Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre

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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 are 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 are 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.




  • Culturally and Linguistically Diverse online community information sessions

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    Sydney Water held three culturally and linguistically diverse online community information sessions to allow members of the community to get an update on the project, ask questions, and tell us what they thought about the project.

    The three online sessions were held in Arabic, Vietnamese and Chinese.

    Details of these sessions:

    • Arabic: Friday, 16 July
    • Vietnamese: Friday, 23 July
    • Chinese: Saturday, 24 July

  • SYDNEY LOCKDOWN: Luddenham pop up stall postponed

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    We postponed the community pop up information session at Luddenham Village Café (3035 The Northern Road, Luddenham NSW 2745) that was scheduled for Saturday, 3 July due to the Sydney Lockdown.

  • Mulgoa and Cabramatta pop up stalls postponed due to COVID-19

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    With the safety of the community and our people top of mind, due to the evolving COVID-19 situation in Sydney, we postponed the following community pop up information sessions:

    • Saturday, 26 June at Settlers Café in Mulgoa
    • Tuesday, 29 June in Cabramatta Plaza
    • Thursday, 1 July in Cabramatta Plaza


  • Coming to a café, shop or hall near you

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    Sydney Water hosted multiple 'pop-up' information sessions between Saturday 5 June 2021 and Saturday 3rd July 2021, where the community were given the opportunity to come and meet the team and tell us what they thought about the proposed Advanced Water Recycling Centre’s design.

    The centre in Kemps Creek, just north of Elizabeth Drive, will provide essential wastewater services for West and South West Sydney for generations to come.

    To do this we also need to install two new pipes, one running 17km west and another 24km east.

    The 'pop-up' information sessions were critical in allowing us to minimise any potential disruptions in the neighbourhood.

    If you missed these sessions and still want to tell us what you think, email us at uppersouthcreek@sydneywater.com.au or call 1800 064 127.

  • Online information sessions

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    Sydney Water hosted four online information sessions to allow the community to hear more about the Upper South Creek project.

    Online session 1: Thursday 18 February 2021.

    This session was designed for community interested in the proposed Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre. This included community who live and work close to the future centre in Kemps Creek, near Mamre Road and Elizabeth Drive, and the surrounding suburbs of Badgerys Creek, Luddenham and Penrith.

    Online session 2: Friday 19 February 2021.

    This session was designed for community who live and work in Mulgoa, Wallacia and Warragamba.

    Online session 3: Monday 22 February 2021.

    This session was designed for community who live and work near the M7 and Western Sydney Parklands, Abbotsbury, Cecil Park, Cecil Hills and nearby suburbs.

    Online session 4: Tuesday 23 February 2021.

    This session was designed for community who live and work at Bonnyrigg, Bonnyrigg Heights, Busby, Cabramatta, Cabramatta West, Edensor Park, Fairfield, Lansdowne, Mount Prichard, and nearby suburbs.

  • Tell us what you think

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    Sydney Water hosted multiple community information session between 19th January 2021 to 7th February 2021, to provide an update on the project, allow members of the community to ask questions, and tell us what they think about the project.

    The proposed Advanced Water Recycling Centre at Kemps Creek, just north of Elizabeth Drive will provide essential wastewater services for the West and South West Sydney for generations to come.


    The centre will be delivered in stages to meet changing customer needs at the right time and support the community as it grows from 25,000 today to 650,000 by 2056.

    We expect the first stage to be finished in 2025. When completed in 2036, the plant will treat up to 100 million litres of wastewater daily, producing high quality recycled water that is suitable for a range of uses.



    See why our Managing Director, Roch Cheroux is seeking your early feedback about the proposed Advanced Water Recycling Centre project.

    In a letter to the community Roch explains why this project will be so important to making every drop of our water resources count to help shape a cooler, greener Western Sydney Parkland City. Read Roch’s letter to the community.

    You can also view maps and graphics in our January 2021 newsletter showing how and where the proposed Advanced Water Recycling Centre will operate. Tell us what you think by providing your feedback in this 5min survey.

  • Going beyond traditional water services in Western Sydney

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    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

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    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.


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  • Planning for growth in Western Sydney: geotechnical investigations

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    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


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Page last updated: 01 May 2025, 10:37 AM