Is Sydney Water Safe to Drink? Residents Call for Greater Transparency

Sydney water complies with all the regulations. There are stringent tests in place to ensure Sydney residents get safe, clean drinking water through their taps. Following two major incidents of sewerage based water contamination, Sydney residents are demanding greater transparency from the water provider.

NSW Water Incidents Vs Sydney Incident Reporting

Since July 2022, there have been 17 failures in drinking water quality in regional New South Wales. More than once a month, regional hubs face temporary outages or toxic contaminations. These incidents are fully reported and available for residents to view freely. Sydney residents however, have only access to current contamination incidents, via a ‘view per address” search box on the Sydney Water website. Sydney water quality data is simply not readily available. It’s not until Sydney water quality hits the news (like the recent land and environment court case regarding 16 million litres of sewerage into Naremburn and a similar incident at Carramar or the 2018 discovery of poly-fluoroalkyl substances in local water) that the true quality of local water is available.

NSW Water Incidents Reports Suggest Crumbling Infrastructure

Most often the unsafe drinking water incidents have been due to ageing infrastructure. Each unsafe drinking water incident in regional New South Wales is detailed here. After two major sewerage contamination incidents, both attributed to ageing infrastructure, Sydney residents are demanding better access to water quality reporting. Sydney’s Crown Street Reservoir has been in use since 1859 and much of Sydney’s major water infrastructure is nearing its hundredth birthday. Residents complain that in order to get detailed information about water quality incidents, Sydney Water requires a written application and administrative fee under the GIPA Act.

Infrastructure Battered by Environmental Impacts

The recent extended flood season battered an already struggling system, and with droughts on the horizon, Sydney Water will face inevitable water quality issues that come with limited rain. The future of Sydney’s water quality look grim for residents.

“Sydney’s water supply is long overdue for a revamp. Unfortunately, water and sewerage pipelines, dams and other water infrastructure are among the most difficult, disruptive and expensive items for a city to replace. While Sydney Water is doing its best to maintain the ageing system, it is probably time to bite the bullet and perform major replacements and upgrades”, said Veteran Sydney Plumber Joe Rantino.

The Allowable Contaminants in Sydney Water

Chloroform, dichlorobromomethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoforms are collectively known as trihalomethanes and are the permitted byproducts of water sanitation using chlorine. Australia’s regulation of Trihalomethanes is widely criticized for being too lenient with permissible levels being well above those of the European Union.

Rise is Popularity of Water Purifiers May Have Minimal Impact

Water purification devices installed either under each sink or at the entry to the property have seen a surge in popularity in recent years. But, do they protect from the contaminants in an Australian water supply?

“The type of water purifier makes all the difference. The most commonly available, like those you pick up at your local hardware store, don’t necessarily meet the specification you’d expect. They remove any odours or particles, but they don’t remove chemical-based contaminations. Without correct water filter installation, even the highest-grade filtration system can develop “gaps’ in the filter path and allow toxins to get through. A professional plumber can advise you on the level of protection you need and the grade and type of filtration system that will achieve it.” Said Mr Rantino.