Recycled water network
Recycled water is wastewater that's been collected and treated so it can be re-used. We own and operate:
- 14 water recycling plants, including two plants operated by other companies on our behalf. (Our Gerringong-Gerroa plant is operated by Veolia. The St Marys Advanced Water Treatment Plant is operated by Deerubbin Water Futures)
- 770 km of recycled water mains
- 9 recycled water reservoirs
- 11 recycled water pumping stations.
Our water recycling plants treat wastewater according to the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling. This ensures recycled water is safe and suitable for its intended use.
Irrigating golf courses is one of many uses of recycled water.
Recycled water uses
Recycled water can be used to:
- water gardens, golf courses and parks
- flush toilets
- wash cars
- fight fires.
If you live in an area that has recycled water or work for a company that uses recycled water, read more about using recycled water.
Recycled water can also be used for some industrial purposes and to supplement river flow in the Hawkesbury-Nepean River. This saves water stored in dams for drinking and keeps the river healthy.
Find out about the water quality in our St Marys Advanced Water Treatment Plant, which is used to supplement river flow.
Read about our projects that recycle water using Sewer mining and Stormwater harvesting.
Recycled water supply
All of our water recycling plants use multiple steps to treat wastewater so it can be safely used again. The level of treatment provided depends on how the recycled water will be used.
There are four main stages of wastewater treatment used in producing recycled water:
- Primary treatment, which involves physical screens and grit removal.
- Secondary treatment, which generally involves nutrient removal (using anoxic/aerobic biological reactors or Intermittently Decanted Aerated Lagoons (IDALs)) and clarification.
- Tertiary treatment, which may involve coagulation/flocculation, clarification, media filtration and disinfection (chlorination and/or UV disinfection).
- Advanced tertiary treatment, which may include ultra filtration, micro-filtration, including reverse osmosis plus disinfection.
Learn more about wastewater treatment levels.
Treatment plant |
Treatment level |
Discharge |
Discharge location |
Bombo |
Secondary and de-nitrification and disinfection |
3.7 |
|
Castle Hill |
Tertiary |
6.5 |
|
Gerringong-Gerroa |
Partial tertiary |
1.26 |
|
Glenfield |
Partial tertiary |
0 |
|
Liverpool |
Secondary |
0 |
|
Picton |
Tertiary |
1.5 |
|
Penrith |
Tertiary |
23.1 |
|
Quakers Hill |
Tertiary |
35.4 |
|
Richmond |
Tertiary |
2.2 |
|
Rouse Hill |
Tertiary |
15.3 |
|
St Marys |
Tertiary |
39.2 |
|
West Camden |
Tertiary |
13.1 |
|
Wollongong |
Tertiary and disinfection |
49.84 |
|
St Marys Advanced Water Treatment Plant |
Reverse osmosis and ultra filtration |
42 |
|
We do routine checks on the quality of our recycled water.
Our customers may use recycled water for:
- industrial purposes
- irrigation
- approved uses in some residential areas, eg Rouse Hill residential scheme.
We check that the water:
- is treated to the right level based on how customers will use it
- meets the standards in the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling.