Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre

Share Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre on Facebook Share Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre on Twitter Share Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre on Linkedin Email Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre link
Indicative diagram of how the centre will work, treating water to the highest standard and distributing it for agricultural use and environmental flows.

Sydney Water is building the Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre (AWRC) in Kemps Creek and associated pipelines to support population and economic growth in Western Sydney.

Construction Information

Our delivery partner, John Holland, is building the AWRC, a treated water pipeline from Kemps Creek to the Nepean River at Wallacia and a brine water pipeline from Kemps Creek to our existing wastewater network at Lansdowne. The pipelines is built underground, mostly in road reserves and public spaces. Some sections of pipeline will need to be installed across private properties.

Construction is underway in parts of Badgerys Creek, Bonnyrigg, Bonnyrigg Heights, Cabramatta, Cabramatta West, Canley Heights, Canley Vale, Cecil Hills, Cecil Park, Elizabeth Hills, Fairfield, Green Valley, Kemps Creek, Lansdowne, Lansvale, Luddenham, Mount Pritchard, Mulgoa and Wallacia.

Our standard working hours are 7 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday and 8 am to 1 pm Saturday. We will notify affected people in advance if we need to work outside these hours.

John Holland is working hard to minimise disturbance however some people may experience temporary traffic changes and construction impacts, mostly from machinery that will be used to dig trenches and lay pipes. Construction of the pipelines will occur until late 2025.

When completed in 2026, the AWRC will deliver sustainable wastewater services and high-quality recycled water to support a cooler, greener Western Parkland City, with a wide range of benefits for the entire community.

Community Benefits

Key benefits for the local community include:

  • efficient and cost-effective wastewater services
  • producing high-quality, recycled water for a range of potential reuses
  • potential to recycle organic waste to generate energy
  • protecting local waterways and aquatic ecosystems via environmental flows
  • producing biosolids for an alternative to chemical fertilisers in agriculture
  • enhancing biodiversity by greening Western Sydney with recycled water
  • supporting the vision for the Western Parkland City, to create quality places for the community, keep water resources in the catchment to support greening and reduce heat island effects
  • generating renewable energy within the AWRC
  • a centre that can respond to changes in demand as our community grows.

The AWRC is Sydney Water’s largest infrastructure investment in Western Sydney and when competed will provide a foundation for a circular economy hub in the Parkland City.

Planning Process

In 2021, Sydney Water prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to describe the project and assess its environmental and community impacts.

The EIS was submitted to the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) and put on public exhibition from 21 October to Wednesday 17 November 2021, giving the community an opportunity to review and make submissions on the findings presented in the document. DPE provided planning approval on 28 November 2022.

To learn more about the project’s planning process and approval, visit DPE’s Major Projects Planning Portal where you will find the below documentation:

Please visit this page regularly for updates as the project progresses through its construction phase.




Sydney Water is building the Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre (AWRC) in Kemps Creek and associated pipelines to support population and economic growth in Western Sydney.

Construction Information

Our delivery partner, John Holland, is building the AWRC, a treated water pipeline from Kemps Creek to the Nepean River at Wallacia and a brine water pipeline from Kemps Creek to our existing wastewater network at Lansdowne. The pipelines is built underground, mostly in road reserves and public spaces. Some sections of pipeline will need to be installed across private properties.

Construction is underway in parts of Badgerys Creek, Bonnyrigg, Bonnyrigg Heights, Cabramatta, Cabramatta West, Canley Heights, Canley Vale, Cecil Hills, Cecil Park, Elizabeth Hills, Fairfield, Green Valley, Kemps Creek, Lansdowne, Lansvale, Luddenham, Mount Pritchard, Mulgoa and Wallacia.

Our standard working hours are 7 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday and 8 am to 1 pm Saturday. We will notify affected people in advance if we need to work outside these hours.

John Holland is working hard to minimise disturbance however some people may experience temporary traffic changes and construction impacts, mostly from machinery that will be used to dig trenches and lay pipes. Construction of the pipelines will occur until late 2025.

When completed in 2026, the AWRC will deliver sustainable wastewater services and high-quality recycled water to support a cooler, greener Western Parkland City, with a wide range of benefits for the entire community.

Community Benefits

Key benefits for the local community include:

  • efficient and cost-effective wastewater services
  • producing high-quality, recycled water for a range of potential reuses
  • potential to recycle organic waste to generate energy
  • protecting local waterways and aquatic ecosystems via environmental flows
  • producing biosolids for an alternative to chemical fertilisers in agriculture
  • enhancing biodiversity by greening Western Sydney with recycled water
  • supporting the vision for the Western Parkland City, to create quality places for the community, keep water resources in the catchment to support greening and reduce heat island effects
  • generating renewable energy within the AWRC
  • a centre that can respond to changes in demand as our community grows.

The AWRC is Sydney Water’s largest infrastructure investment in Western Sydney and when competed will provide a foundation for a circular economy hub in the Parkland City.

Planning Process

In 2021, Sydney Water prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to describe the project and assess its environmental and community impacts.

The EIS was submitted to the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) and put on public exhibition from 21 October to Wednesday 17 November 2021, giving the community an opportunity to review and make submissions on the findings presented in the document. DPE provided planning approval on 28 November 2022.

To learn more about the project’s planning process and approval, visit DPE’s Major Projects Planning Portal where you will find the below documentation:

Please visit this page regularly for updates as the project progresses through its construction phase.




  • Going beyond traditional water services in Western Sydney

    Share Going beyond traditional water services in Western Sydney on Facebook Share Going beyond traditional water services in Western Sydney on Twitter Share Going beyond traditional water services in Western Sydney on Linkedin Email Going beyond traditional water services in Western Sydney link
    supporting image

    We celebrated a big milestone with the submission of the Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre (AWRC) Scoping Report to the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE). Visit Upper South Creek's page on the planning portal to access a copy of the Scoping Report.

    This formally triggered the start of the Environmental Impact Statement process for one of our largest investments in wastewater management and water resilience in a decade, supporting growth in the South West and Western Sydney Aerotropolis Growth Areas.

    The Centre will be located north-east of Elizabeth Drive in Kemps Creek, near the upper Wianamatta-South Creek. When complete the Upper South Creek AWRC will go well beyond existing recycling schemes, moving away from the traditional way of building water infrastructure, and will help redefine the way we value and how we use water more sustainably.

    The modular design of the AWRC allows it to be developed in stages to support growth, with wastewater treatment plant to be completed in 2026. The Centre will use industry-leading water and resource recycling technology to harness renewable energy, making this also one of the greenest infrastructure investments in NSW.

    The Scoping Report was developed to provide more information on the proposed project, including the development of the Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirement's (SEARs). Significant stakeholder engagement occurred, keeping a strong focus on creating a world-class customer experience.

    The Planning Secretary issued the SEARs in August 2020.

  • Planning for growth in Western Sydney: investigation activities

    Share Planning for growth in Western Sydney: investigation activities on Facebook Share Planning for growth in Western Sydney: investigation activities on Twitter Share Planning for growth in Western Sydney: investigation activities on Linkedin Email Planning for growth in Western Sydney: investigation activities link
    supporting image


    Sydney Water is expanding our services to support future growth in Western Sydney. As part of this process, we need to carry out geotechnical investigations to help determine the best location for the new infrastructure.

    These investigations include general site walkovers, investigation of heritage and ecology, surveying of the area and location of services. it also includes drilling boreholes and excavating test pits to better understand ground conditions and monitoring noise.


    Our project team requires access to some properties across Western Sydney, and have been in touch with tenants and owners to conduct these investigations.

    We expect we will complete the current phase of investigations by around August and will carry identification and a Certificate of Authority which we will show you at your request.

    You may notice us doing these investigations on site between 7 am and 5 pm, Monday to Friday.

    You do not need to be at the property during the investigations however if you do have requirements on how we should leave the property, please let us know.


    You need to be signed in to add your comment.

    number of comments, image icon 1 comment

  • Planning for growth in Western Sydney: geotechnical investigations

    Share Planning for growth in Western Sydney: geotechnical investigations on Facebook Share Planning for growth in Western Sydney: geotechnical investigations on Twitter Share Planning for growth in Western Sydney: geotechnical investigations on Linkedin Email Planning for growth in Western Sydney: geotechnical investigations link
    supporting image
    Sydney Water is expanding our services to support future growth in South Western Sydney. As part of this process, we need to carry out geotechnical investigations close to properties in South West Sydney to help determine the best location for the new infrastructure.

    We try to avoid the need to access properties to conduct our investigations, however there may be noise due to our drilling and excavation activities nearby.

    We expect we will complete the current phase of investigations by around August and will carry identification and a Certificate of Authority which we will show you at your request.

    You may notice us doing these investigations on site between 7 am and 5 pm, Monday to Friday.

    If you have any questions, please contact the Community Relations team on 1800 064 127 or via email at uppersouthcreek@sydneywater.com.au


    You need to be signed in to add your comment.

    number of comments, image icon 1 comment
Page last updated: 30 Apr 2024, 03:28 PM