Sydney Water, formally the Sydney Water Corporation, is a New South Wales Governmentowned statutory corporation that provides potable drinking water, wastewater and some stormwater services to Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains regions, in the Australian state of New South Wales.
History
The origins of Sydney Water go back to 26 March 1888 when the
Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Amendment Act, 1888 was enacted and repealed certain sections of the
Sydney Corporation Act, 1879 relating to water supply and sewerage, thereby transferring the property, powers and obligations from the Municipal Council to the Board of Water Supply and Sewerage.
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During 2023 New South Wales state election, confidential documents from KPMG and Clayton Utz regarding the privatisation of Sydney Water were made public. Dominic Perrottet, who was the Treasurer at the time had previously declared in March 2020 that he had no plans to even do a study on privatisation, but the documents revealed that studies had taken place in January 2020 and later in November 2021, with the reporting making it clear the study was done due to direct pressure from the Government.
Name changes
The forebears of Sydney Water include:
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Board of Water Supply and Sewerage (18881892)
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Metropolitan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage (18921925)
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Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board (19251987)
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Water Board (19871994)
[ which had also been the colloquial name for the organisation for much of its history in the 20th century, and persists among longer term employees and older members of the community to this day
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Sydney Water Corporation Limited (19951999)
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Sydney Water Corporation (1999present) – with "Limited" being dropped when the corporation changed from a state-owned limited company to a statutory state-owned corporation.
Water supply management
Sydney Water's management received extensive criticism following the 1998 Sydney water crisis regarding what was believed to be the large scale contamination of Sydney's raw water supply. The supposed contamination was heightened levels of cryptosporidium and giardia in Sydney's Warragamba Dam. This meant the public had to take extra steps in their own homes to ensure tap water was safe to drink.
On 1 January 2015, The Sydney Catchment Authority was merged with State Water Corporation to form WaterNSW so that WaterNSW is now the supplier of raw water to Sydney Water.
In June 2022, Sydney Water started working with decentralised greywater recycling system producer Hydraloop for reducing water use.
Water restrictions
Since June 2019 Sydney Water replaced water restrictions with Water Wise Rules. The Rules are:
Level 1 water restrictions (subject to change at any time by NSW Government)
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All hoses must now have a trigger nozzle.
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Handheld hoses, sprinklers, and watering systems may be used only before 10 am and after 4 pm on any day – to avoid the heat of the day
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No hosing of hard surfaces such as paths and driveways (spot cleaning hazards allowed). Washing vehicles is allowed.
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Fire hoses may be used for fire fighting activities only.
Commercial Businesses who use water in the course of their activities are required to apply for a permit, it's free and can be done via the internet or over the phone on 13 20 92, penalties may apply if caught working without a permit.
NSW government have empowered Sydney Water Community Water Officers the authority to impose fines of $220 for violations of the rules for individuals, $550 for businesses, and $2,200 for individuals and $4,400 for businesses water theft. Rules are enforced by Sydney Water staff known as Community Water Officers through random checks and intelligence gathered from the community.
Headquarters and influence
Sydney Water, and its predecessors, had for virtually all of its existence dating back to the 19th century, been located in the Sydney central business district at the corner of Pitt Street and Bathurst streets, directly above Town Hall railway station. The central location of Sydney Water in Sydney reflected the organisation's strategic significance as the lead organisation in planning Sydney's growth and future expansion. Without water services, no residential or business growth could occur in Sydney, the Illawarra or Blue Mountains.
Sydney Water's headquarters were relocated to Parramatta in May 2009.
The developer, Brookfield Multiplex, valued the new Parramatta headquarters project at A$176 million.
The main suburban offices throughout Sydney were all closed in the mid-2000s, including offices at Blacktown, Rockdale, Liverpool and Chatswood, with services consolidated to the Headquarters for efficiency. The Rockdale office was opened in 1990 and closed in 2004
Desalination
In early 2010 operations of the Sydney Desalination Plant began;
Land Ownership
Sydney Water is the owner of numerous parklands and public areas in Sydney. Local councils and sporting facilities typically license or lease these properties from Sydney Water, in order to enable public use. Many sites are on land that are part of the historic Botany Water Reserves. Properties currently owned by Sydney Water include:
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Bonnie Doon Golf Club, Pagewood
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The Lakes Golf Club, Eastlakes
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Eastlake Golf Club, Daceyville
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Mutch Park, Pagewood
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Astrolabe Park, Daceyville
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Linear Park, Mascot
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Gardens-R-Us (closed), Eastlakes
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The Old Como railway bridge
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The Centennial Park Reservoir
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The Woollahra Reservoir
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The Hyde Park Obelisk
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Gilgandra Reserve, North Bondi
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Niblick Street Reserve, North Bondi
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Wolli Creek Regional Park
Executives
From 1888 to 1987, Sydney Water and its predecessors were managed by the president, who effectively served as chair of the board and managing director. However, with the passing of the Water Board Act, 1987, the roles were split between an executive managing director and a non-executive chairman of the board.
Presidents, 1888–1987
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| 1 | Thomas Rowe | 26 March 1888 – 24 March 1892 | |
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| 2 | Cecil West Darley | 24 March 1892 – 20 March 1896 | |
| – | Thomas Rowe | 20 March 1896 – 14 January 1899 | |
| 3 | Jacob Garrard | 24 January 1899 – 22 March 1904 | |
| 4 | Thomas William Keele | 22 March 1904 – 22 March 1908 | |
| 5 | William James Millner | 22 March 1908 – 31 March 1925 | |
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| 6 | Thomas Bryce Cooper | 31 March 1925 – 30 April 1935 | |
| 7 | Thomas Haynes Upton | 30 April 1935 – 15 April 1955 | [T. F. C. Lawrence, 'Upton, Thomas Haynes (1889–1956)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/upton-thomas-haynes-11902/text21319, published first in hardcopy 2002, accessed online 13 June 2020.] |
| 8 | John Goodsell | 15 April 1955 – 23 September 1960 | [Ross Curnow, 'Goodsell, Sir John William (Jack) (1906–1981)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/goodsell-sir-john-william-jack-12553/text22597, published first in hardcopy 2007, accessed online 13 June 2020.] |
| 9 | Stanley Haviland | 23 September 1960 – 22 September 1965 | [Jack Watson, 'Haviland, Stanley (1899–1972)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/haviland-stanley-10455/text18543, published first in hardcopy 1996, accessed online 13 June 2020.] |
| 10 | Edwin James Walder | 22 September 1965 – 15 October 1981 | |
| 11 | Eric George Warrell | 15 October 1981 – 16 June 1987 | |
Managing Directors, 1987–date
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| 1 | Robert Ernest Wilson | 23 October 1987 – 2 April 1993 | |
| 2 | Paul Anthony Broad | 5 April 1993 – 31 December 1994 | |
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| – | Paul Anthony Broad | 1 January 1995 – 29 September 1997 | |
| 3 | Christopher Pollett | 29 September 1997 – 19 August 1998[Acting to 21 November 1997.] | |
| 4 | Warren Hart | 19 August 1998 – 16 November 1998[Acting to 1 September 1998.] | |
| 5 | Alex Walker | 16 November 1998 – 30 November 2002 | |
| – | Ron Quill (Acting) | 30 November 2002 – 26 May 2003 | |
| 6 | Gregory Francis Robinson | 26 May 2003 – 26 February 2004 | |
| 7 | William David Evans | 27 February 2004 – 1 August 2006[Acting to 1 April 2004.] | |
| 8 | Kerry Schott | 2 August 2006 – 1 August 2011 | |
| 9 | Kevin Young | 1 August 2011 – 31 July 2019 | |
| 10 | Roch Cheroux | 2 September 2019 – 28 March 2025 | |
| – | Paul Plowman (Acting) | 28 March 2025 – present | |
Chairs, 1987–date
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| 1 | David Anthony Harley | 19 October 1988 – 15 September 1992 | |
| 2 | John McMurtrie | February 1993 – 31 December 1994 | |
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| – | John McMurtrie | 1 January 1995 – 21 November 1997 | |
| 3 | David Hill | 21 November 1997 – August 1998 | |
| 4 | Gabrielle Kibble | August 1998 – 31 May 2007 | |
| 5 | Thomas Gregory Parry | 1 June 2007 – 30 September 2013 | |
| 6 | Bruce Morgan | 1 October 2013 – 30 September 2021 | |
| 7 | Grant King | 1 October 2021 – 30 September 2024 | |
| 8 | Niall Blair | 1 October 2024 – present | |
Coat of arms
External links
