Sydney Water ‘did not adequately test’ before claiming city’s catchment had no toxic hotspots

Sydney Water failed to perform adequate due diligence before claiming there were no PFAS hotspots within its drinking water catchments, and governments failed to keep pace with the spread of “forever chemicals” in the environment, a parliamentary inquiry has found.

The inquiry, established after The Sydney Morning Herald revealed elevated levels of “forever chemicals” in Sydney’s drinking water, has recommended the NSW government support regular water testing across the state and blood testing for willing participants in areas where elevated levels of toxic PFAS had been found.

Water scientist Ian Wright takes a water sample near Lake Medlow in the Blue Mountains last year.Credit: Wolter Peeters

Chaired by Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, the 225-page report released on Thursday contained 16 findings and 32 recommendations. The report’s first finding stated: “Sydney Water did not perform an appropriate level of due diligence before claiming, in June 2024, that there were no known PFAS hotspots within its drinking water catchments.”

It went on to say the statement was made “in the absence of a rigorous and proactive program of regular monitoring, testing and reporting”, while the committee noted statements were made despite pre-existing evidence of PFAS hotspots within the area and without consultation of relevant agencies.

Sydney Water referred questions to the premier’s office. A state government spokesman said all NSW public drinking water supplies now met the updated Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and work was under way to “best respond and manage the impacts of PFAS contamination”.

“We recognise there is community concern about PFAS levels in water, and we are committed to continuously improving our approach in line with national guidelines and the latest evidence,” he said.

Faehrmann said the government’s response to the revelations of contaminated drinking water supplies and waterways was “too little, too late”.

“By supporting willing individuals in PFAS-impacted communities to get their blood tested, the committee is urging the government to err on the side of caution,” Faehrmann said.

PFAS are a family of synthetic chemicals prized for their resistance to heat, grease and water, and used in a wide range of everyday products such as stain-resistant fabrics, cleaning products and firefighting foams. Now found in the blood of almost every Australian, they are often dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally, and can persist in the environment and human body for decades.

A 1992 explosion of a petrol tanker in the Blue Mountains, and frantic efforts to put it out, are at the centre of an investigation into the “forever chemicals” contamination in Sydney’s water supply. Water authorities and the state government maintained drinking water was safe because water with high concentrations of PFAS passed through a filtration plant before it reached taps.

Sydney Water claimed that there were “no known PFAS hotspots in the catchment” which runs from Medlow Dam, a remote water source off Beauchamp Road in Medlow Bath. Water from Medlow Dam is diluted by purer water as it is fed into other dams that supply the Cascade water filtration plant.

But independent tests commissioned by the Herald detected carcinogenic chemicals at levels more than 50 times higher than those allowed under Australian drinking water standards.

“The results are white-hot,” said Western Sydney University water scientist Ian Wright at the time, who gathered samples for independent testing.

In her foreword, Faehrmann said it was “patently clear that no single jurisdiction can tackle this problem alone”.

“The public should have the utmost faith that the relevant government bodies are keeping our drinking water and waterways safe,” Faehrmann wrote.

“However, as the committee undertook its work, it soon became apparent that government agencies tasked with protecting public health and water quality had been unable to keep pace with the spread of PFAS chemicals throughout the environment.”

The report also called on the state government to work through national cabinet to “phase out all non-essential uses of PFAS in consumer, commercial, and industrial products by 2030” in line with global best practice.

Blue Mountains PFAS campaigner Jon Dee said the report demonstrated that Sydney Water was “failing in its duty of care” and continued to mislead the community despite significant health concerns, including 27 blood tests recording the highest levels of PFAS of any civilian population in Australia.

“There’s been an Erin Brockovich-scale contamination of our drinking water and the Minns government has engaged in a cover-up to deny it. NSW Health and Sydney Water have been treating this like it’s a temporary blip in water quality,” Dee said.

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