The NSW Government understands the community’s concerns about PFAS. Our management of PFAS is informed by the best science and evidence, and we continue to operate with an abundance of caution when it comes to the presence of PFAS in drinking water.

The most important message is that all drinking water that complies with the current guidelines is safe. Water sourced from our catchments undergoes extensive treatment and rigorous testing before reaching households.

As confirmed by recent and ongoing testing, all water currently supplied by Sydney Water and Hunter Water complies with existing Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and remains safe to drink.

Only water supplied from one area in the Upper Blue Mountains, processed through the Cascade Water Filtration Plant, exceeds the proposed new PFAS guideline values, although it remains well below the current drinking water guidelines.

Sydney Water and WaterNSW are actively working on both short- and long-term solutions to bring this system in line with the rest of Sydney’s water supply, which already tests below the new proposed PFAS limits.

To date, no concerning detections have been found in regional NSW drinking water supplies. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and NSW Health are working to support all regional water utilities to test their drinking water for PFAS and testing is ongoing.

The state’s water authorities, in conjunction with DCCEEW, the NSW Environment Protection Authority, and NSW Health, are also reviewing what the new draft guidelines mean for the monitoring, testing and treatment of drinking water across the state.

The NSW Government is committed to transparency, ensuring the community has access to up-to-date information, and supporting local water utilities to deliver safe drinking water.