Managing drinking water quality

Drought, bushfires and heavy rain have the potential to affect the quality of water in our dams. These events, while rare, can cause higher than normal levels of algae, sediment, organic material, ash and micro-organisms in the dams.

Fortunately, Sydney's water treatment facilities and monitoring systems are world class and are continually being improved to cope with these challenges.

In the rare case where water quality is threatened, measures are quickly put in place to prevent contaminated water reaching customers.

Water can be drawn from multiple supply sources around Sydney and from different depths in many of the dams to avoid contaminated water.

Water filtration plants have treatment targets that are considered world's best-practice and in the extreme can be shut down for short periods if the source water becomes untreatable. Water can then be supplied from another source.

The latest water quality information is provided six days a week in daily and quarterly reports.

In the unlikely event that there are concerns about drinking water quality, Sydney Water and NSW Health have protocols in place to issue clear public advice on drinking water quality.