Residential
Households in Greater Sydney use around 70 per cent of our water. Replacing recycled water for things like toilet flushing, water gardens and car washing, could really help to reduce demand for drinking water.
You can help to play your part in securing Sydney's water supply by using greywater to water your garden - the wastewater from our showers, baths, spas, hand basins, laundry tubs and washing machines - can help save around 400 litres of fresh water each day. The NSW Government has made it easier for individual homes to take up water recycling by simplifying the approval process for household greywater diversion systems. To read about the process, download a copy of the NSW Guidelines for Greywater Reuse in Sewered, Single Household Residential Premises.
The Government is also providing education and training to councils, industry and households on the latest rules for greywater recycling.
Currently, the best opportunity for large scale water recycling is in new suburbs where recycled water pipelines can be constructed at the same time as drinking water mains. This is often referred to as dual reticulation, meaning two sets of pipes - one for drinking water and one for recycled water.
Already Sydney has Australia’s largest residential recycled scheme at Rouse Hill, In addition to this, homes are also being serviced by dual reticulation at Homebush Bay and two new schemes are under construction at Hoxton Park and Ropes Crossing at St Marys.
As part of the 2006 Metropolitan Water Plan, the Western Sydney Recycled Water Initiative will also provide recycled water via dual reticulation to all 160,000 new homes in western Sydney's new suburbs, as well as for agriculture, industry and putting water back into rivers.
To find out more visit the Sydney Water website or view Chapter 5 of the Plan.
Recycled water via dual reticulation will be supplied to all 160,000 new homes in western Sydney's new suburbs.