A new approach to Sydney's domestic water supply problem

The current crisis in provision of urban water supplies has its origin in the technological choices made in the nineteenth century when Australian cities developed their water services systems. This paper builds on recent research into domestic water consumption in Sydney to argue that the issue is not one of shortage of water, as it is popularly presented, but is more related to the choices made in that city about the way sanitary services are provided and the ways in which socio-cultural values and behaviour have led to increases in consumption. The paper asserts that the current approach to urban water services cannot be sustained without increased stresses in the ecosystems from which water is abstracted to supply Sydney, in the ecosystems into which waste flows are currently discharged and on the ecosystem on which the city is built. It offers a schematic solution to provide water services in a way which is sustainable and capable of being progressively introduced.