Sydney Water’s newly commissioned mobile PFAS treatment unit at Cascade Water Filtration Plant (WFP) has started reducing PFAS levels during the first month of the trial.
Recent testing indicated water processed through the mobile PFAS treatment has reduced PFAS levels below the proposed Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG).
Sydney Water Managing Director Roch Cheroux said this swift result affirms the Company’s commitment to delivering safe, high-quality drinking water across the network.
“Our teams worked around the clock to deliver this important work at Cascade WFP, and to see the results start to shift is a testament to their efforts,” Cheroux said.
The $3.4 million mobile PFAS treatment plant, which treats four megalitres (ML) of water daily, will be used for up to three years as part of a comprehensive strategy to treat water in the Blue Mountains catchment.
Using granular activated carbon (GAC) filters and ion exchange technology, the mobile PFAS treatment plant harnesses the latest technology to significantly remove PFAS from the water.
Before the mobile PFAS treatment plant was installed, the water produced at the Cascade WFP complied with the current ADWG.
This mobile PFAS treatment plant will ensure compliance with the proposed ADWG.
“We have been testing the treated water from Cascade weekly and publishing the results on our website for the public to view,” Cheroux said.
“With the mobile PFAS treatment plant online, the results have shown a continued decline in PFAS concentrations. Sydney Water is confident the concentration of PFAS in the water produced at the Cascade WFP will soon be consistently below the proposed Guidelines.
“We will continue testing the treated water at Cascade to provide the Blue Mountains community with confidence in the quality of their drinking water and to demonstrate Sydney Water’s commitment to delivering water that meets the highest standards,” Cheroux said.
Trish Doyle, a member of the Blue Mountains, said she is excited to see the mobile PFAS treatment unit in operation.
“I welcome this positive news and the tireless efforts by Sydney Water to assure the Blue Mountains community every effort is being made to deliver safe drinking water of the highest quality,” Ms Doyle said.
This treatment trial is part of Sydney Water’s Long-Term Capital and Operational Plan (LTCOP), an adaptive roadmap designed to deliver essential upgrades and new infrastructure across the network by 2050.
The LTCOP proposes an investment of more than $30 billion over the next decade to ensure Sydney Water can continue providing safe, sustainable and reliable water services to meet the needs of our rapidly expanding city.
“Our LTCOP prioritises public health, environmental sustainability and economic efficiency to allow us to maintain the highest level of service that our customers expect,” Mr Cheroux said.
The final PFAS guidelines will be published by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in April 2025. Once released, Sydney Water will work closely with NSW Health to implement the guidelines and ensure compliance with any updated regulatory requirements.
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