Desalination

Providing up to 15% of our water needs from 2009-10

Sydney's rainfall is highly variable and there is the possibility that we could face more droughts in the future. It makes sense then to balance our dams and water recycling with a source of water that doesn’t rely on rain.

Sydney’s desalination plant will provide up to 15% of our water. Water will be supplied from the summer of 2009-10.

The plant will be 100% powered by renewable energy. Once treated by reverse osmosis technology, water from the plant will travel through an 18 kilometre pipeline from Kurnell to join the city water supply at Erskineville.

Here’s how the plant and the pipeline are moving ahead:

• The plant is over 80% complete, and is on track to supply up to 250 million litres of water a day in the summer of 2009-10.
• Construction of the 18 kilometre pipeline is well underway from 20 work sites.
• The plant and pipes have been designed so that the plant can be quickly upgraded to provide up to 500 million litres a day if needed.

More information on desalination is in the 2008 Progress Report, or you can visit the Sydney Water website where you can also view short animations of the desalination process.