FAQ

Western Sydney is one of the fastest growing regions in Sydney. As this region continues to grow, our approach to service the area with wastewater infrastructure is crucial for growth and development.

Greater Sydney’s population is forecast to reach 8 million people over the next 40 years, with approximately half of those people expected to be living in Western Sydney. By 2056, it is estimated 90,000 new dwellings and 200,000 jobs will be created in the Upper South Creek Catchment region.

There are currently minimal utilities and services within the area, meaning they need to be constructed before the development can begin. 

To support growth in the region, Sydney Water is delivering an Advanced Water Recycling Centre (AWRC) at Kemps Creek. The AWRC, will treat wastewater using reverse osmosis (the same technology as is used at the Sydney Water desalination plant) and will deliver sustainable wastewater services and high-quality recycled water to support a cooler, greener Western Sydney. The recycled water will be available for use for a variety of agricultural and industrial uses, contributing to the environmental flows within the surrounding creeks and rivers, protecting local waterways and aquatic ecosystems.

We are also delivering network infrastructure to transfer wastewater from the region to the new AWRC for treatment, we call this the Upper South Creek Network (USCN) program.

The USCN Program is a program made up of five wastewater infrastructure projects. The five projects are: 

• Thompsons Creek
• South Creek
• Badgerys Creek
• Cosgroves Creek and Agribusiness
• Lowes Creek.

The new wastewater infrastructure will service new development in the region, including the new Western Sydney International Airport, Bradfield City Centre and the surrounding suburbs. Sydney Water’s work will ensure a resilient and reliable water supply and to protect the environment. Our plan is aligned with the NSW Government’s vision for Greater Sydney through the Greater Sydney Water Strategy.

Badgerys Creek stage 1 project is currently being constructed and expected to be completed in 2025. This project is being delivered by the West Region Delivery Team. If you would like to find out more, please contact the team on 1300 653 817 or email westregiondelivery@sydneywater.com.au

The Upper South Creek Network Program will be progressively delivered across the 5 project areas over a 12-year period. The program as currently planned will deliver: 

• over 96km of wastewater pipelines.
• supporting infrastructure such as ventilation shafts and maintenance holes.
• nine pumping stations.

The Cosgroves Creek and Agribusiness precinct (map overleaf) is a geographic area where all the houses and businesses share the same wastewater pipe mains. Within the Cosgroves Creek and Agribusiness precinct, the wastewater pipes need to be built to connect the area to the Advanced Water Recycling Centre in Kemps Creek. The Cosgroves Creek and Agribusiness precinct includes Luddenham and parts of Greendale, Badgerys Creek and St Marys. The location of both precincts is shown in the map below.

In the Cosgroves Creek and Agribusiness project we will build three pumping stations and approximately 25km of pipeline. The proposed location of the pumping stations and pipelines are shown in the map above. 

The Cosgroves Creek and Agribusiness project will be delivered in two stages. Stage 1 includes a pump station and 13.9km of wastewater pipeline. Construction is currently expected to start in early 2025 and be completed in 2026.

Cosgroves Creek Stage 2 includes the construction of two pumping stations in North Luddenham and approximately 5.3km of wastewater pipeline. Construction is currently expected to start in 2026 and be completed in 2028. 

The Agribusiness project is currently in early design and is expected to be constructed at the same time as Cosgroves Creek Stage 2. It will include one or two pumping stations and approximately 8km of wastewater pipeline.

We will keep the community informed as the design progresses for stage 2 of the project.

The Thompsons Creek and South Creek precincts (map below) are geographical areas where all houses and businesses share the same wastewater pipe mains. Within the Thompsons Creek and South Creek precincts, new wastewater pipes will be constructed to connect the area to the Advanced Water Recycling Centre in Kemps Creek.

In the South Creek precinct, we will build one pumping station and 5km of pipeline. The proposed location of the pumping station and pipelines are shown in the map above. Construction is currently planned to start early 2025 and we aim to complete it in 2026.

In the Thompsons Creek project, we will build two pumping stations and 22km of wastewater pipeline. The proposed location of the pumping stations and pipelines are shown in the map above.

The Thompsons Creek project will be delivered in three stages. We are completing the design for stage 1 with construction currently expected to start early 2025. This stage will include a pumping station at Kemps Creek and around 9.3 km of pipeline. We aim to complete construction for stage 1 in 2026. 

We’ll keep the community informed throughout the life of the project.

Thompsons Creek stage 2 is currently planned to be constructed after the completion of stage 1, in 2026, and the design is now in progress. It will include one pumping station at Kemps Creek and 12.8 km of wastewater pipeline. We aim to complete the construction of stage 2 in 2028. 

Thompsons Creek stage 3 is currently in the early design phase. We will keep the community informed as the design progresses.

Gravity mains are large pipes that transport wastewater flow downhill by gravity. Pressure mains are the pipes that connect to a pumping station which aid the wastewater to flow uphill or over long distances.

A pumping station is a storage and collection chamber that lifts and distributes wastewater when it cannot naturally be carried by gravity from one location to another. We will build pump stations along the wastewater alignment to help the wastewater travel long-distance up to the AWRC for treatment.

The pumping station and flow of wastewater is remotely monitored and operated by our System Operation Centre through automatic controls. The team at the System Operation Centre ensures the pumps and equipment are operating safely and will be alerted to any issues at the site through an alarm system. For issues such as power outages, the System Operation Centre will activate a back-up generator. For more complicated issues, they will arrange for a team to attend site and investigate/resolve the issue as soon as possible. 

Sydney Water will develop a site specific operational and maintenance plan to manage the pump station during any periods of power and mechanical outage.

A ventilation shaft is a structure, similar to an exhaust fan, that is connected to the wastewater system that allows air to enter and exit the wastewater system, which is important to help the system work properly. 

If the wastewater system isn’t ventilated properly, a bacterium found in wastewater produces hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg) gas, which fills up the air space in wastewater pipes. The gas then turns into sulphuric acid which corrodes concrete, causing pipes and maintenance holes to deteriorate and collapse. This can cause blockages, leaks and other issues on the wastewater network. 

To reduce the risk of this happening, we need to make sure air can circulate in and out of the wastewater system. We do this by installing ventilation systems, including vent shafts.

The best way to put air into the wastewater system and reduce corrosion is to have a number of ventilation shafts along a wastewater pipe.

More information about vent shafts can be found here: https://www.sydneywater.com.au/content/dam/sydneywater/documents/ventilation-shafts.pdf 

A maintenance hole is an access point into the underground wastewater network. We use them to access, inspect and maintain the network. Most of our maintenance holes look like a round metal or concrete cover, level with the ground.

More information about maintenance holes can be found here: https://www.sydneywater.com.au/content/dam/sydneywater/documents/maintenance-holes.pdf

There are many factors that need to be considered when deciding where to put infrastructure. These include:  

• a servicing strategy completed by Sydney Water for Western Sydney to support the population growth and development in the area. 
• technical studies including geotechnical investigations, and environmental and heritage assessments to understand the area.
• future operations and maintenance activities, including avoiding sharp angles to reduce the number of maintenance holes required and the accessibility of the locations. 
• 1 in 100 year flood event modelling. Building outside of the flood level would decrease the risk of wastewater overflows during severe weather events and prevent major environmental impacts. 
• the Department of Planning and Environment Precinct Plan, which shows the location of the future roads and developments. This allows Sydney Water to plan future asset locations.  The plan can be found here: https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-03/western-sydney-aerotropolis-precinct-plan.pdf 
• Water Servicing Association of Australia’s code for determining the location of gravity and pressure wastewater infrastructure.

We have used the Water Servicing Association of Australia’s code for determining the location of the wastewater infrastructure. Under this code we are required, where possible, to avoid building in floodway and below the 1:100 year flood levels. This is to prevent wastewater overflows during wet weather. We have located the pipeline as close to the creek as possible given these restrictions. 

If your property is to be directly impacted by our wastewater pipeline, pumping station or any other infrastructure, our Community Engagement Team will contact you to arrange a time to meet with you.

To find out more about the project please or sign up for email updates visit our https://www.sydneywatertalk.com.au/uscnetworks

You can contact the project team by:

Phone: 1800 010 083

Email: uscnetworks@sydneywater.com.au 

Sydney Water may need to acquire some privately owned land and easements as part of this project. Easements may be required over land to protect the new wastewater pipeline and supporting infrastructure from damage and to ensure access for operations and maintenance where necessary. 

The locations affected by land acquisitions and easements will be determined based on the Sydney Water Guidelines for property acquisitions and easements. More information about the process is available here: https://www.sydneywater.com.au/content/dam/sydneywater/documents/property-acquistion.pdf

The Community Engagement and Property Acquisition Teams will discuss the easements and acquisitions required with the impacted property owners directly. 

If Sydney Water needs to create an easement on private property, we will work with the affected landowner to negotiate compensation under the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991 and Sydney Water’s Compensation Policy for Property Owners. 

Compensation is determined on a site-by-site basis. Details of the compensation process will be discussed with affected landowners closer to construction.

Sydney Water does not need to acquire land for pipelines. When our pipelines are in private property, they are generally designed to be of minimal impact and disruption to the use of your land. There are some instances when Sydney Water may purchase properties for large infrastructure and this is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Rezoning is determined by your local council in consultation with Department of Planning and Environment, not Sydney Water. The construction of this wastewater infrastructure will allow the land to be redeveloped, as it is required that redevelopments in this area are connected to the wastewater network.

You cannot build over easements or pressure pipes, however it is possible to build next to them. It is possible to build over some types of gravity mains, depending on size and depth. More information about building over or close to wastewater infrastructure is available here: https://www.sydneywater.com.au/content/dam/sydneywater/documents/tech-guidelines-building-over-adjacent-pipe-assets.pdf

A Review of Environmental Factors (REF) is a form of an environmental impact assessment.  Sydney Water is preparing an REF for each project that is part of the USCN Program. The REFs will assess the potential environmental impacts associated with each project and will identify mitigation measures that avoid or minimise potential impacts. For example, this can include avoiding open trenching in the environmentally sensitive or culturally significant areas by boring the pipeline underground or completing work at specific times to avoid sensitive times for the community or local fauna. 

These REFs will be prepared in accordance with Part 5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

Sydney Water is committed to providing the best outcomes for the environment and will have environmental measures in place to reduce impacts. The importance of trees and green spaces in our community, which provide shade and help cool our urban areas, cannot be underestimated.

During the design phase and construction planning, we’ll investigate ways to reduce impacts to vegetation communities, including choosing non-disruptive methods of construction, such as boring under the vegetation.

We will aim to keep the noise and vibration impact during construction to a minimum. We will do this by doing any noisy work required during regular working hours and choosing construction methods which produce less noise and vibrations. We will also provide notice of unavoidable, noisy work to impacted landowners well in advance, so they are able to plan for the disruptions.

As this project progresses, our team will discuss any property specific impact with you. For some work, the project team will prepare a home plan with each impacted landowner which will outline all work and the access requirements for the property eg: providing notice so that stock can be moved between fields.

Before we start construction, we will review the design and include features aimed at reducing or removing odour coming from the pipeline and pumping stations, such as passive vent filters. Once the pumping stations have been built, we will test for odour using handheld equipment and sensors to ensure there is no odour which may impact surrounding residents. If we detect a problem, we will investigate the cause and implement a suitable solution.

Sydney Water will be responsible for the maintenance of all new infrastructure including pumping stations, gravity main and pressure mains. We do not maintain any private services such as septic tanks.

For more information, please visit https://www.sydneywater.com.au/water-the-environment/how-we-manage-sydneys-water/wastewater-network.html

If you would like your property to be connected to the new Sydney Water wastewater system, you will need to submit an application with a water servicing coordinator. A water servicing coordinator can help with your application to connect to the Sydney Water pipeline.

For more information or contact details for Water Coordinators please visit https://www.sydneywater.com.au/plumbing-building-developing/provider-information/listed-providers/water-servicing-coordinators.html

The new wastewater infrastructure will benefit the community by providing wastewater collection to support the growing population and development of the region and provide protection of public health and the community by reducing the risk of wastewater being released into our waterways.

The Community Engagement Team will be having one-on-one meetings with the directly impacted landowners. If you are one of these landowners, this meeting will be an opportunity for you to learn about the work proposed on your property and ask questions about the project.

 If you are not a directly impacted landowner and you have questions, you can contact the Community Engagement Team by calling us on 1800 010 083 or email uscnetworks@sydneywater.com.au

To find out more about the project visit our Sydney Water Talk Page, www.sydneywatertalk.com.au/uscnetworks  

You can contact the project team by:

Phone: 1800 010 083

Email: uscnetworks@sydneywater.com.au

If you would like to receive updates about the project, you can sign up for updates at www.sydneywatertalk.com.au/uscnetworks

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