Formed 1 July 1995 Website www.sydneywater.com.au Founded 1 July 1995 | Dissolved Water Board CEO Kevin Young (1 Aug 2011–) | |
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Jurisdiction Greater Metropolitan Sydney, Illawarra and the Blue Mountains State-owned statutory corporation executives Kevin Young, managing director
Bruce Morgan, Chairman Parent State-owned statutory corporation Government of New South Wales Minister responsible Dominic Perrottet, Minister for Finance and Services Headquarters Parramatta, Sydney, Australia Parent agency Government of New South Wales Profiles | ||
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Sydney Water or formally, Sydney Water Corporation, is a New South Wales Government–owned statutory corporation that provides potable drinking water, wastewater and some stormwater services to Greater Metropolitan Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains regions, in the Australian state of New South Wales. Sydney Water has historically held a monopoly over the supply of water within the Sydney region, although legislation has recently been passed to open the market to competition.
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Case study sydney water annual report 2013 14
Name changes
The origins of Sydney Water go back to 26 March 1888 when the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Amendment Act, 1888 (NSW) was enacted and repealed certain sections of the Sydney Corporation Act, 1879 (NSW) relating to water supply and sewerage, thereby transferring the property, powers and obligations from the Municipal Council to the Board of Water Supply and Sewerage.
The forebears of Sydney Water include:
Water supply management
Sydney Water's management received extensive of criticism following the 1998 Sydney water crisis regarding what was believed to be the large scale contamination of Sydney's raw water supply. The supposed contamination was heightened levels of cryptosporidium and giardia in Sydney's Warragamba Dam. This meant the public had to take extra steps in their own homes to ensure tap water was safe to drink. After this event, the Sydney Catchment Authority was created to manage Sydney's dams, reservoirs, raw water and catchment areas. The Chairman of Sydney Water, David Hill resigned ten days after the crisis and denied any responsibility, claiming he was leaving only to concentrate on his political career.
Water restrictions
Since June 2009 Sydney Water replaced water restrictions with Water Wise Rules. The Rules are:
Sydney Water has imposed fines of $200 for violations of the rules for individuals, $500 for businesses, and $2,200 for water theft. Rules are enforced by Sydney Water staff through random checks.
Headquarters and influence
Sydney Water, and its predecessors, had for virtually all of its existence dating back to the 19th century, been located in the Sydney central business district at the corner of Pitt and Bathurst Streets, directly above Sydney's Town Hall railway station. The central location of Sydney Water in Sydney reflected the organisation's strategic significance as the lead organisation in planning Sydney's growth and future expansion. Without water services, no residential or business growth could occur in Sydney, the Illawarra or Blue Mountains.
Sydney Water's headquarters hence were relocated to Parramatta in May 2009. The developer, Brookfield Multiplex, valued the project at A$176 million. Under this deal, rather than Sydney Water owning its own building, the corporation would enter a long-term lease with a private sector provider, who would own and maintain the corporate head office, at an annual rent charged to the NSW taxpayer.
The former 'Water Board' high rise building in Sydney still stands, though is due to be demolished with a new residential tower (the Greenland Centre Sydney) built in its place.
Desalination
In early 2010 operations of the Sydney Desalination Plant began; with a licence granted to Veolia Water Australia Pty Ltd to operate the plant and supply Sydney Water with drinking water. In 2012, the NSW Government entered into a 50–year lease with Sydney Desalination Plant Pty Ltd (DSP), a company jointly owned by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board (50%) and two funds managed by Hastings Funds Management Limited: Utilities Trust of Australia and The Infrastructure Fund (together 50%). The terms of the A$2.3 billion lease lock Sydney Water into a 50–year water supply agreement with DSP.