Bondi WRRF Resilience System Investment Planning

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The Bondi Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) at North Bondi is Sydney Water’s oldest wastewater treatment plant, operating since December 1953. The Bondi WRRF, and the deepwater ocean outfalls installed in 1991, continue to protect our waterways and Bondi Beach. The Bondi wastewater system currently provides wastewater services to an equivalent population of 780,000 people across an area of 3,500 hectares. It services the suburbs out to Balmain, Surry Hills and the Sydney CBD through to Bronte and Bondi. 

The Bondi WRRF is Sydney’s third largest treatment plant, processing about 120 million litres of wastewater each day. It generates 100% of its electricity needs on site by co-generation, and beneficially reuses 100% of biosolids produced by supplying to agricultural markets.

Using circular economy principles in operating, the Bondi WRRF makes the most of resources in the wastewater by: 

• turning waste methane gas (biogas) into electricity which powers the operations and supplies surplus electricity back to the grid 

• producing up to 100 tonnes of biosolids (organic solids) weekly, all reused in either agriculture, composting or land rehabilitation 

• reusing up to 3.5 million litres of recycled water per day in the treatment process instead of drinking water. 

Over the next 10 years Sydney Water will invest in a program of improvement works to improve wastewater services in the Bondi wastewater system and at the Bondi WRRF. These works will provide for future growth in Sydney and continue to protect Bondi Beach, as well as ensuring that we continue to provide safe, reliable and resilient services and ensure the health and amenity of waterways.

We know that our work can sometimes have an impact on our community, and we’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we continue to upgrade Bondi WRRF.

The Bondi Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) at North Bondi is Sydney Water’s oldest wastewater treatment plant, operating since December 1953. The Bondi WRRF, and the deepwater ocean outfalls installed in 1991, continue to protect our waterways and Bondi Beach. The Bondi wastewater system currently provides wastewater services to an equivalent population of 780,000 people across an area of 3,500 hectares. It services the suburbs out to Balmain, Surry Hills and the Sydney CBD through to Bronte and Bondi. 

The Bondi WRRF is Sydney’s third largest treatment plant, processing about 120 million litres of wastewater each day. It generates 100% of its electricity needs on site by co-generation, and beneficially reuses 100% of biosolids produced by supplying to agricultural markets.

Using circular economy principles in operating, the Bondi WRRF makes the most of resources in the wastewater by: 

• turning waste methane gas (biogas) into electricity which powers the operations and supplies surplus electricity back to the grid 

• producing up to 100 tonnes of biosolids (organic solids) weekly, all reused in either agriculture, composting or land rehabilitation 

• reusing up to 3.5 million litres of recycled water per day in the treatment process instead of drinking water. 

Over the next 10 years Sydney Water will invest in a program of improvement works to improve wastewater services in the Bondi wastewater system and at the Bondi WRRF. These works will provide for future growth in Sydney and continue to protect Bondi Beach, as well as ensuring that we continue to provide safe, reliable and resilient services and ensure the health and amenity of waterways.

We know that our work can sometimes have an impact on our community, and we’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we continue to upgrade Bondi WRRF.

  • Bondi WRRF turns 70 years old and Community Reference Group established.

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    14 December 2023

    Bondi WRRF turned 70 years old.

    The Bondi WRRF started operation in 1953 providing primary treatment of wastewater collected by the Bondi Ocean Outfall System (BOOS) prior to discharge to the ocean. Construction of the plant commenced in 1936 and was delayed due to World War II, with work restarting in 1951. Since then the plant has continued to provide wastewater services and protected the waterway and improve the environment.

    In July 2023 we invited members of the local community to form the Bondi Community Reference Group (CRG). The CRG members include local residents and Waverley Council representatives. The Bondi CRG will meet quarterly and its purpose it to:

    • enhance communication with nearby community affected by the Bondi WRRF
    • increase understanding of community feedback and planned improvement works
    • maximise opportunities for community involvement as we plan for improvement works

    We have commenced preliminary master planning, investigation and condition assessment inspections for the improvement works for the Bondi wastewater system and the Bondi WRRF.

  • Thank you for sharing your views

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    Between April and June this year, we invited the community surrounding the WRRF and the wider Bondi community to provide us their views on the area, the treatment plant and what living in Bondi means to them. We also asked you what could be improved to make the area even better than it is.

    We spoke to a lot of people and got some great insights on what is important to the community, and we are using these insights to inform our engagement approach as we progress with the WRRF upgrade works.


    Engagement activity in numbers:



    From the feedback, here are some of the key themes of what is important to you:

    Environmental protection - The most important issue of concern for you is environmental protection. Sydney Water shares your passion for the environment and will look to implement natural vegetation in the area.

    Access to and use of green spaces - the parks and reserves around the Bondi Plant are currently being used for a wide range of recreation activities. We are hearing that there are some upgrades you would like to see to the area, as the condition have an impact this has on their activities.

    Accessibility - An important topic for the community was safe access to green spaces and the wider area. Many parents struggle with accessing the area with a pram and this is even a deterrent for some. Most residents travel around Bondi on foot and many spoke about how Military Road is dangerous due to the lack of pedestrian crossings, blind corners and poorly maintained footpaths.

    Cultural heritage - A strong theme during consultation is how proud Bondi residents are of their surroundings and how passionate they are in preserving the natural beauty of the area. During consultation, we asked you for ideas for any benefits or outcomes to the local area they would like to see, which Sydney Water should consider as part of project planning. There were many suggestions, particularly around improving accessibility to the recreational areas, so more people can enjoy the space.

    We would like to thank everyone who came to our pop ups, meetings and filled in our survey. We are committing to implement these themes in our planning for the Bondi plant upgrade and will keep you involved and informed on the way.

  • Have your say

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    We are currently in the early planning phase of the project. We want to hear your views to ensure that we can minimise impacts on the community. We also want to know what improvements you would like to see.

    To better understand the local Bondi community and your views Please take our survey


    Drop in and meet the team at our upcoming community information stalls on :

    • Saturday 28 May 2022 from 7.30 am to 10.30 am at North Bondi Surf Club
    • Saturday 28 May 2022 from 12pm to 3pm at Hugh Bamford Reserve
    • Saturday 4 June 2022 from 9am to 1pm at Bondi Farmers Markets, Bondi Beach Public School
    • Sunday 5 June 2022 from 10am to 1pm at Bondi Beach, Campbell Parade


Page last updated: 03 Mar 2025, 10:09 AM