Sydney Water and its delivery partner, John Holland, have laid down the first section of 40km of pipeline network for the $1.2 billion Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre (AWRC).
Following the driest winter in 37 years, the treated water pipeline is expected to play a major role in waterway health and resilience by carrying high-quality treated water to the Nepean River at Wallacia to provide environmental flows.
Sydney Water has said that this will help protect river ecosystems that continue to come under significant pressure from climatic changes and developments within the catchment, and that the high-quality treated water will help reduce weeds and the frequency of algal blooms.
Three sections of pipe have been laid in Cabramatta and Wallacia, marking a critical milestone in the delivery of treated water and wastewater for the Western Sydney Growth Area.
The $300 million underground pipeline network will carry by-products from the wastewater resource recovery facility being built at Kemp’s Creek and extend east to Lansdowne and west to Wallacia.
Two separate pipelines are currently being installed. One is a treated water line using steel pipe, which will carry high-quality treated water to the Nepean River.
The other is a brine pipeline, installed using PVC pipe, which will transfer waste product to Sydney Water’s existing wastewater network at Lansdowne.
Sydney Water Delivery Manager, Darren Wharton said that the facility and associated pipelines is a significant step forward in the sustainable development of Sydney’s Western Parkland City.
“The Upper South Creek AWRC will supply wastewater services to 400,000 people in the rapidly growing Western Sydney Aerotropolis Growth Area,” Mr Wharton said.
“This pipeline will ensure the facility once operational will service parts of the Camden, Penrith and Liverpool LGAs, to help cater for growth until 2056, enabling jobs and services throughout southwest Sydney.”
John Holland Construction Manager, Aidan O’Driscoll, said that the facility will be a game-changer for South-west Sydney’s rapidly expanding population.
“John Holland is proud to be working with a group of experienced pipeline contractors to build more than 40km of pipeline,” Mr O’Driscoll said.
“This project will produce high quality treated water for Sydney’s rivers and waterways.”
The pipeline network and Upper South Creek Advanced Water Recycling plant are due to be operational in 2026.
Featured image: Works underway on the pipeline. Image credit: Sydney Water.
