The taps have been turned on for Australia’s largest urban stormwater recycling project, which will see up to 320 million litres of stormwater recycled in Sydney homes and parks each year.  

Positioned above a major stormwater flow path, Sydney’s new Green Square town centre is the perfect location for a recycled stormwater scheme.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the $8 million scheme will stop up to 900,000 litres of polluted water from flowing into waterways each day. Instead, the treated stormwater will be used in washing machines, to flush toilets and in parks and gardens.

“Once this scheme is up and running, we expect the area’s consumption of drinking water will be reduced by half – a significant saving during this current drought,” the Lord Mayor said.
 
“Not only will we be saving water, but reducing costs as well – it’s expected water bills will be cut for residents and businesses by 10 cents a kilolitre.”

Stormwater will be harvested from the 2km drain that runs underground from Epsom Road in Zetland to Alexandra Canal and pumped into a treatment plant at the former South Sydney Hospital site on Joynton Avenue.
 
The water will then be treated by a combination of high-tech ultrafiltration, which removes solids and pathogens, and reverse osmosis, which reduces its salt concentration, before being sent to two 500,000L underground storage tanks.
 
From there, the recycled water will be distributed around the town centre via a network of purpose-built purple pipes. Existing residential and City-owned buildings are already connected to the scheme and new buildings throughout the area will be connected as they are completed.
 
The City contracted Flow Systems to build the scheme, and it will be operated by their private water utility, Green Square Water.

Moore said the scheme should encourage other local governments to think big when it comes to water sensitive urban design.

“This ‘taps on’ moment in Green Square is a very significant milestone for local governments across Australia. It shows that it’s possible to become a water sensitive city and to set – and achieve – the most ambitious sustainability goals in major urban developments like Green Square,” she said.
 
“Growing populations and high density living calls for an increased demand for water, not only to drink but to flush toilets, wash clothes, water gardens and irrigate parks.
 
“By treating polluted water so it can be used again, we are able to conserve our previous water supplies and prevent polluted water from flowing into our waterways.”

When fully developed, the 278-hectare Green Square urban renewal area will accommodate close to 61,000 people living in 30,500 new homes.
 
The City of Sydney is spending $540 million on extensive infrastructure and streetscaping works across the precinct, as well as new community facilities including a library and plaza, aquatic centre, creative centre and a childcare centre. Once complete, Green Square will also be home to 40 new parks.

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