Building and development
Within Greater Sydney's drinking water catchment.
Protecting water quality
We provide advice and guidance for new development applications within the Greater Sydney drinking water catchment.
Councils and developers
We have a range of resources to assist with development assessments and activities.
Every year there is a range of new residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural development and activities in Greater Sydney's drinking water catchment.
All proposed developments in this catchment are required to have a neutral or beneficial effect on water quality (NorBE).
A NorBE is satisfied if the development:
- has no identifiable potential impact on water quality, or
- will contain any water quality impact on the development site and prevent it from reaching any watercourse, waterbody or drainage depression on the site, or
- will transfer any water quality impact outside the site where it is treated and disposed of to standards approved by the consent authority.
Councils in the catchment carry out NorBE assessments for development applications (DAs) that have a lower risk to water quality and refer more complex DAs to WaterNSW for concurrence.
All public authorities, such as government departments, are also required to consider whether the activity would have a NorBE.
The following aims to help you understand how you can meet the water quality requirements for your development proposal:
WaterNSW acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on which we work and pay our respects to all elders past, present and emerging. Learn more