Get involved
Collaboration is the key to success
We are working with partners all over Greater Sydney to help activate new swimming and aquatic recreation sites. We know that opening new sites can be complex, but our expertise can make this process easier and faster for our partner organisations. We will help you navigate the pathway from initial concept through to delivery, and then continue to support you with ongoing management.
Our services
We can help with activating your site, whether for swimming, kayaking or other type of aquatic recreation. As an Urban Plunge partner, you’ll have access to:
1. RiverWatch water quality monitoring
Sydney Water’s own National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited labs can support all stages of site activation and ongoing management. We offer RiverWatch monitoring in three packages:
Feasibility Monitoring: To understand initial water quality and assess whether a site should progress to the next phase of investigation.
Establishment Monitoring: Collection of at least 100 samples in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Guidelines for Managing Risks in Recreational Water, to understand how your site performs under a range of conditions.
Ongoing Monitoring: To support ongoing management of the site.
2. High quality public information
Our Urban Plunge website provides real-time updates on water quality every 6 hours using predictive modelling capability, so the public knows when and where it is safe to swim. As a partner, you’ll a have access to your own page on our website. We can also share water quality information through a direct feed to your own website.
3. Specialist support and stakeholder assurance
Sydney Water along with the University of NSW (UNSW), the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), NSW Health and councils have worked with specialist consultancy Environmental Risk Sciences (EnRiskS) to develop a framework for assessing human health risks associated with opening swim sites in locations which may be impacted by legacy contaminants.
Our established relationships with government agencies can ensure sites meet relevant risk guidelines.
4.Rapid access to water infrastructure expertise
We can work with our internal teams to understand the wastewater and stormwater infrastructure around the site and mitigate risks of infrastructure negatively impacting the site. Should any wastewater infrastructure issue affect the site Sydney Water can proactively manage this.
5. Ongoing risk assessments
We can undertake annual sanitary inspections of your site to identify potential sources of contamination and assist in developing an annual swim site suitability grading.Key delivery partners
6. Key delivery partners
We can connect you with the right partners to support the design, delivery and ongoing management of your site, providing you with confidence that your site can be opened and operated safely.
7. Support with grant funding applications
We can support partners in developing grant funding applications for their sites.
Have any questions?
Like to learn more or get invovled? Email us at urbanplunge@sydneywater.com.au
Urban Plunge events
Urban Plunge 2022 Tech Summit
Urban Plunge Tech Showcase 2023
When: 28 November
Sydney Water's Urban Plunge Tech Showcase 2023 is all about enhancing waterway health. This free event will be held from 9am to 1pm on 28 November at The Connection event space at Rhodes.
You will have the opportunity to meet pioneering companies showcasing cutting-edge technologies that support healthy waterways, both on the land and in the water. You'll also get to see some of the tech in action, with demonstrations throughout the day.
Johnstons Creek naturalisation
Urban Plunge Webinar Series
The Urban Plunge Webinar Series covers a range of opportunities and challenges our waterways are facing. We love our waterways and, as urbanisation accelerates and weather conditions become more extreme, it has never been more important to protect our waterways.
These webinars bring together experts from across Australia and the world, working across a variety of fields including design, architecture, engineering and science. Our webinars cover:
- How great design can open up the potential for swimming under a range of different conditions.
- Showcase innovative, home-grown Sydney Water projects that aim to enrich the health and amenity of our waterways.
- We ask can the platypus save our rivers? and hear about lessons learnt across Australia.
Urban Plunge Tech Summit 2022
Our inaugural Urban Plunge Tech Summit was a highlight of 2022. The program of speakers and the exhibition brought together people from across Australia and the globe who share our vision of revitalising urban waterways to become swimmable again. The summit promoted best-practice, real-life projects and showcased new technology to tackle barriers to swimming and water-based recreation.
Find out more and watch the presentations here.
Prospect pop-up swim spot
When: From 26 November
Where: Andrew Campbell Reserve, William Lawson Drive, Prospect NSW 2148
Our Prospect pop-up pool was our 2022 summer of swimming highlight, creating a place for local communities to cool off and have some fun over the summer holidays. This event attracted people to the site, many for the first time. It started a conversation with communities and decision-makers about the desire for more swimming and water recreation opportunities closer to home. We also asked people what they liked about the parklands at Prospect Reservoir and what would make it better.
While the pop-up swim site has been packed away, the parklands at Prospect Reservoir are open to the public and a great place to explore.
Need more reasons to get involved?
We're doing all we can to support councils, NSW government agencies and their partners as they consider whether to start a new Urban Plunge project or move into the design and delivery stages with an existing project. We invite you to join us for site visits, webinars and workshops. Contact us to find out more about working with Urban Plunge.