0001 |
< 0.0001 |
< 0.0001 |
Macarthur |
< 0.0001 |
< 0.0001 |
< 0.0001 |
Nepean |
< 0.0001 |
< 0.0001 |
< 0.0001 |
North Richmond |
0.0011 |
0.0014 |
< 0.0001 |
Orchard Hills |
0.0012 |
0.0009 |
< 0.0001 |
Prospect |
< 0.0001 |
0.0008 |
< 0.0001 |
Warragamba |
< 0.0001 |
0.0001 |
< 0.0001 |
Woronora |
< 0.0001 |
< 0.0001 |
< 0.0001 |
Monitoring results for North Richmond
In 2018, the community raised concerns that PFAS from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Richmond could contaminate drinking water. The North Richmond Water Filtration Plant sources raw water from the Hawkesbury-Nepean River 13 kilometres upstream of where water from the RAAF Base drains into the river. Therefore, the low readings for North Richmond are consistent with expectations. PFAS contamination at the base is subject to its own program of ongoing monitoring and remediation.
Ongoing monitoring results for North Richmond
| Drinking water sampling date | Weather | PFOS (µg/L) | PFHxS (µg/L) | PFOA (µg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
14 September 2023 |
Dry |
< 0.0020 |
0.0019 |
< 0.001 |
6 November 2023 |
Wet |
< 0.0020 |
0.0026 |
< 0.001 |
15 January 2024 |
Wet |
0.0021 |
0.0019 |
< 0.001 |
2019 program monitoring results for North Richmond
We completed an initial monitoring program in 2019 of drinking water from North Richmond Water Filtration Plant. The drinking water results collected were also below the limits specified by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
| Drinking water sampling date | Weather | PFOS (µg/L) | PFHxS (µg/L) | PFOA (µg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
23 January 2019 |
Wet |
0.0055 |
0.0042 |
0.0036 |
23 January 2019 |
Wet |
0.0057 |
0.0042 |
0.0038 |
18 February 2019 |
Dry |
0.0036 |
0.0038 |
0.0029 |
5 March 2019 |
Dry |
0.0043 |
0.0037 |
0.0030 |
15 March 2019 |
Wet |
0.0030 |
0.0025 |
0.0019 |
19 March 2019 |
Wet |
0.0027 |
0.0028 |
0.002 |
21 March 2019 |
Dry |
0.0028 |
0.0027 |
0.0017 |
4 April 2019 |
Dry |
0.0043 |
0.0031 |
0.0031 |
15 April 2019 |
Dry |
0.0041 |
0.0039 |
0.0037 |
29 April 2019 |
Dry |
0.0039 |
0.0036 |
0.0037 |