Securing our water supply – Quakers Hill to Prospect

On Friday 4 October at the Wentworth Point Night Markets, we hosted a pop-up display to engage with the community on the proposed project for the introduction of purified recycled water.

The display also provided information for locals about how the Greater Parramatta and Olympic Peninsula Water Cycle Management could also support a future PRW scheme.

Approximately 48 people were engaged with on PRW with 63% of conversations positive towards PRW. Engagement with the community centred around the importance of education and awareness across Greater Sydney to ensure the community is engaged in the project.

Visitors to the stand received free shower timers and water bottles.

During October, our team had the opportunity to work with our Community Education team to bring to life Sydney Water's very first 'Water is life Youth Forum': an initiative to help build bridges in water literacy gaps and inspire the next generation.

Hosted by Shane Jacobson, the event promoted National Water Week with 100 students in Years 9–12 from across Greater Sydney. The project team talked about the proposed project to introduce purified recycled water, and gave students the opportunity to understand the ways Sydney Water is working to secure the water supply they will inherit. Students were incredibly engaged, leading various thought-provoking conversations and completing a survey indicating their sentiment towards PRW, with a total of 62% in support of PRW.

A research project led by the Water Services Association of Australia has mapped out the future of purified recycled water across the world, indicating that it could be consumed by more than 55 million people over the next 25 years.

More than 100 cities could be using purified recycled water as part of drinking water supplies by 2050, with the number of people consuming it also expected to double.

Read more about how World first research shows purified recycled drinking water use set to double.

On 18 September 2024, the PRW project team, supported by staff from the PRW Discovery Centre, hosted an information stand at Sydney University's Chemical Engineering campus.

A project engineer from the project team was on hand to answer all the technical questions from students, who showed an interest in better understanding the filtration and reverse osmosis processes used to treat the water, and why the water would be chlorinated after the filtration process.

Around 60 students and faculty members visited the information stand. The students appreciated the opportunity to engage with Sydney Water, saying, "It's great to have companies come to campus so we can see what goes on in the real world."

On 25 September 2024, the PRW project team engaged with members of the public at the weekly Farmers Market held in Centenary Square outside Parramatta Town Hall.

More than 80 local residents and visitors to the market were interested to know more about where PRW would be distributed, the type of infrastructure required for a project such as this one, and when it would be delivered.

After talking to visitors to the stand about the project, responses included "we really need that" and "sounds like a good idea, I've heard about it". Some visitors expressed an interest in doing a free tour of the PRW Discovery Centre in Quakers Hill to learn more about the process.

With over 5 million customers, and an extra 2 million expected by 2050 we understand how diverse our community is here in Greater Sydney.

Our project fact sheets are now available online in 6 languages, including Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Korean and Nepalese. These fact sheets help to make it easier for people who speak languages other than English to learn more about the project. Sydney Water is committed to continuing to engage with multicultural communities. If you'd like to see a fact sheet in your language, you'll find it on this webpage.

The PRW Project Team had a great afternoon at the Flavours of Blacktown event on Saturday 17 August.

The team spoke to 60+ local residents and visitors about purified recycled water, the upcoming PRW webinar, and Sydney Water's approach to creating a sustainable water future.

The majority of responses were positive, and those with questions about PRW were supportive of the project once they better understood the process. This was explained through the use of the filtration model, which demonstrates ultra-filtration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light advanced oxidation.

Sydney Water hosted an information stand at the Parramatta Eels vs Penrith Panthers NRL game at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta on Friday evening, 9 August 2024.

The team engaged with members of the public about purified recycled water using the filtration model to explain how PRW treatment processes, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis work.

Responses were positive regarding the proposal to introduce PRW to Sydney's water supply as part of the means to address future water sustainability.

On Saturday 13 July 2024, Sydney Water attended Blacktown Council's free NAIDOC concert event. 

Water educators and representatives from the project team shared updates on how purified recycled water is being investigated as a part of the future water supply for the region. Conversations with 49 people indicated positive feedback on the proposed project to supplement Prospect Reservoir with support for circular economy and environmental benefits. Some residents had questions about PFAS and what makes the water safe to drink. Assurances were provided that all water we supply meets drinking water health guidelines. The filtration model was also used to explain how PRW treatment processes ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis work.

Join our free webinar series with Jo Taranto from Good for the Hood to find out how a changing climate and an increased demand for our services means we need to think about water differently.

Webinar 1: Thinking about water differently

Date: Mon 12 August 2024 at 2pm to 3pm        

Expand your knowledge about how water is managed across Greater Sydney. Learn about dams, desalination and why Sydney Water is investigating the use of purified recycled water as a future water source. The webinar will include 20 minutes to answer your questions.

Webinar 2: Diving deep into PRW (purified recycled water)

Date options: Thursday 22 August 2024, 2pm to 3pm and Monday 26 August 2024, 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Learn about purified recycled water, including how it works, what benefits it has, and why it is a possible water supply solution for Greater Sydney. The webinar will include 20 minutes to answer your questions.

Go to Humaitix to secure your free tickets.