Following community consultation regarding Eyre Peninsula’s long term water security plan, one of the main issues raised by the local community was water quality – specifically problems associated with the region’s natural hard water. A key recommendation of the long term water plan, released in December 2008, was to investigate ways to improve water quality for our Eyre Peninsula customers.

To address this issue SA Water is conducting a trial of the anti-scalant Calgon, a registered food additive which has been proven to reduce the build up of scale. The trial aims to test the anti-scalant’s effectiveness in reducing scale build-up in pipes, fittings and electrical appliances.

The trial involves about 120 SA Water customers in the Haslam region, which was selected due to its close proximity to a key water main and its location on the west coast where hardness appears to be more problematic.

In October 2009 SA Water installed a Calgon dosing plant and the trial began in December 2009. The trial was initially intended to occur for approximately 12 months, however it has been decided to extend the trial for a further 12-18 months. The reason for the extension is to allow SA Water to further compare sections of pipe which have been dosed with Calgon against non-dosed sections.

The new date for the completion of the trial will be approximately April 2012. If successful, SA Water will look at introducing the additive into water supply systems across the region.

Preliminary results indicate that water dosed with Calgon has reduced the build up of scale in pipes, valves, water meters and hot water appliances.

For more information regarding the trial please read the fact sheet and media release or call the SA Water Project Hotline on 1800 812 362.