Monitoring our wastewater systems

Reducing wastewater's environmental impact

We aim to reduce the impact of our wastewater systems on the environment. To achieve this, we need to carefully monitor and analyse the effects of our system, and adhere to strict guidelines set by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

Environmental protection licences

Monitoring plan

Interpretive reports

Yearly data reports

Environmental protection licences

Each wastewater treatment system has an environmental protection licence for water resource recovery facilities. These are developed with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The licence specifies the performance standards and tests we need to do. We test for all licences under the Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program and report the results to the NSW EPA every year.

Monitoring plan

We have a monitoring plan that sets out how to check for environmental impacts from our wastewater systems. Our monitoring plan for the Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program (20MB) has been developed with and endorsed by the NSW EPA.

Interpretive reports

We produce reports for the Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program at set intervals. These provide a more in-depth look at the longer-term performance trends of our wastewater systems. 

2019-20 interpretive report

2016–17 interpretive report

2013–14 interpretive report

Yearly data reports

We produce Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program data reports in between interpretive reports. These provide a check on environmental impacts.

To request past Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program data reports, email epareports@sydneywater.com.au.