Local water utility recycling water in the basement of a residential building

Central Park is a major mixed-use urban renewal project in Sydney, Australia, located on Broadway in the suburb of Chippendale. The development is focused on a new public park located just off Broadway of approximately 6500 m² in size. Central Park Water in Sydney is the dedicated water utility for the $2 billion urban village, servicing approximately 5000 residents and 15,000+ workers and visitors daily.

The water uitlity provides drinking water, recycled water, wastewater and trade-waste services. Monthly e-bills are sent to customers and water use is monitored 24/7, which is beneficial for reducing water leakage and informing customers.

Central Park Water’s sustainable water network harnesses multiple water sources and creates multiple water supplies, covering all community water needs. Given households use only 10 to 20% of water for drinking/cooking and another 20 to 30% for cleaning - Central Park Water is enabling households and business to use recycled water for the 50 to 70% of other activities such as toilet flushing, washing machine use, irrigation, green-wall watering and air cooling.

Central Park recycled water is clear, odourless and safe to use. The recycled water processes meet strict Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling set out by federal and state governments. Benefits include: saving money and drinking water; creating a secure water supply unaffected by water restrictions; and greening gardens and landscaping.

How it works

Central Park Water manages the entire water cycle within the community, owning operating and maintaining water-related infrastructure.

All water from apartments, shops and offices is collected along with rainwater, run-off and some stormwater. This water flows to the Water Centre situated over four basement levels in One Central Park West. It is purified to the highest Australian standards undergoing eight filtration and purification processes including membrane bioreactor (MBR) and reverse osmosis (RO). Apartments and shops are connected to the purified water supply and use it on demand.