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Drinking Water Treatment Plants
- Overview
- Victorian Desalination Plant
- Prospect Water Filtration Plant
- Perth Seawater Desalination Plant
Meeting Sydney's Water Needs
Prospect Filtration Point
On behalf of Sydney Water, Degrémont operates the state-of-the-art water filtration plant at Prospect, some 35 kilometres west of Sydney's central business district.
It is the largest water filtration plant built at one time in the world, with a capacity to provide drinking water to 85 per cent of Sydney's population - 3.5 million people.
The Plant operates 24 hours a day and uses innovative water filtration techniques to purify the water, and can currently filter up to three billion litres of water a day.
The Plant provides Sydney with water that is cleaner, clearer and of high quality, and complies with the drinking water guidelines of national health authorities.
The Filtration Process
Water stored in Warragamba Dam and the upper Nepean Dam flows through huge pipes and canals to the Prospect Water Filtration Plant.
The Plant filters out sediments and other particles from the water using a process called 'contact filtration'. Water flows along a contact channel where special compounds are added to the water causing tiny particles to bind together into larger particles, which are easier to filter out.
The water then flows by gravity down through huge sand filters, and only clean, clear water comes out through the bottom. The filters are backwashed automatically, up to three times a day.
Finally, minute amounts of fluoride and chlorine are added to the water. Fluoride for dental health purposes, and chlorine to prevent the growth of micro-organisms. Both in accordance with health authorities' requirements.
Fast Facts
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