Water Geography online - Stage 4 Geography resources

The NSW syllabus asks students to investigate water scarcity and assess the strategies used in sustainable water management. Water scarcity is the lack of sufficient available water resources to meet demand.  

In Greater Sydney and Australia our climate is unreliable. A full dam won’t last forever. Sydney Water along with WaterNSW is always planning for the future, ensuring we have enough water.  

We can all do things at home to help with water scarcity from looking for leaks to how we use water both inside and out. Our recent campaign Turn it off Bob encourages people to care about how much water they use.  

How do you water in your home? 

In Sydney, stormwater and wastewater are treated differently. 

• Stormwater is water from rainfall, that runs off hard surfaces outside your homes like roofs, roads, car parks, paths and driveways into stormwater drains. Stormwater drains mostly flow to creeks, rivers and the ocean. 

• Wastewater is water you've used inside your homes, schools, businesses and industries. It is sent through pipes to wastewater treatment or water recycling plants. 

You can learn more about the difference between stormwater and wastewater treatment online. 

There are many different types of water for different purposes. You can learn more about the Sources of water we use in Sydney online. 

In summary, the definition of the following: 

• Raw water is water from the catchment that has not been treated or filtered. 

• Wastewater is the used water that goes down toilets, sinks and drains and into the sewerage system. Also known as sewage. About 99% of it is water. 

• Greywater is the wastewater from washing machines, dishwashers, showers, baths and basins. 

To find out the meaning of more terms go to our glossary. 

All water comes from the environment and flows through the natural water cycle. People manage the water cycle to ensure a safe and reliable water supply this is called the urban water cycle. The urban water cycle takes water from many sources. 

Sydney relies on rain as our main source of water. Warragamba Dam provides 80% of Greater Sydney’s water supply.  

Our climate is variable and we need to use other sources to add to our water supply, particularly when rainfall is low. The ocean can be used one source of drinking water. Desalination is the process of removing the salt from seawater to produce cleaner water. For more information about this source of water go to the Sydney Desalination Plant page. 

Recycled water is another source of water that is currently used for watering sports fields, lawns and gardens, flushing toilets and washing cars. In parts of Australia groundwater and rainwater tanks are another possible source of water. 

Water quality is the chemical, biological and physical properties of water. We have to monitor these properties to ensure we are protecting public health and the environment, and meeting the standards of the organisations that govern this.  

We manage and monitor water quality at many points in our drinking water system. You can find out more on our drinking water quality and filtration webpage. 

We're also protecting the environment by treating wastewater and managing water in the environment. We treat and monitor wastewater for reuse as recycled water or to safely discharged into the environment.  

No matter the source of water - we treat, monitor and manage water so it is 'fit-for-purpose' - right for the job and environment it ends up in.  

Learn more about our drinking water quality monitoring program. 

We interact with the physical processes of the natural water cycle. Including how much evaporation is occurring, impacts on runoff and the amount of water that infiltrates and percolates. 

Have a look at our Water cycle experiments to see these processes. It’s important to remember that the environment around water can change the amount and type of substances found in the water.

Water is continually moving through the natural water cycle. We modify and manage part of the natural water to provide humans with water this is called the urban water cycle. 

A healthy urban water cycles means healthy communities and healthy environments. 

We need water for many purposes. We drink it, cook with it, wash up with it, making products with it, use it to fight fires, and interact with it for fun (think swimming or surfing). As a a growing population our cities have an increasing need for water. 

Rainfall is unpredictable and we don’t know when rain will happen again. We also live on one of the driest continents.

Our water is precious, so it’s important to use and reuse it wisely. 

That’s why there are many water saving tips like use the half flush on your toilet, reminders to take shorter showers and to turn the tap off while brushing your teeth. Our website has lots more to help everyone use water responsibly. 

We also have water efficiency targets. Ever wondered how much water you should be using? By following these easy steps, you can find out if you’re following good water use practices around your home. You can use a water audit to help your school or home save water and money.  

We employ a number of steps to ensure you have safe drinking water. 

We have nine filtration plants. At each plant, we tailor our processes depending on the quality of the sourced water. No mater what  the source is we can treat the water. 

1. Typically, the water first flows through fine screens to remove debris, like twigs and leaves.

2. We then add a solution (coagulant) so small particles stick together (floc) and can be more easily filtered out.

3. We filter every drop of water through tightly packed beds of sand, gravel and crushed coal to remove any remaining particles. 

4. To ensure your water is safe, we carefully add small amounts of chlorine. A safe and effective way to make sure your drinking water is free of harmful bacteria and viruses.

5. We also add small amounts of fluoride to protect the health of your teeth, as directed by NSW Health. 

We treat and monitor the water making sure that it’s always clean and safe to drink straight from the tap. 
 
Find out more about how we supply you with safe drinking water and watch our water quality and filtration video