Council seeks Sydney Water acquisition of wastewater system – have your say

6 June 2025

Hawkesbury City Council is in discussions with Sydney Water for them to acquire the Council’s wastewater business, which is serviced by the treatment plants at McGraths Hill and South Windsor. These are legacy assets and Hawkesbury is the only Council in the Sydney metropolitan area operating its own wastewater system.

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal have considered Sydney Water’s pricing submission, including how Sydney Water might charge current customers of the Scheme, and are now seeking feedback from stakeholders. IPART have offered two scenarios, one which see customers move to the standard Sydney Water price, which is approximately half of Council’s rate and the other which would see current customers continue to be charged the full-cost of the service through ring-fencing; residents are urged to have their say on their preferred option before Monday 23 June 2025.

Option 1 would see the cost of acquiring and upgrading Council’s wastewater systems shared among all Sydney Water’s customer base. This will likely reduce bills for the approximately 8,500 customers using the system.

Option 2 would involve Sydney Water ‘ring-fencing’ the cost, applying it only to Hawkesbury customers. Under this option, wastewater bills for all Hawkesbury residents will likely increase.

While customers must come to their own conclusion, it is Council’s view that the best outcome for Council’s customers would be for the costs to be shared among Sydney Water’s entire customer base, as it is for every other sewage treatment network in Greater Sydney. It is the fair option and does not financially disadvantage Hawkesbury customers.

How to make a submission

Include the following information

* The name of the review: Prices for Sydney Water Corporation from 1 October 2025.

* Your name, email address and street address.

* Whether or not you agree to have your name published.

* Whether or not your submission is confidential.

Ways to make a submission

1. Online submission form: https://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au/Home/Reviews/Have-Your-Say
2. By email: IPART will accept submissions, with a completed cover sheet, via email ipart@ipart.nsw.gov.au
3. By post: Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal PO Box K35 Haymarket Post Shop, Sydney NSW 1240
4. Verbal submissions. If you require assistance to make a submission please contact Scott Chapman (02) 9290 8449 or Melanie Mitchell (02) 9113 7743 at IPART.