PFAS

Sydney Water and NSW Health have advised Sydney's drinking water is compliant with the existing Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and is safe to drink.

Learn more at nsw.gov.au/pfas

PFAS are emerging, man made contaminants that are persistent in the environment. They are commonly found in and around populated areas throughout Australia and internationally, because of their widespread use in everyday consumer products.

Testing and investigations

Blue Mountains

Learn more about the Blue Mountains PFAS investigation and raw water testing results.

Greater Sydney

View raw water PFAS testing results for Greater Sydney.

Fish River scheme

View testing results for the Fish River water supply scheme.

What are PFAS?

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals. They've been widely used in industrial and consumer products since the 1950s, as they are effective at resisting heat, stains, grease and water.

They can be found in everyday products like carpets, non-stick cookware, food packaging, cosmetics, sunscreen, clothing, pesticides and fertilisers. Some PFAS have also been used in fire-fighting foams.

Their resistance to heat, stains, grease and water also means that they don't break down fully in the environment and can travel long distances in water.

Increased environmental levels of PFAS have been found near some industrial sites, airports, defence bases and other locations in Australia.

PFAS chemicals are not added to drinking water but can be present in water at very low concentrations due to contamination from various external sources in the environment and everyday consumer products.

Read more about PFAS at the Water Services Association of Australia website or the Environment Protection Authority website.

PFAS and drinking water

WaterNSW supplies untreated water, sometimes described as 'raw water' or 'source water', to Sydney Water and some councils around NSW, who then treat and supply the water to your tap.The Fish River Water Supply System near Oberon is an exception. Learn more about WaterNSW's role.

All water supplied as drinking water in Australia must meet the existing Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. Existing guidelines specify that:

For PFOS and PFHxS, the limit is a combined total of less than 0.07 micrograms per litre (µg/L).
For PFOA, the limit is less than 0.56 µg/L.

For most people, drinking water is sourced from well-protected, often pristine catchments, or it goes through multiple barrier treatment processes.

Proposed guidelines

On Monday 21 October 2024, the National Health and Medical Research Centre (NHMRC) released proposed guidelines which outline new and lower recommended trigger values of PFAS in our drinking water. Read more at nsw.gov.au/pfas

Importantly, the National Health and Medical Research Centre (NHMRC) has confirmed that our drinking water remains safe to drink while it meets existing drinking water guidelines.

NHMRC advice is that while the guideline values proposed are lower than those currently in place, that does not mean there is an immediate risk to your health if you continue to drink tap water.

WaterNSW will work with the NSW Government on implementation of the revised guideline levels as required.

Australian Drinking Water Guidelines apply to water treated for human consumption and do not apply to raw water, or source water, before it’s treated, and found in the dams.

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines set strict health-based guideline limits for numerous contaminants, including PFAS among many other things. Potential health risks from PFAS relate to drinking water over a lifetime, as it accumulates in trace amounts in the body over a long period, from numerous sources. PFAS generally does not pose short/medium term health risks.

The current Australian Drinking Water Guidelines values for PFAS are already very low. The proposed change has been instigated by national health regulators as a precautionary move, as global scientific understanding of PFAS continues to evolve.

The NHMRC used conservative assumptions in setting these proposed new values to ensure even small risks are addressed.These miniscule, trace amounts of PFAS are so low they are barely detectable.

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and the continual expert review process are part of our rigorous, independent and scientific system that helps keep drinking water safe.

How is WaterNSW responding?

PFAS were detected by Sydney Water on the outlet of the Cascade Water Filtration Plant in June 2024. All treated water samples were below the levels required by the existing Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, and NSW Health and Sydney Water have confirmed the water supplied from the Cascade Water Filtration Plant to local communities meets the existing Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and is safe to consume. Learn more about Sydney Water's findings and monitoring.

WaterNSW is working on short and longer term solutions to bring that system into line with the rest of Sydney’s water supply.

WaterNSW:

Conducted subsequent investigative testing of untreated, raw water targeting the five Blue Mountains dams in July, which supply the Cascade Water Filtration Plant, with elevated levels identified in Medlow Dam.
Disconnected Medlow Dam and Greaves Creek Dam from supply as a precautionary measure.
Commenced targeted PFAS-related investigations so any risks continue to be managed appropriately.
Commenced transfers of water from Oberon Dam to the Blue Mountains damson 30 September 2024 to help with the dilution of PFAS levels in the Cascade dams. This short to medium-term response has the potential to bring the Cascades Water Filtration Plant to within the proposed new Australian Drinking Water Guideline values, if they are adopted, by mid-2025.
Is publishing raw water monitoring data from the Blue Mountains dams, monthly.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sydney's water safe to drink?

Sydney Water and NSW Health have advised Sydney’s drinking water is compliant with the existing Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) and is safe to drink. For NSW Government information on PFAS visit www.nsw.gov.au/pfas.

For most people, drinking water is sourced from well-protected, often pristine catchments, and water goes through multiple levels of testing to ensure it is safe and meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

WaterNSW supplies untreated water, sometimes described as 'raw water' or 'source water', to Sydney Water and councils around NSW who then treat and supply the water to your tap. The Fish River Water Supply System is an exception. This process of testing and treating the ‘source water’ we supply is rigorous, ensuring that drinking water that comes out of your tap is safe and meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

The thorough scientific process for setting the guidelines helps maintain high quality drinking water for all Australians. Australia has some of the highest quality drinking water compared to anywhere else in the world.

How is the Sydney drinking water catchment monitored?

Sydney’s drinking water catchment is 16,000 square kilometres – about half the size of Belgium.

Water quality monitoring across the catchment follows a targeted, risk-based approach to help ensure the treated water supplied for consumption meets the existing Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. Consistent with the government regulatory frameworks, the approach is based on expert advice from NSW Health and other authorities such as the Environment Protection Authority.

Does WaterNSW test for PFAS?

WaterNSW monitors many water quality parameters over a very large area across the Greater Sydney catchment and dams. This includes extensive water testing and real time monitoring 24/7. Each month thousands of data points are collected and evaluated continually for the management of source water quality.

When testing for PFAS, WaterNSW takes a targeted, risk-based approach, based on based on expert advice from NSW Health and other authorities such as the Environment Protection Authority.

How do you sample and test?

WaterNSW has highly-experienced field staff and expert water quality scientists undertaking sampling and analysis.

Sampling, collection and transport are conducted by highly-skilled professionals with strict protocols in place. Our partner labs have detailed steps that must be followed to ensure accurate analysis of our samples. This is essential to ensure that samples are not contaminated by everyday items that contain PFAS such as outdoor clothing, makeup, and sunscreen. Our monitoring teams are ISO 9001 certified, and all partner laboratories are NATA accredited.

WaterNSW is a highly regulated organisation and subject to extensive external regulatory oversight. This ensures WaterNSW’s work in this field is meticulous and meets the highest standard. WaterNSW has an extensive water quality monitoring program and is one of the leading agencies when it comes to water quality monitoring in NSW.

How often will you be carrying out PFAS testing in WaterNSW dams?

WaterNSW is carrying out fortnightly testing of the Blue Mountains System, and monthly testing of Greater Sydney storage dams. Results are published monthly. Water goes through multiple levels of testing and treatment to ensure it is safe and meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines before it comes out of your taps.

How is WaterNSW communicating the results of its testing?

The results of the testing are available here on our website. Dedicated pages have been created for Blue Mountains System and Greater Sydney storage dam results. Result data is published monthly.

Why are different depths tested and reported?

We test at different depths and consistently measure and report at the offtake depth, to be representative of the raw water being supplied via our pipelines to the various water filtration plants. We are working to consistently measure and report the most accurate and useful data with Sydney Water and NSW Health and to keep the community informed.

Has WaterNSW transferred any additional water from Oberon Dam to the Blue Mountains dams?

Yes, transfers commenced 30 September 2024.

How Is WaterNSW responding to the proposed new drinking water guidelines?