Quarterly Drinking Water Quality Report Prospect East Delivery System 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019 26 April 2019

Quarterly Drinking Water Quality Report | Prospect East Delivery System 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019 1

This report summarises a selection of health characteristics and Your water quality key aesthetic (look, taste and smell) characteristics. We take water samples from the catchments, at the inlet and outlet of Drinking water management water filtration plants, from the reservoirs and from about 720 We supply you with high quality, safe drinking water – managed under customers’ front garden taps. our drinking water quality management system. Our water is among the Our laboratories use internationally accredited methods for all our world’s best! testing. WaterNSW manages Sydney’s catchments to provide the best quality The tables in this report present water quality data from the analysis of water for us to treat. We treat your water by first filtering it, then water samples we collect at various stages of the water supply chain, disinfecting it. This is called the ‘multiple-barrier’ approach. We from raw water sources, through treatment to the water supplied to your continuously monitor these steps to ensure our systems are working as tap. expected.

During this quarter, our monitoring confirmed that the drinking water we delivered to you was safe and of high quality.

Testing for water quality Our aim is to provide you with high quality, safe drinking water treated to meet the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. Our Drinking Water Quality Management System applies the frameworks to manage drinking water quality, and testing water quality is one part of this system. We test your water for up to 70 different characteristics including:

• taste

• colour • odour • micro-organisms • chemical content.

Quarterly Drinking Water Quality Report | Prospect East Delivery System 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019 2

Our Drinking Water Quality We use a number of steps to ensure your tap Management System water is high quality and safe to drink. Daily performance results can be found on our The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines Framework for Management website. of Drinking Water Quality uses a preventive risk management approach that encompasses all the steps in water production from the catchment to the customer. Sydney Water works collaboratively with WaterNSW to ensure that the best possible water quality is supplied to our customers. Sydney Water and WaterNSW apply a multi-barrier approach to ensure the water supply is safe. Some of the step or ‘barriers’ we use to manage water quality are:

• Protecting water catchments (eg lakes, rivers and reservoirs) • Selecting the best available source of water • Filtering the water at water filtration plants • Adding chlorine at our water filtration plants and in the network to ensure your water is free of harmful pathogens • Adding fluoride to support dental health. We monitor these different steps constantly at critical control points to ensure that your drinking water remains safe and of high quality. You can see current results for these points on our Daily Drinking Water Quality report. We monitor water quality to verify that these barriers are working. The results in the remainder of this report are considered ‘verification results’.

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Water quality test results The data we present here aren’t exhaustive but At your tap show the characteristics of water which we Most health guideline values for chemicals are based on a lifetime of regularly test for which the Australian Drinking exposure. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines therefore Water Guidelines has set a health and/or recognise that occasionally there may be health or aesthetic related test aesthetic guideline value. results that fall outside the guideline values and that these results are not necessarily an immediate threat to health. The guidelines do not require 100% of results to fall within the guideline values. Sydney Water has a number of areas it delivers water to. We call these Delivery Systems. Our compliance to the guidelines is measured for each Delivery System and is calculated over a 12-month period using the following long-term performance measures:

• For the indicator bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli), at least 98% of scheduled samples must contain no E. coli. In addition to continuous online monitoring of filter performance, this verifies that our filtration and disinfection processes were effective in removing any bacteria from the water initially and that the system used to deliver water to your tap remains clean. • For health-related chemical characteristics, the upper bound of the 95% confidence interval for the 95th percentile must be less than the guideline value. • For aesthetic characteristics, the upper bound of the 95% confidence interval for the mean must be less than the guideline value. The following tables show data for the customer supply systems that we use to measure Sydney Water’s performance against the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2011 health and aesthetic guideline values. More data including typical ranges over a longer period can be found in the Safe Drinking Water and Water Analysis pages on the Sydney Water website.

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Table 1 Water Quality Health Characteristics for the Prospect East Delivery System Characteristic Unit of ADWG health No. of samples No of Long-term performance % of test Met long- measure guideline value 1 Apr 2018 to 31 exceptions measure (assessment results term Mar 2019 over 12-month period) complying performance with the measure guideline

E. coli orgs/100 Should not be 513 0 At least 98% of test 100% Yes mL detected in results <1 100 mL sample fluoride mg/L 1.5* 172 0 At least 95% of test 100% Yes results 0.90 to 1.50 mg/L free chlorine mg/L 5 513 0 The 95th percentile value is less than the Yes respective ADWG health guideline value monochloramine mg/L 3 513 0 Yes

antimony^ mg/L 0.003 8 0 Yes cadmium^ mg/L 0.002 8 0 Yes cyanide^ mg/L 0.08 2 0 Yes copper mg/L 2 28 0 Yes lead mg/L 0.01 28 0 Yes

nitrate as NO3 mg/L 50 28 0 Yes

nitrite as NO2 mg/L 3 28 0 Yes nickel^ mg/L 0.02 8 0 Yes sulfate^ mg/L 500 4 0 Yes chromium^ mg/L 0.05(as 8 0 Yes CrVI)** manganese mg/L 0.5 120 0 Yes

Quarterly Drinking Water Quality Report | Prospect East Delivery System 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019 5

Characteristic Unit of ADWG health No. of samples No of Long-term performance % of test Met long- measure guideline value 1 Apr 2018 to 31 exceptions measure (assessment results term Mar 2019 over 12-month period) complying performance with the measure guideline sulphide^ mg/L 0.05 18 0 Yes n- mg/L 0.0001 2 0 Yes nitrosodimethylamine^ total trihalomethanes mg/L 0.25 48 0 The 95th percentile statistic Yes calculated for combined customer supply system and WFP less than 0.25 mg/L

* The long-term fluoride performance for each delivery system in this table is based on customer tap data. We target a value of 1 mg/L. The ADWG specifies a guideline value for fluoride of <1.5 mg/L. The NSW Code of Practice for Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies sets a target that each year >95% of all routine fluoride samples (both treated water from WFPs and customer taps) fall within the concentration range of 0.90 to 1.50 mg/L. ** The ADWG sets a guideline value for hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) however Sydney Water measures total chromium which includes hexavalent chromium. ^ Insufficient data to calculate 95th percentile. Abbreviations: ADWG = Australian Drinking Water Guidelines; E. coli = Escherichia coli; mg/L = milligrams per litre; orgs/100 mL = organisms per 100 millilitres.

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Table 2 Water Quality Aesthetic Characteristics for the Prospect East Delivery System Characteristic Unit of ADWG aesthetic No. of samples Average Long-term performance measure Met long-term measure guideline value 1 Apr 2018 to result (assessment over 12-month period) performance measure 31 Mar 2019 iron mg/L 0.3 120 0.012 Average of test results less than Yes respective ADWG aesthetic guideline aluminium mg/L 0.2 28 0.007 value Yes manganese mg/L 0.1 120 0.001 Yes copper mg/L 1 28 0.014 Yes zinc mg/L 3 28 0.002 Yes ammonia as mg/L 0.50 28 0.346 Yes NH3 turbidity NTU 5 513 0.14 Yes true colour HU 15 28 3 Yes dissolved % greater than 85% 28 97.7 Yes oxygen saturation hardness mg/L 200 28 58.0 Yes (total) flavour rating* acceptable 1 2 Average rating of 1, 2 or 3 Yes odour rating* acceptable 1 3 Yes pH pH units 6.5-8.5 513 7.8 Average of test results between Yes 6.5 - 8.5 pH units

*Rated by a panel on a scale from 1 to 5. Ratings of 1, 2 and 3 are generally acceptable to most people while ratings of 4 and 5 are generally not acceptable.  True colour is measured at 400 nm wavelength.

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We also test for a range of other water characteristics at your tap over Parameter Range (10th – Units the course of the year. In Table 3 we’ve summarised the typical values 90th Percentile) for a range of characteristics for your area, note that these values are or Average intended to provide an approximate guide, and that all compliance- related values are provided in Table 1 and Table 2. monochloramine 1.18 mg/L Disinfection by-products mg/L Table 3 Typical values for your area trihalomethanes 0.050 Inorganic chemicals Parameter Range (10th – Units 90th Percentile) aluminium 0.005 - 0.010 mg/L or Average ammonia (as NH3) 0.17 - 0.43 mg/L Physical Characteristics arsenic <0.001 mg/L true colour 2 - 4 TCU or HU cadmium <0.0001 mg/L turbidity 0.11 - 0.16 NTU antimony <0.0003 mg/L total dissolved solids 132 - 160 mg/L calcium 10.3 - 15.8 mg/L pH 7.7 - 7.9 pH units chloride 29 - 33.4 mg/L conductivity 21 - 24 mS/m chromium (Cr as VI) < 0.0002 mg/L total hardness 49 - 66 mg CaCO3 /L copper 0.007 - 0.022 mg/L calcium hardness 28 - 45 mg CaCO3 /L cyanide <0.005 mg/L magnesium hardness 21 - 28 mg CaCO3 /L fluoride 1.0 mg/L alkalinity 40.8 - 53.7 mg CaCO3 /L iron 0.006 - 0.016 mg/L temperature 14 - 22.8 degrees C lead <0.0001 - 0.0005 mg/L dissolved oxygen 68.3 - 117.5 % saturation nickel 0.0005 - 0.0007 mg/L Disinfectants magnesium 5.51 – 7.01 mg/L free chlorine 0.04 mg/L manganese <0.0005 - 0.0012 mg/L

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Parameter Range (10th – Units Parameter Range (10th – Units 90th Percentile) 90th Percentile) or Average or Average mercury <0.0001 mg/L sodium 14.8 - 18.4 mg/L

nitrate (as NO3) 0.09 - 0.21 mg/L sulfate 9.8 - 11 mg/L

nitrite (as NO2) 0.002 - 0.088 mg/L zinc <0.001 - 0.004 mg/L phosphorous 0.007 - 0.009 mg/L Organic compounds potassium 2.05 - 2.84 mg/L chlorinated, polynuclear aromatic, Not detected aromatic hydrocarbons reactive silica (as SiO2) 1.7 - 3.6 mg/L chlorophenols Not detected selenium <0.003 mg/L pesticides Not detected silver <0.003 mg/L

At the treatment plant

The water at your tap is treated at our Prospect Water Filtration Plant. Results for key water quality characteristics which we test are presented here for the Prospect Water Filtration Plant We monitor the quality of the untreated water entering our filtration plants to understand how much treatment is needed and to verify the quality of treated water leaving the plant for a range of water quality characteristics.

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Table 4 Treated water quality characteristics at Prospect Water Filtration Plant – quarterly results Quarterly - 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019 Characteristics Unit of measure ADWG No. of Min Ave Max % of test complying with samples the guideline E. coli orgs/100mL not detected in 12 <1 <1 <1 100% 100 mL turbidity NTU 5 12 0.12 0.13 0.15 100% true colour HU 15 12 <2 <2 <2 100% pH pH units between 6.5 - 8.5 12 7.2 7.7 7.9 100% free chlorine mg/L 5 24 <0.04 <0.04 <0.04 100% monochloramine mg/L 3 24 1.56 1.65 1.74 100% fluoride mg/L 1.5* 12 0.92 0.98 1.00 100% total trihalomethanes mg/L 0.25 15 0.040 0.045 0.057 100% n-nitrosodimethylamine mg/L 0.0001 0 NA NA NA 100% iron mg/L 0.3 12 <0.005 0.011 0.015 100% aluminium mg/L 0.2 12 <0.005 <0.005 0.006 100% manganese mg/L 0.1 12 <0.001 <0.001 0.001 100%

* The long-term fluoride performance for each delivery system in this table is based on customer tap data. We target a value of 1 mg/L. The ADWG specifies a guideline value for fluoride of <1.5 mg/L. The NSW Code of Practice for Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies sets a target that each year >95% of all routine fluoride samples (both treated water from WFPs and customer taps) fall within the concentration range of 0.90 to 1.50 mg/L.  True colour is measured at 400 nm wavelength. Abbreviations: ADWG = Australian Drinking Water Guidelines; Ave = average value; E. coli = Escherichia coli; HU = Hazen Units; max = maximum value; mg/L = milligrams per litre; min = minimum value; NTU = nephelometric turbidity units; orgs/100 mL = organisms per 100 millilitres; NA=Not Applicable.

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Table 5 Treated water quality characteristics at Prospect Water Filtration Plant – annual results Annual – 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 Characteristics Unit of ADWG No. of Min Ave Max % of test Meets long-term measure samples complying with performance the guideline measure E. coli orgs/100 not 52 <1 <1 <1 100% Yes mL detected in 100 mL turbidity NTU 5 52 0.10 0.13 0.19 100% Yes true colour HU 15 52 <2 <2 3 100% Yes pH pH units between 6.5 52 7.2 7.7 7.9 100% Yes - 8.5 free chlorine mg/L 5 104 <0.04 <0.04 <0.04 100% Yes monochloramine mg/L 3 104 1.50 1.63 1.74 100% Yes fluoride mg/L 1.5* 52 0.91 1.01 1.11 100% Yes total trihalomethanes mg/L 0.25 64 0.037 0.046 0.057 100% Yes n-nitrosodimethylamine mg/L 0.0001 2 <0.00001 <0.00001 <0.00001 100% Yes iron mg/L 0.3 52 <0.005 0.008 0.015 100% Yes aluminium mg/L 0.2 52 <0.005 <0.005 0.013 100% Yes manganese mg/L 0.1 52 <0.001 <0.001 0.001 100% Yes

* The long-term fluoride performance for each delivery system in this table is based on customer tap data. We target a value of 1 mg/L. The ADWG specifies a guideline value for fluoride of <1.5 mg/L. The NSW Code of Practice for Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies sets a target that each year >95% of all routine fluoride samples (both treated water from WFPs and customer taps) fall within the concentration range of 0.90 to 1.50 mg/L.  True colour is measured at 400 nm wavelength. Abbreviations: ADWG = Australian Drinking Water Guidelines; Ave = average value; E. coli = Escherichia coli; HU = Hazen Units; max = maximum value; mg/L = milligrams per litre; min = minimum value; NTU = nephelometric turbidity units; orgs/100 mL = organisms per 100 millilitres.

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Table 6 Untreated water quality characteristics at Prospect Water Filtration Plant Quarterly - 1 Jan 2019 to 31 Mar 2019 Annual – 1 Apr 2018 to 31 Mar 2019 Characteristics Unit of Raw Water No. of Min Ave Max No. of Min Ave Max measure Supply samples samples Agreement E. coli orgs/100 mL NA 12 <1 2 11 52 <1 <1 11 Cryptosporidium oocysts/ NA 24 <1 <1 <1 97 <1 <1 <1 10L Giardia cysts/ 10L NA 24 <1 <1 <1 97 <1 <1 <1 turbidity NTU 40 12 0.80 1.14 1.41 52 0.54 1.36 3.48 true colour HU 60 12 5 6 6 52 5 6 9 pH pH units 6.3-7.9 12 7.2 7.5 7.8 51 6.9 7.4 7.8 iron mg/L 3.500 12 0.030 0.049 0.066 52 0.023 0.064 0.199 aluminium mg/L 2.600 12 0.029 0.040 0.057 52 0.018 0.054 0.165 manganese mg/L 1.400 12 0.003 0.005 0.007 52 0.003 0.007 0.022

 True colour is measured at 400 nm wavelength Note: The Raw Water Supply Agreement is an agreement between WaterNSW and Sydney Water about the water quality required Abbreviations: Ave = average value; E. coli = Escherichia coli; HU = Hazen Units; max = maximum value; mg/L = milligrams per litre; min = minimum value; NA = not applicable; NTU = nephelometric turbidity units; orgs/100 mL = organisms per 100 millilitres

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What else do we test for? We monitor for all the characteristics found in tables 6-10. If detected, Monitoring for additional chemicals may be done from time to time for results are below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines value, investigative or other operational purposes but results are not shown wherever a guideline value exists. here for one or more of the following reasons: A range of potential chemical contaminants (metals, organic chemicals • because of the infrequency of monitoring and radionuclides) are monitored in the raw water at the inlet to each • the lack of direct influence on drinking water quality water filtration plant. A few are also monitored in the treated water at • no guideline values exist to compare test results to in order to the plant outlet and at the customer tap. Risk assessments for these assess risk. chemicals take into consideration the physical and chemical properties of the various compounds and usage wit hin the catchment areas. The following tables only show the ADWG health guideline For most of these chemicals, intensive monitoring was initially carried value, the analytical limit of detection, and the frequency of out to establish if they were likely to be present in the supply. This analysis for each chemical. Results are not shown because historical data was used along with risk assessments to determine the analysis is infrequent, and the majority of these chemicals are range of potential contaminants and the frequency of analysis for the only rarely detected and at very low levels. current monitoring program. Some chemicals are measured every five years, just to check they are still not present in the water. .

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Table 7 Prospect East Delivery System – other characteristics Characteristic Analyte name ADWG Detection limit Monitoring frequency* Most recent result complies with Health/Aesthetic (mg/L) Australian Drinking Water Guideline Guideline Value (mg/L) Value

Inorganic cyanogen chloride 0.08 0.001 2014-15, 1 sample per Yes chemicals delivery system chloride 250 0.5 2016-17, 2 samples per Yes delivery system sodium 180 0.05 2016-17, 2 samples per Yes delivery system hydrogen sulfide 0.05 0.02 2018-19, 2 samples per Yes delivery system Organic benzo-(a)-pyrene 0.00001 0.00001 2016-17, 2 samples per Yes chemicals delivery system di(2-ethylhexly) 0.01 0.01 2017-18, 1 sample per Yes phthalate (DEHP) delivery system toluene 0.8 0.001 2013-14, 1 sample per Yes delivery system xylene 0.6 0.001 2017-18, 1 sample per Yes delivery system Chloroacetic chloroacetic acid 0.15 0.005 2018-19, 1 sample per Yes acids delivery system dichloroacetic acid 0.1 0.001 Yes trichloroacetic acid 0.1 0.001 Yes chlorophenols 2-chlorophenol 0.3 0.0001 2018-19, 1 sample per Yes delivery system 2,4-dichlorophenol 0.2 0.0001 Yes

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Characteristic Analyte name ADWG Detection limit Monitoring frequency* Most recent result complies with Health/Aesthetic (mg/L) Australian Drinking Water Guideline Guideline Value (mg/L) Value

2,4,6- 0.02 0.0001 Yes trichlorophenol

mg/L = milligrams per litre * Monitored on a five-yearly rotational basis – year indicates most recent test performed

Table 8 Treated water at Prospect Water Filtration Plant – other characteristics Characteristic Analyte name ADWG Health Detection limit Monitoring frequency – Most recent result complies with Guideline Value (mg/L) Prospect Filtration Plant Australian Drinking Water Guideline (mg/L) Value

Inorganic antimony 0.003 0.001 NA1 Yes chemicals bromate 0.02 0.002 NA Yes cadmium 0.002 0.001 NA1 Yes copper 2 0.001 NA1 Yes chromium (as 0.05 0.004 NA1 Yes Cr(VI)) cyanide 0.08 0.005 NA1 Yes lead 0.01 0.001 NA1 Yes nickel 0.02 0.001 NA1 Yes sulfate 500 1 quarterly Yes Organic acrylamide 0.0002 0.0001 5-yearly2 Yes chemicals carbon 0.003 0.001 5-yearly3 Yes tetrachloride epichlorhydrin 0.0005 0.0005 NA Yes

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Characteristic Analyte name ADWG Health Detection limit Monitoring frequency – Most recent result complies with Guideline Value (mg/L) Prospect Filtration Plant Australian Drinking Water Guideline (mg/L) Value

toluene 0.8 0.001 NA4 Yes xylene 0.6 0.001 NA4 Yes NA = Not Applicable; mg/L = milligrams per litre; ADWG = Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 1 Monitored monthly/quarterly in the customer supply systems rather than in the treated water from the WFP. 2 Monitored on a 5-year rotational basis. Last sampled in 2015-16, 1 sample for each WFP in each quarter. 3 Monitored on a 5-year rotational basis. Last sampled for each WFP in each quarter during 2016-17. 4 Monitored on a 5-year rotational basis in the customer supply system rather than in the treated water from the WFP.

Table 9 Untreated water– other characteristics Characteristic Analyte name ADWG Health Guideline Detection limit Monitoring frequency – Prospect Value (mg/L) (mg/L) Filtration Plant

Inorganic antimony 0.003 0.001 NA chemicals arsenic 0.01 0.001 quarterly barium 2 0.001 quarterly boron 4 0.05 quarterly cadmium 0.002 0.0001 NA iodide 0.5 0.05 yearly mercury 0.001 0.0001 quarterly molybdenum 0.05 0.001 quarterly selenium 0.01 0.003 quarterly silver 0.1 0.001 yearly Organic acrylamide 0.0002 0.0001 NA chemicals benzene 0.001 0.001 monthly1 1,2-dichlorobenzene 1.5 0.001 NA

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1,4-dichlorobenzene 0.04 0.001 NA 1,2-dichloroethane 0.003 0.001 monthly1 1,1-dichloroethene 0.03 0.001 NA 1,2-dichloroethene 0.06 0.001 monthly1 dichloromethane (methylene 0.004 0.001 NA chloride) ethylbenzene 0.3 0.001 NA ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid 0.25 0.02 NA (EDTA) hexachlorobutadiene 0.0007 0.0005 monthly1 nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) 0.2 0.02 NA styrene (vinylbenzene) 0.003 0.001 NA trichlorobenzenes (total) 0.03 0.012 NA vinyl chloride 0.0003 0.001 monthly1 xylene 0.6 0.001 NA NA = Not Applicable; mg/L = milligrams per litre; ADWG = Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 1 Collected monthly but sampling frequency may be reviewed.

Table 10 Untreated water – pesticides and herbicides Characteristic Analyte name ADWG Health Guideline Value Detection limit Monitoring frequency – Prospect Water (mg/L) (mg/L) Filtration Plant Pesticides / aldrin 0.0003 0.00001 NA Herbicides amitrole 0.009 0.001 yearly1 atrazine 0.02 0.0005 yearly1 chlordane 0.002 0.00001 NA

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chlorpyrifos 0.01 0.001 monthly 2,4-D 0.03 0.0001 monthly DDT 0.009 0.00001 NA diazinon 0.004 0.0001 monthly dicamba 0.1 0.005 NA dieldrin 0.0003 0.00001 NA dimethoate 0.007 0.0001 NA diquat 0.007 0.0005 yearly1 diuron 0.02 0.01 yearly1 endosulfan 0.02 0.00001 NA glyphosate 1 0.01 monthly heptachlor 0.0003 0.00001 yearly1 hexazinone 0.4 0.002 yearly1 lindane 0.01 0.00001 NA methoxychlor 0.3 0.000002 NA metsulfuron- 0.04 0.005 NA methyl molinate 0.004 0.0001 NA paraquat 0.02 0.0005 NA 2,4,5-T 0.1 0.0005 yearly1 triclopyr 0.02 0.0001 monthly

NA = Not Applicable; mg/L = milligrams per litre; ADWG = Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 1 Additional samples collected following heavy rain.

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Table 11 Untreated water– radionuclides Characteristic Analyte name ADWG Health Guideline Value Detection limit Monitoring frequency – Prospect Water Filtration (Bq/L) (Bq/L) Plant

Radiological gross alpha NA1 0.005 yearly gross beta NA1 0.01 yearly total 0.5 0.02 NA radionuclides

NA = Not Applicable. ADWG = Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 1 The sum of gross alpha and gross beta (total radionuclides) should not exceed 0.5 Bq/L (becquerels per litre).

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Water in the catchments We report some information about water quality in WaterNSW’s For more information about quantities of water catchments. Water in your area is sourced from Lake Burragorang at in the catchment areas, please visit the Warragamba Dam, Prospect Lake, and the Upper Canal (which WaterNSW website. conveys water from Nepean and Avon Dams).

Information about untreated water in these catchments is provided below.

Table 12 Lake Burragorang, 500 metres upstream of the dam wall, quarterly results Quarterly Results – 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019 Characteristics Unit of measure WaterNSW No. of Min Ave Max Reference levels samples Microbiological E. coli orgs/100 mL NA 60 <1 <1 4 Giardia cysts/10 L NA 0 NA NA NA Cryptosporidium oocysts/10 L NA 0 NA NA NA Physical / chemical turbidity NTU NA 12 0.4 1.1 2.2 true colour HU NA 60 4 6 7 chlorophyll - a μg/L 2-10 43 0.8 2.8 4.5 iron mg/L <1 62 <0.010 0.034 0.150 aluminium mg/L <0.1 60 <0.010 0.030 0.130 manganese mg/L 0.5 62 <0.010 <0.010 0.041

Abbreviations: ADWG = Australian Drinking Water Guidelines; Ave = average value; E. coli = Escherichia coli; HU = Hazen Units; max = maximum value; mg/L = milligrams per litre; min = minimum value; NTU = nephelometric turbidity units; orgs/100 mL = organisms per 100 millilitres; cysts/10 L = Giardia cysts per 10 litres; oocysts/10 L = Cryptosporidium oocysts per 10 L; NA=Not Applicable.

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Table 13 Lake Burragorang, 500 metres upstream of the dam wall, annual results Annual Results – 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 Characteristics Unit of measure WaterNSW No. of Min Ave Max Reference levels samples Microbiological E. coli orgs/100 mL NA 260 <1 <1 6 Giardia cysts/10 L NA 76 <1 <1 <1 Cryptosporidium oocysts/10 L NA 76 <1 <1 <1 Physical / chemical turbidity NTU NA 61 0.4 1.7 4.1 true colour HU NA 261 4 6 13 chlorophyll - a μg/L 2-10 165 0.7 2.7 5.7 iron mg/L <1 263 <0.010 0.053 0.900 aluminium mg/L <0.1 261 <0.010 0.039 0.330 manganese mg/L 0.5 263 <0.010 <0.010 0.339

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Table 14 Upper Canal, quarterly results Quarterly Results – 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019 Characteristics Unit of measure WaterNSW No. of Min Ave Max Reference levels samples Microbiological E. coli orgs/100 mL NA 2 50 85 120 Giardia cysts/10 L NA 0 NA NA NA Cryptosporidium oocysts/10 L NA 0 NA NA NA Physical / chemical turbidity NTU NA 2 0.5 4.3 8.0 true colour HU NA 2 6 8 9 chlorophyll - a μg/L NA 2 1.3 3.5 5.6 iron mg/L <1 2 0.220 0.420 0.620 aluminium mg/L <0.1 2 0.080 0.175 0.270 manganese mg/L NA 2 0.008 0.093 0.178

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Table 15 Upper Canal, annual results Annual Results – 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 Characteristics Unit of measure WaterNSW No. of Min Ave Max Reference levels samples Microbiological E. coli orgs/100 mL NA 6 <1 37 120 Giardia cysts/10 L NA 4 <1 <1 <1 Cryptosporidium oocysts/10 L NA 14 <1 <1 5 Physical / chemical turbidity NTU NA 6 0.5 2.2 8 true colour HU NA 6 3 7 11 chlorophyll - a μg/L NA 6 0.2 1.4 5.6 iron mg/L <1 6 0.220 0.393 0.620 aluminium mg/L <0.1 6 0.040 0.092 0.270 manganese mg/L NA 6 0.008 0.041 0.178

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Table 16 Prospect Lake, quarterly results Quarterly Results – 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019 Characteristics Unit of measure WaterNSW No. of Min Ave Max Reference levels samples Microbiological E. coli orgs/100 mL NA 4 <1 <1 1 Giardia cysts/10 L NA 0 NA NA NA Cryptosporidium oocysts/10 L NA 0 NA NA NA Physical / chemical turbidity NTU NA 16 0.8 1.1 1.4 true colour HU NA 4 2 2 2 chlorophyll - a μg/L 2-10 6 2.1 2.6 3.6 iron mg/L <1 4 0.040 0.045 0.050 aluminium mg/L <0.1 4 0.030 0.040 0.050 manganese mg/L 0.5 4 0.008 0.011 0.015

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Table 17 Prospect Lake, annual results Annual Results – 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 Characteristics Unit of measure WaterNSW No. of Min Ave Max Reference levels samples Microbiological E. coli orgs/100 mL NA 12 <1 2 11 Giardia cysts/10 L NA 7 <1 <1 <1 Cryptosporidium oocysts/10 L NA 7 <1 <1 <1 Physical / chemical turbidity NTU NA 456 0.8 1.5 8.1 true colour HU NA 12 1 2 3 chlorophyll - a μg/L 2-10 18 2.1 4.5 8.6 iron mg/L <1 12 0.030 0.052 0.080 aluminium mg/L <0.1 12 0.020 0.037 0.050 manganese mg/L 0.5 12 0.008 0.012 0.015

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Huisman and co-workers describe the strong influences on the Review of drinking water literature development of blooms as nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous, dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2), and water temperature (Huisman et al., 2018). Blooms are more likely to occur in slow-flowing or still bodies of water. Some cyanobacteria contain gas vesicles which allow them to move up and down in water bodies, concentrating near the surface at Every quarter, we review a topic from the latest times, where they have access to nutrients, light, warmer water and water quality research from around the world. more CO2, and moving deeper to access nutrients when necessary. This gives these cyanobacteria an advantage over diatoms, green algae and other cyanobacteria that can’t control their buoyancy.

Huisman and colleagues advise that a warming climate, increasing Cyanobacteria and Climate Change atmospheric CO2 levels, and increasing duration and severity of drought Sydney Water and our catchment management/bulk water supplier may contribute to an increased likelihood of cyanobacterial blooms in WaterNSW manage issues related to cyanobacterial blooms in line with water storages (Huisman et al., 2018). the NSW Algal Management Strategy and the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. Sydney Water and WaterNSW are working together to meet this challenge. Under its Operating Licence, Sydney Water must manage its Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic, simple single-celled microorganisms. drinking water supplies in accordance with the Australian Drinking They occur in fresh and marine waters, and in soils. They are often Water Guidelines. Sydney Water and WaterNSW manage referred to as ‘blue-green algae’, although they are not actually algae. cyanobacterial risk through catchment management, monitoring source Some species of these bacteria are grown commercially in parts of the water, drawing water from depths with the fewest cyanobacteria, and world as food products and dietary supplements (Panjiar et al., 2018). treating the drinking water to reduce the risk. WaterNSW regularly However, some species produce toxins in the natural environment that assesses the risks of the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms in all the can present a risk to health and drinking water quality when not lakes supplying water to Sydney, including a major review every spring. managed correctly (Gantar and Svirčev (2008). These toxins include microcystins that can cause liver damage and anatoxins that can Key preventative measures include managing catchment activities to adversely affect the nervous system (Huisman et al., 2018). minimise the generation and runoff of nutrients into catchment waters and, where necessary, operating aeration systems in dams to minimise Cyanobacteria are often present at low levels in freshwater bodies, any advantage buoyant types of cyanobacteria may have. where they pose negligible risk to a drinking water supply. Environmental changes can contribute to growth in the numbers of cyanobacteria, resulting in high-density ‘blooms’ that discolour the Panjiar, N., Mishra S., Yadav, A. N., and Priyanka Verma, P. (2018). water. Blooms may produce high levels of toxins or other compounds Functional Foods from Cyanobacteria: An Emerging Source for which add unpleasant tastes or smells to the water (Vincent, 2009). Functional Food Products of Pharmaceutical Importance. In Microbial Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, First Edition. Edited by Gupta, V.

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Gantar, M., and Svirčev, Z. (2008). Microalgae and cyanobacteria: Food for thought. Journal of Phycology Apr;44(2):260-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2008.00469.x

Cyanobacterial blooms. Huisman, J., Codd, G. A., Paerl, H. W., Ibelings, B. W., Verspagen, J. M., and Visser, P. M. (2018). Nature reviews. Microbiology 16: 471–483 (Available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-018-0040-1/)

Vincent, W. F. (2009). Cyanobacteria. In Encyclopedia of Inland Waters. Pages 226-232. Academic Press https://doi.org/10.1016/B978- 012370626-3.00127-7

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