Skip to content
Community, Environment

Life-saving treatment provides second life for Sydney’s precious water

City of Sydney 2 mins read

In an Australian-first, clean and filtered water from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital’s kidney dialysis machines is now being used by the City of Sydney to help keep streets clean.

 

Around 50 dialysis machines, used for up to 14 hours a day, require ultrapure water. About 500 litres of ultrapure water is needed each time a patient undergoes dialysis.

 

A reverse osmosis unit generates ultrapure water so that no bacteria is present during treatment. During purification, excess runoff is collected and stored in two on-site tanks, designed and built during the redevelopment of the Professor Marie Bashir Centre in 2020.

 

By using this stored runoff in street cleaning, the City of Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred hospital can save up to 1.5 million litres of water every year.

 

“Water is our most precious resource and finding ways to better manage it is crucial to Sydney’s resilience. This is increasingly important as the climate crisis lengthens periods of drought,” Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO said.

 

“Not only does this collaboration mean there is more drinking water available, the filtered supply is great for street cleaning because it has low levels of particles, calcium and magnesium – that means it’s less likely to leave residue and streaking, is less abrasive on road and footpath surfaces, and reduces equipment scaling.

 

“By collecting the water from Royal Prince Alfred, we are also reducing emissions and travel time for our trucks, which don’t have to return to depots in Alexandria or Ultimo to refill after cleaning the streets.”

 

The surplus capacity of water from dialysis is captured in two large 10,000 litre tanks onsite. The City of Sydney fills its trucks with the water, saving an estimated 30,000 litres every week.

 

Chief Executive of Sydney Local Health District, Deb Willcox AM said the project was an important element in helping meet its environmental goals.

“Sydney Local Health District has invested in the infrastructure to build these tanks as part of our ongoing sustainability program,” Ms Willcox said.

“We are very happy to partner with the City of Sydney to ensure the water is put to good use and do our part for the environment.”


The collaboration allows the City of Sydney to tap into an alternative water source, with both organisations able to improve their water sustainability and reduce environmental impact.

 

Video for editorial purposes is available for download here

 

For media enquiries contact Andrew Booth: 0482 530 091 or email abooth@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

 

For interviews with Clover Moore AO, Lord Mayor of Sydney, contact Paul Mackay: 0436 816 604 or email pmackay@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

For media enquiries contact David Meddows at Sydney Local Health District: 0428 300 505 or email slhd-media@health.nsw.gov.au  

 

For more stories from your local area, visit news.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

 

Restrictions: The City of Sydney provides access to this publicly distributed image for editorial purposes only and remains the copyright owner. No archiving, commercial use or third party distribution is permitted without prior written consent. When using content for editorial purposes, you must include the following image credit adjacent to the content: "Photographer’s Name / City of Sydney”

Media

More from this category

  • Community, Women
  • 01/11/2024
  • 20:52
Women's Auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, WA

Western Australia’s Second-Ever Women-Led Peace Symposium for a Women-Only Audience Set to Inspire Dialogue, Unity and Empowerment.

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY: Press members are warmly invited to attend and report on a pioneering initiative that seeks to inspire and empower women in peace and human rights advocacy. Perth, Australia – Perth, WA |The Women’s Auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is hosting Western Australia’s second annual peace symposium, exclusively organised and conducted by women for a women-only audience. Event Details: • Theme: Human Rights According to My Faith • Date: Saturday, 16 November 2024 • Time: 4:30 PM • Location: Nasir Mosque (239 Barrington Street, Bibra Lake, WA 6163) In a region where peace dialogues typically feature mixed-gender participants,…

  • Environment, General News
  • 01/11/2024
  • 16:04
OzFish Unlimited

Queensland election 2024: OzFish welcomes new government, urges focus on fish habitat restoration.

Australia’s key fish habitat restoration charity OzFish welcomes Premier David Crisafulli and the newly elected Queensland government and looks forward to working with them…

  • Contains:
  • Environment
  • 01/11/2024
  • 15:40
NSW Environment Protection Authority

LAKE ILLAWARRA PASSES HEALTH CHECK

Visuals of Lake Illawarra Snapshot Contamination Assessment testing: https://bit.ly/48cdVL0 A study led by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), in partnership with Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), Wollongong City Council and Shellharbour City Council, has found pleasing results for Jubborsay / Lake Illawarra after testing it for common urban and agricultural contaminants. As part of the Lake Illawarra Snapshot Contamination Assessment earlier this year, EPA took 19 samples in multiple locations around the lake and its estuaries to understand the level of pollution in the lake and the potential exposure to marine life. Lake water,…

  • Contains:

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.