Water supply & conservation

Erratic rainfall makes it necessary to store more water per head in Sydney than in many other major cities, yet only a fraction of Sydney's sewage is treated and recycled. By 1850, when Sydney had over 40,000 people and some 8,000 homes, only about 2,000 homes were connected to the municipal water supply. That suggests a need for public places for washing and bathing.

By 1886, the Sydney population had access to water from a reservoir at Prospect. Sydney was using water at the rate of 44 gallons of water per person per day by 1900 and 50 gallons per person per day by 1925.

While completion of the Warragamba Dam in the 1960s gave Sydney a more reliable water supply, Sydney was on water restrictions by 2002. There are now around five million people in the Sydney area. Private pools are becoming less appealing, though still welcomed as a convenient water source for fighting bushfires.

Other NSW coastal communities also have water restrictions and water shortages. In the inland NSW city of Goulburn, water restrictions have forced the closure of the public pool in recent years.

Ocean baths and tidal pools now appear more sustainable than many other types of swimming pools in NSW.

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