Water Main Break Rate Continues Downward Trend

Far more than other urban areas in Australia, Adelaide’s reactive clay soils combined with an arid climate, means dealing with the changes in soil, topography and weather is an unavoidable part of life in South Australia. This is no exception when managing underground water mains.

At SA Water, smart investment and an ongoing commitment to maintaining a reliable supply of water for our customers is helping to combat these natural influences and reduce the frequency and impact of water main breaks and leaks on the South Australian community.

In 2021, South Australia recorded the lowest number of water main incidents for the past four years. Last year, 3614 water main leaks and breaks were reported across SA Water’s 27,000-kilometre network (1833 in metropolitan Adelaide and 1781 in regional areas), compared to 3749 in 2020. These figures include everything from major breaks to minor pipe leaks, damp patches and trickles on the road.

SA Water General Manager Sustainable Infrastructure Amanda Lewry said in Adelaide in particular, reactive clay soils moving during the transition from hot and dry seasons to wet and cool and the stress this causes on underground pressurised water pipes remains the number one cause of water main incidents.

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“Similar to 2020 and 2017, we saw relatively mild transitions between seasons last year, resulting in more stable levels of moisture in the soils and therefore fewer water main breaks,” Amanda said.

“This is compared to 2018 and 2019 when the state experienced searing hot temperatures and below average rainfall, so when it did rain, the abruptness of the event had an increased impact on water mains, with break rate figures in these years closer to 4000.

“The less challenging conditions in 2021 coupled with our sustained focus on driving customer outcomes by reducing the impact of water main breaks, were what led to an improved water main incident rate.”

In 2021 SA Water installed around 59 kilometres of new water mains across South Australia – including under several key arterial roads in Adelaide.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s annual National Performance Report (NPR): urban water utilities continues to confirm SA Water’s network as one of the best performing in Australia.

The 2020-21 results show South Australians experienced 13.3 water main breaks or leaks per 100 kilometres of pipe, which is lower than the average of 18.9 and better than more than half of comparable-sized Australian water utilities (with 100,000 or more customers).

As part of SA Water’s ongoing commitment to improve water services for their customers and maintain South Australia’s water infrastructure, we are investing $155 million across 2020-24, including expanding the use of smart technology to enable the ongoing delivery of trusted water services for a sustainable and healthy South Australia.