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Frequently asked questions
What is the Metropolitan Water Plan?
The Metropolitan Water Plan is the NSW Government's long-term plan to secure Sydney's water supply.
The Plan ensures that through a mix of measures we can now be sure that Sydney, Illawarra and the Blue Mountains have:
- more than enough water to meet its needs to at least 2015
- a level of drought-readiness that no other government in Australia has ever provided,
The Plan includes Australia's largest water savings program and one of the country's largest recycling schemes.
Who is responsible for securing Sydney's water supply?
The NSW Government is working in partnership with households, schools, councils, businesses and farms through a number of agencies to help secure Sydney’s water future.
These agencies include:
- NSW Office of Water
- Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water
- Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal
- NSW Health
- Sydney Catchment Authority
- Sydney Water
Together, they are responsible for delivering the key initiatives contained within the Plan.
What are the key initiatives?
- More recycling schemes that will bring the volume of recycled water to more than 70 billion litres a year by 2015 and 100 billion litres by 2032.
- More water savings measures across all sectors including washing machine and rainwater tank rebates, and many other programs and incentives to reduce water consumption in business, agriculture, government, schools and households.
- Increasing supply by building a desalination plant, powered from 100% renewable energy sources, and accessing deep dam water.
- Improving catchment and river health through a multi-pronged plan to improve the health of the Hawkesbury–Nepean River, including releasing flows from dams, reducing nutrient loads and controlling water extractions.
What if circumstances change to affect the demand/supply balance?
It is inevitable that the factors that determine supply and demand for water, such as population and technologies, will change over time so the Metropolitan Water Plan is based on an adaptive management approach.
Under an adaptive management approach, plans are regularly reviewed and investments are made on the basis of the best available knowledge without locking out future innovation.
One example of adaptive management is the Government's investment in readiness to construct groundwater bores at short notice, in the event of severe or extreme drought.
Who will review the Plan and when?
The Government has established the new Metropolitan Water Independent Review Panel to provide expert advice and input into the review of the Metropolitan Water Plan every four years and the development of future iterations of the Plan. The implementation of the Plan is monitored, evaluated and adapted as required.
What consultation has there been about the Plan?
There has been extensive community discussion about the key elements of the Plan. The Plan builds on earlier community processes, such as the Healthy Rivers Commission Inquiry and the Hawkesbury-Nepean River Management Forum.
The Government regularly surveys the community on its attitudes to environmental issues generally, and particularly water matters.
How do we know the Plan is enough to secure Sydney's water future?
The Government commissioned Professor Stuart White of the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney and Mr David Campbell of ACIL Tasman to provide expert advice on Sydney's water supply and demand balance.
The independent experts confirmed that we have adequate supplies:
- to meet Sydney's water normal water needs as it grows over time until 2015 and beyond
- to secure water supplies in the face of drought.
The Government endorses the broad findings and recommended directions in the consultant's report and has based this 2006 Plan on those findings and directions.