New rules to fight illegal dumping in Sydney water catchment

Coming into effect on 1 September, the new rules include enhanced catchment protection and enforcement capabilities, increased penalties, and the introduction of remediation and cost‑recovery powers for incidents such as illegal dumping.

WaterNSW has spent approximately $300,000 in the past year removing discarded building materials, demolition refuse including asbestos, old tyres and household garbage from various sites across the areas from which Greater Sydney’s water supply is captured and delivered.

WaterNSW has installed motion cameras and increased patrols in critical areas, as well as collaborating with NSW Police, the Environmental Protection Authority and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to conduct regular sweeps of high-risk areas, including aerial surveillance.

A 24-hour hotline (1800 061 069) is also in operation to encourage community members to report suspicious activity and illegal dumping, according to WaterNSW Executive General Manager Rob O’Neill.

“There are multiple layers of protection to ensure water captured and delivered for Greater Sydney is among the safest in the world. The first of these is maintaining the pristine bushland environment where much of the water that eventually runs into our dams originates,” Mr O’Neill said.

“Spoiling that environment with debris and garbage undermines that safeguard from the outset and potentially leads to increased water treatment costs that are ultimately passed on to water users. These new rules are a welcome new tool in the fight to deter this illegal activity.

“These areas are intended to be as clean and free from contamination as possible. Illegal dumping is therefore a direct threat to the quality of Greater Sydney’s water supply.”

Further details about the new regulations can be found here: Water NSW Regulation 2026 - NSW Legislation