Wilton New Town
The Wilton area will experience considerable population growth in the coming years. Development in this area will require significant water and wastewater related infrastructure to service up to a total of 15,000 homes by 2047.
To support growth in the area, Sydney Water will stage the delivery of essential drinking water, recycled water and wastewater infrastructure services.
This includes:
upgrading the treatment process and capacity of the existing Bingara Gorge Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF)
upgrading the existing Macarthur Water Filtration Plant to increase its capacity
8 wastewater pumping stations
1 drinking water pumping station
1 recycled water pumping station
3 drinking water reservoirs
1 recycled water reservoir
about 87 km of wastewater, drinking water and recycled water pipelines.
Existing wastewater and recycled water services
We currently provide wastewater services to Wilton Village and the Bingara Gorge estate as part of the Wilton Wastewater Scheme. Wastewater from homes and businesses is treated at the Bingara Gorge WRRF to produce high quality recycled water, which is used to irrigate the Bingara Gorge Golf Course and it is provided as recycled water to the Bingara Gorge estate.
Recycled water is also provided to homes and businesses in the Bingara Gorge estate through a separate supply system and pipelines for residential use (flushing toilets, watering gardens and washing laundry in a washing machine).
Next steps – a staged approach
The water and wastewater infrastructure for the Wilton Growth Area will be delivered progressively over three stages, to meet the needs of Wilton’s gradual growing population.
Stage 1
Planning for the future will form part of Stage 1. Sydney Water will plan the approach for long-term water and wastewater servicing to meet growth to 2047 and beyond, as well as deliver the interim servicing plan.
The work planned as part of Stage 1 to service a total of 4000 dwellings will deliver water and wastewater services for the initial stages of residential development in South East Wilton, North Wilton and the Bingara Gorge Estate.
The work includes:
a drinking water reservoir, trunk and distribution pipelines
a recycled water reservoir, pumping station and pipelines
2 wastewater pumping stations and associated gravity and pressure sewerage pipelines that connect to the Bingara Gorge WRRF
upgrading the Bingara Gorge WRRF to 2.1 ML/d, as well as the recycled water irrigation scheme, to increase its capacity to service development in the area.
New wastewater services will be provided to the Wilton Growth Area by both gravity and pressure sewerage systems. The type of wastewater service used will depend on the terrain and other factors. Using a combination of these two types of wastewater systems will reduce the size and number of pumping stations that are needed, and construction can be staged to support growth in the area.
In the short term, 400-500 new homes across the north and south east areas of Wilton as well as the new Wilton Town Centre will be serviced by interim wastewater tankering until completion of the upgrade of the Bingara Gorge WRRF in 2027.
We may need to establish interim recycled water solutions for the Wilton Growth Area while the Bingara Gorge WRRF is being upgraded. As part of this, we'll consider and assess additional recycled water storage and irrigation options within the development area.
We'll maximise recycled water use within Stage 1 of the Wilton Growth Area by supplying recycled water through a dual pipe system to homes and businesses, and for irrigating local parks and green space. Recycled water is a valuable resource that helps to reduce the volume of wastewater and nutrient loads discharged to local waterways. It also provides an alternative water source during periods of drought or low rainfall to make sure we have resilient and liveable cities as our population grows and our climate changes.
Construction of Stage 1 is expected to start mid 2025, pending approvals, and is estimated to be completed in 2027.
Stages 2 and 3
Stage 2 of the Wilton Growth Area is in the planning phase and will link with our broader plans for servicing in the Greater Macarthur region. The objective is to provide cost-effective and timely services across the region in a way that respects and protects the local environment.
We expect that Stage 3 servicing will be completed by 2047. We will provide updates on Stage 3 as the project progresses.