HSC Earth and Environmental Science

Have you been on one of our Earth and Environmental Science Depth Study excursions?

Here are some resources that might help you explore some of the concepts in more detail or revise what you learned.

Want to request an excursion?
You can learn about our high school excursions and make excursion requests online.

Managing our water

Water sources – find out about the main sources of water in Sydney.
Water use and conservation – find out how we use water.
Urban water management – find out how we modify and manage the natural water cycle.
History of Sydney’s water – learn about the past use of this precious resource.
How wastewater is treated and recycled video - see how St Marys Advanced Water Recycling Plant plays an important role in water management.

Environment protection

Protecting the environment – learn how we are contributing to healthy waterways.
EPA pollution monitoring data reports – learn about why we test water quality at our plants and publish our test.

Wastewater treatment

Wastewater treatment - find out what wastewater is and how it's treated.
Penrith Water Recycling Plant - find out more about the wastewater treatment process used at Penrith.
Wastewater treatment plant virtual tour - take a virtual tour of Penrith.
St Marys Advanced Water Recycling Plant - learn about technologies used to make highly treated recycled water.
Water recycling - learn about how we use recycled water.

Stormwater management

Stormwater - find out what stormwater is and how it can be re-used.
Stormwater catchment map - Are you in one of our stormwater catchments?

Sustainable practices

Innovation & renewable energy – find out how we are using new technologies that provide improve services and have better environmental outcomes.
Solids recycling - learn about how we re-use the by-products of wastewater treatment.

Liveability and resilience

Liveable cities – discover how we can use water not just to survive but thrive.
Drought response – see how we manage our water supplies during drought.
Energy management & climate change – learn improve our energy efficiency.
Heritage conservation – learn how we protect our connections from our past for the future.

Want to learn more, using fieldwork investigations and hands-on activities?

Below are fact sheets and activities you can use at home or at school.

Wastewater and re-use

What’s in wastewater– find out about what’s in the wastewater at Penrith Water Recycling Plant.
Wastewater audit – work out what is in your wastewater and see how you can reduce your impact on the environment.
Water audit – find out how water efficient your school is.
Make a simple water filter - try this experiment to make the most effective water filter.

Stormwater and re-use

Self-guide excursions - investigate the value of a stormwater channel or waterway in an urban environment.
Stormwater audit - find out where the water goes when it rains.

Depth Study program

Looking for inspiration for a whole class depth study? Take a look at our Stage 6 HSC Earth and Environmental Science Wastewater Depth Study program and Stage 6 HSC Earth and Environmental Science Wastewater Depth Study Field report/presentation Sample assessment task.

It gives you ideas for 4 hours of in-class activities that will support our Stage 6 Earth and Environmental Science Depth Study excursion.

Other lesson plans

See also

Find answers

How do we treat your drinking water?

We use a number of steps to ensure you have safe drinking water

We ensure you have high quality drinking water straight from the tap.

We have nine filtration plants. At each plant, we tailor our processes depending on the quality of the source water.

Typically, the water first flows through fine screens to remove debris, like twigs and leaves.

We then add a solution (coagulant) so small particles stick together (floc) and can be more easily filtered out.

We filter every drop of water through tightly packed beds of sand and anthracite (crushed carbon) to remove any remaining particles.

To ensure your water is safe, we carefully add small amounts of chlorine at our filtration plants. This is called primary chlorination. Chlorine is a safe and effective way to make sure your drinking water is free of harmful bacteria and viruses.

We also add fluoride to protect the health of your teeth. This is done under advice from NSW Health.

To ensure your water remains protected right to your tap, we add small amounts of chlorine to our reservoirs. This step is called secondary chlorination.

Find out more about how we supply you with safe drinking water or look at our daily drinking water quality report to see the quality of drinking water in your area.
What's the average amount of water used around the home?
Family water use is varied

A family's daily water use can vary depending on a number of things, such as:
- the time of year
- the size of your property
- the number of people staying in your home
- the types of fittings and appliances in your home
- your water use habits.
Check your family's water use against our water efficiency targets or read our water wise tips to see how you could save water.

Are you concerned about leaks in your home?
If you’re looking to fix leaks or install water efficient devices in your home, you can also contact our licensed plumbers through our WaterFix® Residential plumbing service. For almost 20 years, we've helped our customers save over 300 million litres of water and reduce their water bills.

Find out if WaterFix® Residential is right for you!
What are the water restrictions?

Level 1 water restrictions are now in place

More than 85% of Greater Sydney’s water supply relies on rain. This means that our water is in short supply during prolonged droughts.

Water restrictions limit how and when we use drinking water outdoors and help reduce demand when we’re not getting enough rain. It's too soon to tell whether the rain in early 2020 is just a temporary relief from drought or a sign that conditions are improving for the long-term. It's important we all continue to save water.

Water restrictions apply to everyone in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra. This includes both residents and businesses.

If we all do our bit and save a little, it will make a big difference across Greater Sydney.

Find out more about water restrictions.
Who owns Sydney Water?

We're a statutory State Owned Corporation, wholly owned by the New South Wales Government.

Our Portfolio Minister is the Minister for Water, Property and Housing.

Our Shareholder Ministers are the Treasurer, and the Minister for Finance.

We're Australia's largest water utility. Our area of operations covers 12,700 km² and includes Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains regions.

Find out more about Who we are and What we do.
How do we advertise available jobs?
if you're interested in a career with us, visit our careers site to find out about:
- careers that make a difference
- our executive team and business groups
- our culture and diversity
- current vacancies and entry level programs.