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The Latest Breaking News from Sydney Water

Australia's busiest harbour at risk of sewage eruption

Urgent repairs are underway on a leaking pipe running under Sydney Harbour with crews battling to secure the 100-year-old infrastructure.

AAP

Thirsty work: how the rise of massive datacentres strains Australia’s drinking water supply

The demand for use in cooling in Sydney alone is expected to exceed the volume of Canberra’s total drinking water within the next decade

The Guardian - AU

Secret report shows likely source of ‘poo balls’ that closed Sydney’s beaches last summer

Exclusive: Fat, oil and grease built up in sewerage pipes before being dislodged by heavy rain and ejected from Malabar outfall

The Guardian - AU

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Water agency didn't properly test for forever chemicals

A major drinking water supplier did not perform proper testing before claiming there were no known hotspots of forever chemicals, an inquiry has found.

AAP

Sydney Water failed to properly test before declaring ‘no known Pfas hotspots’ in catchments, inquiry finds

More attention needs to be given to rapidly evolving issue of contamination of waterways with ‘forever chemicals’, committee’s chair says

The Guardian - AU

Welsh Water hires former Sydney Water executive as new boss

Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, which supplies water to most of Wales, Deeside and Herefordshire, appointed Roch Cheroux as its new chief executive.

Evening Standard

‘No clinical benefit’ to blood test for Pfas, government says, after ‘forever chemicals’ found in Blue Mountains

At least 25 people in the area have paid $500 out of pocket to have the blood test for Pfas, an advocate says

The Guardian - AU

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Residents to pursue class action over 'toxic tap water'

Cancer-causing "forever chemicals" have likely been present in a tourist hotspot's drinking water for decades, a major investigation has found.

AAP

Unanswered questions as EPA confirms debris balls on Sydney beaches likely came from sewage plants

NSW environment watchdog investigation finds debris that washed up on Sydney beaches in 2024 ‘consistent with a land-based sewage source’

The Guardian - AU

Tonnes of microplastics infiltrate Australia’s agricultural soils each year, study shows

Compost applied to agricultural soils in Australia each year contains tonnes of microplastics, our research has revealed. These microplastics can harm soil and plant health and eventually enter food crops, potentially posing a risk to humans.

The Conversation

Sydney’s archaic sewerage system a ‘significant’ source of microplastic pollution into the sea

Malabar wastewater plant discharges 5.4bn to 120bn microplastic particles each day, CSIRO report says, prompting calls for more advanced treatment processes

The Guardian - AU

Pumping sewage into the sea has long been a Sydney thing – and even $32bn won’t change that

Sydney Water plans to build new facilities inland and expand a pilot scheme to recycle wastewater for drinking, but will need outfalls for foreseeable future

The Guardian - AU

Sydney’s unusual sewerage system to blame for faecal and fat balls on beaches, experts claim

City invented Australia’s beach culture, environmentalist Richard Gosden says, but all this time ‘it’s been conducted in diluted sewage’

The Guardian - AU

Two Sydney beaches still closed after mystery debris ‘grease balls’ washed ashore

Two beaches – Dee Why and South Curl Curl – still closed after marble-sized debris washed up at multiple locations

The Guardian - AU

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The Independent UK

Mysterious marble-sized balls washing up on Sydney beaches baffle authorities

Northern Beaches Council says they don’t know what the balls actually are

The Guardian - AU

Mystery balls close nine northern Sydney beaches months after fatbergs washed ashore

Grey ball-shaped debris found washed up along shore will be tested by Environment Protection Authority, local council says

AAP

Toxic PFAS at 'trace' levels in city's water supply

Dangerous "forever chemicals" have been detected in Sydney's water supply but are at levels that pose no health risk, a government agency said.

AAP

Environment agency heads deny blame for chemical spread

The NSW authority responsible for water pollution has been grilled about the spread of cancer-linked chemicals throughout water supplies in a fiery exchange.

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The Guardian - AU

More mystery balls wash up in south Sydney weeks after ‘fatbergs’ close eastern suburbs beaches

Greens claim EPA no closer to determining cause of debris after beachgoers advised not to enter Silver beach at Kurnell until clean-up complete

AAP

Mobile fix for 'forever chemicals' in drinking water

A mobile treatment system will be installed at a key water filtration plant as authorities rush to bring levels of PFAS chemicals in line with new standards.

The Guardian - AU

NSW regulator chose to reveal content of Sydney’s mystery beach balls on day of US election

After debris balls were widely reported to be tar, testing coordinated with EPA revealed they were consistent with human-generated waste, or ‘likely lumps of fatberg’

The Guardian - AU

‘It was just coming through the window’: wave of water rushes into Sydney homes after pipe bursts

Resident in the suburb of Como says water was ‘literally spraying all around’ after pipeline to Woronora Dam burst

The Guardian - AU

Sydney homes flooded after water pipeline bursts – as it happened

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AAP

Price rise on cards to fund urban water infrastructure

The NSW opposition blames federal immigration policy for the prospect of water prices rising by hundreds of dollars each year in Sydney and surrounds.

The Guardian - AU

Dam in Blue Mountains closed after elevated levels of PFAS chemicals detected

WaterNSW says closure a ‘precautionary measure’ and water supplied from filtration plant to local communities is safe and meets guidelines

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