"Safe" and "what you prefer to drink" aren't always the same thing. Sydney water contains chloramine (not chlorine), fluoride at 0.9–1.5 mg/L, and trace PFAS. None of these are a health emergency at typical levels, but many people filter them out anyway — for taste, personal preference, or health reasons.
Sydney's water supply comes from 10 interconnected dams spanning the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, and Illawarra catchments — all treated at 9 filtration plants before reaching your tap.
Primary catchment sources
About 80% of Sydney's water comes from Warragamba Dam — the largest in the network at 2,027 gigalitres. It's fed by five major catchments: Warragamba, Shoalhaven, Upper Nepean, Woronora, and Blue Mountains. This water is treated at 9 major filtration plants across Sydney, with the Nepean plant handling about 60% of supply.
Desalination
The Sydney Desalination Plant at Kurnell provides approximately 15% of Sydney's supply during peak demand periods. Seawater is desalinated and blended with reservoir water. This gives Sydney drought resilience.
Sydney's water journey
From rainfall in protected catchments to your kitchen tap — here's how Sydney's water is collected, treated, and delivered.
Rain falls across 16,000 km² of protected catchments spanning the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, and Illawarra ranges west and south of Sydney.
Water flows through natural creeks and rivers into 10 interconnected dam reservoirs. Warragamba alone holds ~80% of Sydney's total supply at 2,027 gigalitres.
Raw water moves through a network of pipelines, channels, and deep tunnels to 9 water filtration plants across the Sydney basin. The Warragamba Pipelines carry the largest volume.
Multi-barrier treatment: coagulation, flocculation, filtration, chloramine disinfection, UV treatment, pH correction, and fluoridation. The Prospect plant handles ~60% of Sydney's supply.
Treated water flows through over 21,000 km of pipes and 261 reservoirs and tanks, maintaining pressure and quality across Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, and the Illawarra.
Clean drinking water arrives at your kitchen tap. For the best taste and to remove residual chloramine, PFAS, and microplastics — add a Tapp filter as the final step.
Here are the main parameters Sydney Water monitors and reports annually:
Note on chloramine vs. chlorine: Sydney uses chloramine (chlorine bound to ammonia) for disinfection, not free chlorine. This is gentler but lasts longer in the distribution system. It's why many people report chlorine taste/smell — it's actually chloramine.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are "forever chemicals" used in non-stick coatings, firefighting foams, and food packaging. They persist in water and bioaccumulate.
What's being done: Sydney Water commissioned the Cascade treatment plant, which came online in December 2024 at the Nepean facility. This uses advanced oxidation (UV + hydrogen peroxide) to break down PFAS before they reach consumers. It's expected to remove 90%+ of PFAS.
For personal filtering: Tappwater's EcoPro Compact and SMR tap filters remove 93% of PFAS via activated carbon nanofiltration. For maximum PFAS removal (99%), the RO Countertop uses reverse osmosis — the most effective consumer technology available.
Sydney has soft water (30–58 mg/L average hardness of 43.4 mg/L). For reference:
- Soft: 0–60 mg/L (Sydney falls here)
- Moderately hard: 60–200 mg/L
- Hard: >200 mg/L (Perth: 200+, Adelaide: 150+)
Soft water is generally better for appliances (less scale buildup), but doesn't mean your water is "pure" — hardness just measures dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium.
Sydney's water is safe, but you might filter for taste, chloramine/fluoride removal, or PFAS reduction. It depends what you want to remove.
EcoPro Compact
5-stage nanofiltration. Removes chloramine, 93% PFAS, 70% fluoride, and >99% microplastics.
EcoPro Chrome SMR™
Same 5-stage filtration plus Swedish Mineral Rock™ — adds calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
RO Countertop
7-stage reverse osmosis. Removes virtually everything including fluoride, PFAS, lead, and heavy metals.
If Sydney's water meets the guidelines already, why filter? Personal preference. Here's how to choose:
| Filter | Chlorine | Fluoride | PFAS | Microplastics | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoPro Compact | >97% | 70% | 93% | >99% | $109.99 | Best value |
| EcoPro Chrome SMR™ | >99% | 70% | 93% | >99% | $149.99 | Taste + minerals |
| RO Countertop | >99% | >99% | 99% | >99% | $799.99 | Maximum protection |
Use this table to compare what each Tappwater filter removes from Sydney's water:
| Contaminant | In Sydney Water | Compact | SMR | RO Countertop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorine | Chloramine-based | >97% | >99% | >99% |
| Fluoride | 0.9–1.5 mg/L | 70% | 70% | >99% |
| PFAS | <0.07 µg/L | 93% | 93% | 99% |
| Microplastics | Present | >99% | >99% | >99% |
| Lead | Trace (from pipes) | >95% | >95% | 100% |
| Heavy metals (Hg) | Trace | 95%+ | 95%+ | >99% |
| THMs | Present | >98% | >98% | >99% |
| TDS reduction | ~120 mg/L | — | — | 85% |
| Best for Sydney | — | Best value | Taste + minerals | Maximum protection |
Sydney's water is safe. Filtered, it's better.
Whether it's chloramine taste, fluoride preference, or PFAS concerns — find the right filter for your home.
Compare our filters → View lab results →We've tested and reviewed tap water across every Australian state and territory capital. See how your city compares.