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Fact sheets

The fact sheets, maps, videos and booklets below provide further information on Sydney's Desalination Project. These will be updated regularly

Sydney's Desalination Project

The reverse osmosis building at the desalination plant site
The reverse osmosis building
at the desalination plant site

In November 2006, the Minister for Planning gave concept approval for the desalination project and project approval for the desalination plant at Kurnell and the seawater intake and outlet structures.

The plant will use reverse osmosis technology to extract the freshwater from the seawater and produce drinking water. Water from the desalination plant at Kurnell will be pumped into Sydney's water distribution system through a pipeline from Kurnell, across Botany Bay to Kyeemagh.

From Kyeemagh the water will be distributed to up to 1.5 million people south of Sydney Harbour, to supplement their water supply. Approval for the pipeline was given in October 2007. The proposed pipeline route from Kyeemagh connects to the main City Water Tunnel at Erskineville.

Water supplied from the desalination plant will increase the total volume of water available to all customers across the whole Sydney Water area including the Blue Mountains, the Illawarra and Sydney.

The land portion of the pipeline will be laid using a number of methods, including open trench and trenchless construction. Construction in residential areas will be mostly trenchless, conditions permitting.

Protecting the environment

Desalination Wind Farm
Desalination Wind Farm
Renewable Energy (PDF - 186KB)

Wind Energy (PDF - 233KB)

Protecting the environment (PDF - 361KB)

Pipeline – Botany Bay

The pipeline across Botany Bay
The pipeline across Botany Bay
The pipeline – Botany Bay (PDF - 3304KB)

Pipeline - Sydney Park to Erskineville

The pipeline Sydney Park to Erskineville
The pipeline Sydney Park
to Erskineville


Two pipeline routes were previously proposed for this section. The first was to mostly microtunnel along Euston Road and the second was to trench through Sydney Park. Sydney Water has now identified a better route. The pipeline will be microtunnelled under the footpath between Euston Road and the eastern boundary of Sydney Park. This route will not affect traffic along Euston Road and will have little impact on Sydney Park.

Final preferred pipeline route in Erskineville (PDF - 607KB)

1 WMV files - Require Windows Media Player. Click image below to download Windows Media Player if needed: