Sydney's water supply
The Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA), Sydney Water and NSW Health work together to ensure safe, high quality water in Sydney, Illawarra, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and the Shoalhaven. The SCA catchments supply water to around 4.2 million people (approximately 60 percent of the NSW population) who rely on safe, clean water.
Warragamba Dam
The SCA is responsible for collecting raw water from the natural water cycle in its catchments and storing it in reservoirs behind dams. Catchment and reservoir management are part of the SCA's multi-barrier approach to water quality. The SCA supplies water from its storage reservoirs to Sydney Water and its other customers who also treat the water before it reaches users. The diagram below shows the SCA's water supply network.
Water filtration plants are another important part of the multi-barrier approach. Sydney Water manages an extensive water treatment and delivery network including water filtration plants, service reservoirs, pumping stations and pipelines extending more than 20,000 kilometres.
The National Health and Medical Research Council sets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. The SCA and Sydney Water work closely with NSW Health to manage the water supply system to comply with these guidelines to protect community health.
If you don't get your drinking water from Sydney Water, who is responsible for the safety of your drinking water?
