Wastewater FAQs
- site investigation - we visit each property with a maintenance hole to determine the exact location and gather property owner / tenant information, contact details, and explain the work and impacts which are documented in a pre-construction agreement (PCA)
- cleaning & CCTV inspection
- lining
- junction cutting/sealing
- post CCTV inspection.
What can I do to keep our wastewater system healthy and reliable?
What you can do to help
Only flush the "three Ps" down your toilet. | pee | What happens if you flush more than the three Ps? What you do and don’t flush matters! Anything flushed outside the three Ps (pee, poo and toilet paper) chokes our network and increases the chance of overflows in and around your home during heavy rain. Wet wipes are still the major culprit being flushed. Please dispose of these and other items on the “don’t flush” list with your regular rubbish. Flushing only the three Ps helps protect our network and the environment. | |
| poo | |||
| paper (toilet paper!) | |||
Don't flush | wipes | ||
| cotton buds | |||
| nappies | |||
| dental floss | |||
| tissues | |||
| hygiene products | |||
| paper towels | |||
| medicine |
Also remember, you shouldn’t connect your property’s stormwater drainage to your wastewater drainage. These cross-connections increase flow in our wastewater network during wet weather which contributes to overflow events.
What can I do if i experience wastewater overflows?
If you experience or notice any wastewater overflows on your property or in your neighbourhood, please call Sydney Water on 13 20 90. This number operates 24/7 and is the best way to provide us with the essential information we need to try and fix problems.
What we’re doing to help
We’re trying to reduce wastewater overflows by proactively maintaining our assets through our avoid fail program, stormwater and sewer rehabilitation program (SSRP), and also investigating wastewater overflow problems reported to us by our customers to find a solution to reduce the frequency of it happening. This is our internal surcharge program.
What are the wastewater programs?
Avoid fail program
We continually check our wastewater assets to keep them in good condition. The aim is to improve the reliability of our wastewater system by repairing or replacing old wastewater pipes. We also install new pipes to increase the system’s wastewater capacity.
Internal surcharge program
Wastewater surcharges (overflows) can occur in wet weather. This is usually due to a blocked pipes or insufficient capacity within our pipes. Blockages can generally be found by CCTV investigations, and cleared soon after the surcharge occurs. When we can't find a blockage, we do further investigations to try and find the reason why the surcharge is happening. To fix problems and reduce the number of times surcharges happen in the same area, we may need to build new infrastructure, install new, or upsize existing wastewater pipes to cope with additional flows during wet weather.
Stormwater and sewer rehabilitation program (SSRP)
The Sewer and Stormwater Rehabilitation Program (SSRP) involves repairing and lining wastewater or stormwater pipes. This is done using trenchless, no dig technology. The old pipes in need of repair are rehabilitated by inserting a liner inside them through existing maintenance holes at either end of the pipe. Pipes need to be intact, with no collapsed sections, to be lined. If there are significant breaks or collapses in the pipes these need to be repaired, by digging and replacing that section of pipe, before lining can be done. There are several lining systems available and approved by Sydney Water. The method of installation varies depending on the type of liner used. More information is available in our factsheet.
A lot of the work is done on private properties in stages, and requires several visits to maintenance holes by specialist crews, including:
The aim is to complete all stages as quickly as possible, ideally within four weeks, to reduce the impact on residents.
Stormwater and sewer rehabilitation program (SSRP)
The Sewer and Stormwater Rehabilitation Program (SSRP) involves repairing and lining wastewater or stormwater pipes. This is done using trenchless, no dig technology. The old pipes in need of repair are rehabilitated by inserting a liner inside them through existing maintenance holes at either end of the pipe. Pipes need to be intact, with no collapsed sections, to be lined. If there are significant breaks or collapses in the pipes these need to be repaired, by digging and replacing that section of pipe, before lining can be done. There are several lining systems available and approved by Sydney Water. The method of installation varies depending on the type of liner used. More information is available in our factsheet.
A lot of the work is done on private properties in stages, and requires several visits to maintenance holes by specialist crews, including:
The aim is to complete all stages as quickly as possible, ideally within four weeks, to reduce the impact on residents.
What is wastewater?
Wastewater is any type of water used in your homes, schools, businesses industries and more. It goes down drains from sinks after bathing, showering, using washing machines, sinks and of course, toilets. It’s 99% water and the rest are the things it’s washed away from you using it.