Parramatta. Sydney Water wins award

Sydney Water, headquartered in Parramatta, has been part of a project team which this week won a 2012 NSW Government Green Globe Award for exploring the viability of capturing and reusing urine from urban toilets as an agricultural fertiliser. The “sustainable sanitation project” was led by University of Technology, Sydney’s Institute for Sustainable Futures, and was the first trial of a urine diversion (UD) system in an Australian institutional setting. It examined the barriers and opportunities for urine capture and reuse.

Region. $1 million investment

Sydney Water is investing more than $1 million in renewing water mains across St Clair and Orchard Hills to ensure a reliable local water supply. Work has begun on Chatsworth Road, St Clair and Caddens Road, Orchard Hills, and is expected to be finished in November. Sydney Water MD, Kevin Young, said the investment is part of a broader $177.3 million spend across Sydney.

Appin. $82 million scheme launched

Minister for Finance and Services, Greg Pearce, has officially turned the tap to connect residents to the $82 million Appin Wastewater Scheme. ”This scheme includes about 40 kilometres of pipes to collect wastewater from the Appin village and transfer it to Sydney Water’s system at Rosemeadow. Sydney Water is working closely with the local community to make the connection process as easy as possible,” he said.

Prestons. Super depot opened

Sydney Water MD, Kevin Young, has officially opened a new super depot in Prestons, combining office-based and field-based staff from sites at Cecil Hills and Warwick Farm. “It is ideally located in Prestons as it is situated within an industrial and warehousing area away from houses and close to the main traffic routes. The depot is the third and final super depot and can accommodate up to 100 staff,” he said.

Parramatta. $5.5 million contribution

Sydney Water is contributing $5.5 million to a $16 million, five-year international research project to help customers by reducing the number of water main breaks. Sydney Water is collaborating with universities and other industry leaders to investigate when and why water pipes burst. The project is the largest international research collaboration led by Australia on buried water pipes.

Region. Too much to pay

Sydney Water considers that $1 million is too much to prevent an extra 2.1 tonnes of phosphorus and 3.9 tonnes of nitrogen from discharging into the Hawkesbury River each year. The water utility angered residents, oyster farmers and fishers after it applied for permission earlier this year to discharge up to 10 times more nitrogen, ammonia and phosphorus into the Hawkesbury from the Brooklyn plant. The managing director of Sydney Water, Kevin Young, said, in the Sydney Morning Herald, effluent limits was a proposal that was undergoing ''a robust process'' and no decision had yet been made.

Parramatta. Sydney Water issues tender

Parramatta-based Sydney Water has issued a tender for the supply of electricity to over 1100 sites, ranging from treatment plants to reservoirs and depots, from October 2012. “Sydney Water is one of the largest users of electricity within the NSW,” said MD, Dr Kerry Schott.

Parramatta. Sydney Water seeks executive

Sydney Water has advertised for a principal advisor, environmental management system, to be based in the utility’s head office in Parramatta. The base salary is $103,214 plus super.

North West. Connection to $138m project

The NSW Government’s $138 million Glossodia, Freemans Reach and Wilberforce sewerage scheme has reached its second major milestone, with Glossodia residents now able to connect to the sewer. The scheme is part of the NSW government’s Priority Sewerage Program, delivered by Sydney Water in alliance with MWH Australia Pty Ltd, John Holland Group Pty Ltd, United Group Infrastructure Ltd and Manidis Roberts Pty Ltd. Staff from Sydney Water’s Parramatta head office have presented $16,000 to the Cancer Council NSW.

Parramatta. Sydney Water's boost to economy

Parramatta City Council estimates the relocation of Sydney Water’s head office, from the Sydney CBD to Parramatta is likely to generate up to 2000 additional jobs in the local economy. The 23,000-square-metre purpose-built building, the first in the proposed $1.4 billion Civic Place development, will accommodate 1400 workers. Direct, industrial and consumption effects are estimated to deliver a total $1.4 billion to the local economy council said. A major Sydney Water supplier, MWH Australia Pty Ltd, which specialises in transport, water engineering and consultancy services, is next month moving its 40 staff from St Leonards to Parramatta

Sydney Water could lose key staff with move

Dr Kerry Schott, managing director, of Sydney Water, said transport would be a major issue when 1800 head office and other staff relocated from the Sydney CBD to its new headquarters in Parramatta, in March 2009. She told 100 attendees at a sustainability seminar in Parramatta that she feared the loss of key high-quality staff when the move was made.