Georges River Network Odour Reduction Program
Sydney Water is working to reduce wastewater odours and improve the performance of the wastewater network in the Georges River area.
Aerial view of the Liverpool Water Resource Recovery Facility
The Georges River Network Odour Reduction Program will reduce unpleasant odours and improve the performance of the wastewater network in areas around Fairfield, Liverpool and Glenfield.
Unpleasant odours are a normal part of managing our customers' wastewater, and they can happen from time to time. However, we know that sometimes these odours can be detected by our neighbours and impact them.
The Georges River Network Odour Reduction Program aims to reduce these impacts by upgrading and improving the local wastewater network. Over the next two years, we are:
- upgrading and installing new assets such as ventilation shafts, odour control units and wastewater pumping stations
- improving treatment processes at the three water resource recovery facilities in Fairfield, Liverpool and Glenfield
- monitoring wastewater odours using sensors and community feedback.
Your feedback
We're committed to working with our neighbours to ensure we are delivering reliable wastewater services and minimising any impacts from our work.
As part of the Georges River Network Odour Reduction Program, we want to hear from our neighbours about any experiences and concerns you may have about wastewater odours in your area. We want to know how wastewater odours may be impacting you and how we can improve our odour management. Even if you haven't experienced any issues, please complete the survey as all information is valuable.
Help us by completing our Neighbour Survey below.
Wastewater odours
Wastewater, also known as sewage, is the used water that goes down sinks, toilets and drains. Wastewater produces unpleasant odours because of biological activity caused by bacteria present in the wastewater. These bacteria break down organic materials in the wastewater, which produces many different types of odorous gases. The most common gases produced from wastewater are hydrogen sulphide (H2S) (rotten egg smell), ammonia (NH3) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Odours can occur in the network as wastewater leaves our customers' homes and businesses and moves through the pipes and pumping stations. Odours can also occur from our treatment plants, now known as water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), where wastewater is treated to remove materials and impurities.
Wastewater odours can vary in their make-up and concentration at different points in the network and treatment stages. This is influenced by environmental and operational conditions, as well as by the characteristics of the wastewater itself.
To learn more about how we manage your wastewater, visit our website at sydneywater.com.au.
-
Georges River Network Odour Reports - September 2024
Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - September 2024 on Facebook Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - September 2024 on Twitter Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - September 2024 on Linkedin Email Georges River Network Odour Reports - September 2024 linkWe regularly monitor the performance of the Georges River Wastewater Network to make sure our operations are having minimal impact to our customers and neighbours. This includes monitoring for wastewater odours coming from the network.
In September 2024, we received 8 odour reports from neighbours in the Georges River Wastewater Network.
If you have noticed wastewater odours in your area and would like to report them to Sydney Water, please complete an odour report. Links to the reporting tool can be found on our project webpage.
Fairfield Water Resource Recovery Facility
There were 2 odour reports for the Fairfield WRRF in September 2024. Fairfield WRRF was not operating at either of the times specified in the odour reports, and wind direction analysis suggested that Fairfield WRRF was not the cause of odour.
Liverpool Water Resource Recovery Facility
There were 0 odour reports for the Liverpool WRRF in September 2024.
Liverpool WRRF odour report heatmap from September 2023 to September 2024.Glenfield Water Resource Recovery Facility
There were 6 odour reports for the Glenfield WRRF in September 2024.
- 2, 4, 5 and 13 September - For these four reports, the report details were compared with wind direction and facility operations at the times the odours were reported. The wind directions suggested that Glenfield WRRF may not have been the cause of the odours.
- 6 and 12 September - During this period, there was a planned shutdown of a wastewater pumping station inside the Glenfield WRRF, which resulted in a temporary change to treatment operations. As such, the reported odours may have been caused by the Glenfield WRRF when considering the wind direction and facility operations at the time.
Glenfield WRRF odour report heatmap from September 2023 to September 2024
-
Georges River Network Odour Reports - August 2024
Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - August 2024 on Facebook Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - August 2024 on Twitter Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - August 2024 on Linkedin Email Georges River Network Odour Reports - August 2024 linkWe are regularly monitoring the performance of the Georges River Wastewater Network to make sure our operations are having minimal impact to our customers and neighbours. This includes monitoring for wastewater odours.
In August 2024, we received 4 odour reports from neighbours in the Georges River Wastewater Network.
If you have noticed wastewater odours in your area and would like to report them to Sydney Water, please complete an odour report. Links to the online forms can be found on the left-hand side of our project webpage.
Fairfield Water Resources Recovery Facility
There were 0 odour reports for the Fairfield WRRF in August 2024.
Liverpool Water Resource Recovery Facility
There was 1 odour report for the Liverpool WRRF in August 2024:
- 22 August - Report details were compared with wind direction and facility operations at the time the odour was reported. We determined that the reported odour may not have been caused by the Liverpool WRRF.
Liverpool WRRF odour report heatmap from August 2023 to August 2024.Glenfield Water Resource Recovery Facility
There were 3 odour reports for the Glenfield WRRF in August 2024.
- 3 August - Report details were compared with wind direction and facility operations at the time the odour was reported. The wind direction suggested that Glenfield WRRF may not have been the cause of the odour.
- 22 August - Report details were compared with wind direction and facility operations at the time the odour was reported. The wind direction suggested that Glenfield WRRF may not have been the cause of the odour.
- 23 August - Report details were compared with wind direction and facility operations at the time the odour was reported. The wind direction suggested that Glenfield WRRF may not have been the cause of the odour.
Glenfield WRRF odour report heatmap from August 2023 to August 2024. -
Georges River Network Odour Reports - July 2024
Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - July 2024 on Facebook Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - July 2024 on Twitter Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - July 2024 on Linkedin Email Georges River Network Odour Reports - July 2024 linkWe are regularly monitoring the performance of the Georges River Wastewater Network to make sure our operations are having minimal impact to our customers and neighbours. This includes monitoring for wastewater odours.
In July 2024, we received 2 odour reports from neighbours in the Georges River Wastewater Network.
If you have noticed wastewater odours in your area and would like to report them to Sydney Water, please complete an odour report. Links to the online form can be found on the left-hand side of our project webpage.
Fairfield Water Resources Recovery Facility
There were 0 odour reports for the Fairfield WRRF in July 2024.
Liverpool Water Resource Recovery Facility
There were 2 odour reports for Liverpool WRRF in July 2024:
- 25 July - Under investigation.
- 28 July - Report details were compared with wind direction and facility operations at the time the odour was reported. We determined that the reported odour may have been caused by the Liverpool WRRF.
Liverpool WRRF odour report heatmap from June 2023 to July 2024Glenfield Water Resource Recovery Facility
There were 0 odour reports for Glenfield WRRF in July 2024.
Glenfield WRRF odour report heatmap from June 2023 to July 2024. -
Georges River Network Odour Reports - June 2024
Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - June 2024 on Facebook Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - June 2024 on Twitter Share Georges River Network Odour Reports - June 2024 on Linkedin Email Georges River Network Odour Reports - June 2024 linkWe are regularly monitoring the performance of the Georges River Wastewater Network to make sure our operations are having minimal impact to our customers and neighbours. This includes monitoring for wastewater odours.
In June 2024, we received 2 odour reports from neighbours in the Georges River Wastewater Network.
If you have noticed wastewater odours in your area and would like to report them to Sydney Water, please complete an odour report. Links to the online form can be found on the left-hand side of our project webpage.
Fairfield Water Resources Recovery Facility
There were 0 odour reports for the Fairfield WRRF in June 2024.
Liverpool Water Resource Recovery Facility
There were 0 odour reports for Liverpool WRRF in June 2024.
Liverpool WRRF odour report heatmap from June 2023 to June 2024. Glenfield Water Resource Recovery Facility
There were 2 odour reports for Glenfield WRRF in June 2024:
- 5 June - Report details were compared with wind direction and facility operations at the time the odour was reported. We determined that the reported odour was not caused by the Glenfield WRRF.
- 12 June - Report details were compared with wind direction and facility operations at the time the odour was reported. We determined that the reported odour was not caused by the Glenfield WRRF.
Glenfield WRRF odour report heatmap from June 2023 to June 2024.
Contact us
-
Community Engagement Team
