Pressure Tunnel and Shafts is a heritage-listed water supply system at Potts Hill, City of Canterbury-Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia.

[1] Investigation for a large pressure tunnel was begun in 1914, to assist the trunk mains between Potts Hill and Crown Street.

The tunnel was to extend from Potts Hill Reservoir to the Waterloo pumping station, approximately 16 kilometres.

In 1930 the Board approved lining the entire length of the tunnel with steel tube (interior diameter of 8'3").

Lining of the Pressure Tunnel was underway by this point but the Royal Commission determined responsibility of the failures.

The report contained great details of pressure tunnels and failures around the world and led to an influx of qualified engineers to the Water Board of the time.

[1] The shafts are metal lined and there are eleven Pressure Tunnel buildings, the first located at Potts Hill and the final one being the Central Workshops.

[1] The Pressure Tunnel is of high historical and technical significance as it represents a successful engineering response to the difficulties of increasing the volume of water from the Potts Hill Reservoir to the Pumping Station at Waterloo, a historically critical link in the water supply of Sydney.

[1] Pressure Tunnel and Shafts was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 15 November 2002 having satisfied the following criteria.

The Pressure Tunnel is a key component of Sydney's water supply system whose function has remained unchanged since it was constructed.

[1] The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

The Pressure Tunnel and shafts are socially significant as they provided large volumes of water to the growing population of Sydney and surrounding suburbs.

It provided water to the population during periods of drought and is likely to be held in high regard by the community for the function it plays.

[1] The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

[1] The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

[1] The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales.

[1] This Wikipedia article was originally based on Pressure Tunnel and Shafts, entry number 01630 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.