Refresh Vaucluse and Diamond Bay

After nearly three years of planning, Sydney Water has started preparing to construct the Refresh Vaucluse and Diamond Bay project.

This project will put an end to the continuous discharge of untreated wastewater.

We will start site investigations from Thursday, 25 November 2021. This work is expected to take two weeks to complete, weather permitting.

We’ll need to work in Oceanview Avenue, Kimberley Street and Eastern Avenue Reserve to identify the location of utilities as we plan for construction.

Our work will include:

• digging within the road and road verge along Oceanview Avenue

• digging within Eastern Avenue Reserve

• digging at the rear of 33 Kimberley Street

• restoring the impacted areas.

We know our work can be disruptive, so we’ll make every effort to reduce any impact this work may have on you.

Sydney Water will be constructing a new pumping station at Parsley Bay, which will be located at the site of the existing amenities block.

Together with the Architects and Woollahra Council, we developed the concept for the new amenities in Parsley Bay, which we plan to locate within the ground floor of the Caretakers Cottage.

Please see the latest community newsletter, featuring an artist impression of the new facilities and the concept design floor plans for your information.

Since the publication of the Decision Report last year, we have been focusing on Parsley Bay, predominantly the new amenities block.

The feedback we have received so far shows just how important Parsley Bay is to the local community and we’re working hard to ensure that we minimise the impact our work will have on the surrounding community and the long term amenity of the reserve.

The latest newsletter, which can be found here, will provide you with an update on where we’re up to and next steps.

We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with Comdain Infrastructure and WSP on the Refresh Vaucluse and Diamond Bay project. Together, we’ll refresh the wastewater system in Vaucluse, Dover Heights and Diamond Bay to put an end to the continuous discharge of untreated wastewater into the ocean.

By re-directing wastewater flows from these catchments to the nearby Bondi treatment plant, we’re protecting the health of the community and marine ecology by reducing the impact to the ocean by at least 93%.

Detailed construction design has kicked off with community consultation as its cornerstone. During this stage, the delivery contractor will be looking to optimise the project's design with a view to further reducing impact to the community and environment.

Construction of this exciting project is expected to commence next year.

We’re stopping the continuous discharge of untreated wastewater into our ocean.

From Watsons Bay to Dover Heights, the wastewater system is out-of-date. The wastewater we collect is not treated, instead it flows directly into the ocean at three points along the cliff -face. It’s time we fixed the system.

Back in June we released our Review of Environmental Factors (REF), which looked at the environmental impacts of the work we need to do to divert the wastewater system to the treatment plant in Bondi.

We asked for community feedback and we received 33 written submissions. These submissions and our responses to the issues raised have been compiled into a Decision Report, which is now available to download.

However, in responding to these submissions, we did more than just write a report. We also got our technical team back in to do some more investigating. We wanted to make sure that we didn’t just listen to what you had to say but also, act on it.

Parsley Bay

Following the submissions, we had another look at the new pump station at Parsley Bay. We spoke to surrounding residents and to Woollahra Council and have come up with a new design.

We have changed the layout of the pump station in Parsley Bay to minimise its impact on the surrounding vegetation and rocky terrain. This is in line with community and Council expectations.

You can read more in Section 3 of the Decision Report.

We're one step closer to changing history!

Below the cliffs of Vaucluse and Diamond Bay, wastewater flows directly into the ocean untreated and this is no longer acceptable. It’s time for change and we’re continuing to work to ensure this iconic area of Sydney gets the clean, blue backyard it deserves.

After years of planning, we’ve landed a solution that has the support of the local and wider Sydney community. Our solution will see wastewater diverted away from the ocean and sent to a nearby treatment plant in Bondi, maximising the use of Sydney Water’s existing network while keeping construction and environmental impacts to a minimum. We still need to build new infrastructure, but it’s just enough to get the job done.

We’ve been assessing the potential construction and environmental impacts of building this solution. This work is now complete and we have a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) for you to look at.

Head to the document library on the right to read our latest newsletter, providing an overview of the proposed solution and download the full REF.

Meet the team
With physical distancing in place, we have opted to host three virtual community information sessions. If you have some questions and would like to speak to the project team, please join one of our Zoom sessions.

• Tuesday 16 June, 5.30pm to 7pm
• Thursday 18 June, 5.30pm to 7pm
• Wednesday 24 June, 5.30pm to 7pm

To register, go to https://refreshvdb-informationsession.eventbrite.com

Make a submission

As this is a formal process, please send your written submissions to vauclusediamondbay@sydneywater.com.au by Sunday 28 June 2020.