Picton Wastewater Scheme

Sydney Water provides wastewater services to Picton, Tahmoor, Thirlmere, Bargo and Buxton as part of the Picton Wastewater Scheme.

As communities in the Picton area continue to grow, wastewater flows to the Picton Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) have increased, exceeding the capacity at the Picton Farm to reuse all the recycled water produced. This impacts our ability to allow new wastewater connections to the Picton Wastewater Scheme for housing and growth.

Wastewater connection criteria and requirements

In May 2023, the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) approved Sydney Water’s application to vary conditions in the Environment Protection Licence for the Picton WRRF.

Until the required improvements are completed at the Picton WRRF, proposed developments will only be able to connect to the Picton Wastewater Scheme that meet the required criteria.

The criteria, timing and our approach for new wastewater connections within the Picton Scheme will need to be in line with requirements set by the EPA for how we operate the Picton Water Resource Recovery Facility and any infrastructure that needs to be built.

We are working together with Wollondilly Shire Council to ensure that development applications are assessed as efficiently as possible, and meet the criteria and requirements for new wastewater connections.

We’d like to thank the Picton community for taking the time to provide comments and complete our survey - as part of our investigations to assess the potential of a recycled water scheme to service properties in the Picton area.

We’ve also been working closely with Wollondilly Shire Council, and have consulted with commercial, industrial and agricultural customers, as well as the golf club and schools in the local area.

We appreciate and value the community's feedback to help us understand their long-term water needs, and level of interest in having access to high quality recycled water for non-drinking purposes.

We will continue to work together with key stakeholders and the local community, and will provide updates as our investigations for a recycled water scheme in the Picton area progress.

Learn more about recycled water and the Picton Wastewater Scheme in our fact sheet.

We’re investigating the potential of a recycled water scheme to service properties in the Picton area and are currently assessing the feasibility of the project.

As part of our investigations, we are working closely with Wollondilly Shire Council, and need feedback from local businesses and property owners to better understand:

• how they currently use water on their property
• their long-term water needs
• their level of interest in having access to high quality recycled water
• what they might see as the challenges or benefits of using recycled water.

As a business or property owner in Picton, Tahmoor, Thirlmere, Couridjah, Maldon or Razorback, you can help by completing our short online survey. We encourage you to take the opportunity to provide your feedback here: Survey - Planning for recycled water in the Picton area.

If you prefer, you can also contact us by phone or email to provide feedback. Please call our Community Engagement team on 1800 953 818 or email PictonRecycledWater@sydneywater.com.au

The survey will be open until Wednesday, 6 September 2023.

The information you provide is important and will help us shape a recycled water scheme for the Picton area - that supports the community, is cost-effective and protects the environment.

Learn more about recycled water and the Picton Wastewater Scheme in our fact sheet.

Sydney Water provides wastewater services to Picton, Tahmoor, Thirlmere, Bargo and Buxton, as part of the Picton Wastewater Scheme.

As communities in the Picton area continue to grow, wastewater flows to the Picton Water Resource Recovery Facility have increased, exceeding the capacity at our farm to reuse all the recycled water we produce. This impacts our ability to allow new wastewater connections to the Picton Wastewater Scheme for housing and growth.

We’ve been working on a plan to expand and upgrade the Picton Wastewater Scheme and manage the excess recycled water we produce at the Picton Facility. This includes consulting with the EPA and Wollondilly Shire Council to identify options that:

• could service growth
• are cost-effective
• maintain local waterway health.

Wastewater connection criteria and requirements

In May 2023, the EPA approved Sydney Water’s Licence Variation for its Environment Protection Licence (with new conditions), for the Picton Water Resource Recovery Facility.

Until the required improvements are completed at the Picton Water Resource Recovery Facility, proposed developments will only be able to connect to the Picton Wastewater Scheme that meet the required criteria.

The criteria, timing and our approach for new wastewater connections within the Picton Scheme will need to be in line with requirements set by the EPA for how we operate the Picton Water Resource Recovery Facility and any infrastructure that needs to be built.

We are working together with Wollondilly Shire Council to ensure that development applications are assessed as efficiently as possible, and meet the criteria and requirements for new wastewater connections.

Wastewater from homes and businesses in the Picton area is treated at the Picton Water Resource Recovery Facility (formally known as the Picton Water Recycling Plant).

The Picton Facility treats wastewater from the Picton area and uses multiple steps and processes, (screening, biological treatment, clarification, filtration and disinfection), to produce high quality tertiary treated recycled water. We currently use the recycled water for irrigating 119 hectares of land on our 175 hectare farm.

We've been assessing and making improvements to the Picton Water Resource Recovery Facility over a number of years. This includes:

• investigating infiltration into our wastewater system during wet weather
• increasing the capacity of the Picton Facility to be able to treat larger volumes of wastewater
• building pilot wetlands to minimise the nutrient levels in the recycled water and improve water quality
• trialling a macroalgae project to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous levels in the recycled water and minimise impacts on local waterways
• installing new equipment at the Picton Facility to further minimise impacts on the environment.

Sydney Water’s Decisions Report for the Review of Environmental Factors for the proposed Picton Water Recycling Plant upgrade is now available.

View the Decisions Report.

We are in the process of reviewing and considering all submissions for the Review of Environmental Factors, and are currently preparing a Decisions Report.

Once the Decisions Report is finalised in the coming months, we will publish it on our website. We are continuing to engage with local farmers and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) throughout this process about recycled water opportunities.

If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback, please email us at WestRegionDelivery@sydneywater.com.au

Sydney Water has been engaging with Transport for NSW (TfNSW) about the proposed Picton bypass road.

We understand the concerns that the community may have about the proposed road and how this may impact the amount of recycled we produce at the Picton Water Recycling Plant and use for irrigating our Picton Farm. Our Review of Environmental Factors report is currently on display as we work towards being able to increase the use of recycled water in the Picton area and manage the excess recycled water discharges from the water recycling plant.

TfNSW is aware of the important role that our Picton Farm plays as part of the recycled water we manage from the Picton Plant. We will continue to work with TfNSW to understand the potential impacts and proposed timeframes for their work.

The intention is for the new bypass road not to impact how we manage the recycled water we produce and use at our Picton Farm. The design of the new road will need to consider equivalent offset irrigation areas where required.

Learn more about the Picton Treatment, Reuse and Discharge project by attending one of our online community sessions.

Our team will provide more information about the project, and you will get the opportunity to provide feedback.

Each session is expected to be 1 hour long. We have allowed additional time for extra questions if required.

• Session 1: Tuesday 1 December 12 noon - 1.30pm
• Session 2: Wednesday 2 December 6.00pm - 7.30pm

You can book into a session here(External link).

If you are unable to attend an online session, please call us on 1800 953 818 to arrange a suitable time to talk to our project team.

The Review of Environmental Factors (REF) report is now available to download.

We are seeking feedback and invite you to make a written submission. Submissions will be accepted up to 5 pm on Sunday 13 December 2020. You can also make a submission by email to WestRegionDelivery@sydneywater.com.au.

The REF considers how the Picton Treatment, Reuse &Discharge project may impact and/or benefit the local environment. It assesses:

• waterway health
• soils/geology
• flora and fauna
• air quality
• waste management
• heritage
• noise
• visual impacts.