Annual Reports
South Australia continues to grow, and with this comes increasing demand for the essential services SA Water provides.
The organisation continues to deliver strong operational performance while providing safe drinking water and wastewater services to communities across a vast and diverse state. At the same time, the impacts of climate change and the need to renew ageing infrastructure are creating challenges that require careful planning and sustained investment.
As a state-owned corporation, SA Water operates within a unique environment. The Board provides strategic oversight of the organisation while working closely with government to help deliver broader priorities for South Australia. This requires balancing the needs of today’s customers with the responsibility to invest for future generations.
During 2025-26, SA Water delivered another year of record capital investment, reflecting the scale of infrastructure required to support South Australia’s growth and future prosperity. Across metropolitan and regional areas, investment continued in projects that will strengthen water and wastewater services, improve resilience and provide capacity for future communities. The Board’s role is to ensure these investments are responsibly managed and deliver lasting benefits for customers and the state.
The Board also maintained a strong focus on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Decisions made today about water resources, infrastructure renewal and network capacity will shape our water and wastewater for decades to come. Significant work is underway to plan for future water sources that will help respond to a changing climate while supporting population growth and economic development. We are also seeing the need for major investment in critical infrastructure across the state, including upgrades to key assets such as the Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The South Australian Government has announced its intention to establish the SA Gas and Water Trust. As work gets underway to deliver this policy, the Board welcomes the opportunity to help shape this next chapter for the organisation.
I thank Chief Executive David Ryan, the Executive team and all employees for their efforts throughout the year. I also acknowledge the many contractors, delivery partners and stakeholders who contribute to the services SA Water provides across the state.
Finally, I thank my fellow Board members for their continued commitment and contribution during the year. The Board’s work is strengthened by the diverse experience and perspectives of its members, and I value their ongoing support as we guide the organisation through a period of significant investment, change and opportunity.
Allan Holmes
Chair of the Board
This year saw one of the largest infrastructure investment programs in our history, while we continued to deliver the essential services our customers rely on every day. Across metropolitan and regional South Australia, our people maintained water and wastewater services, supported customers, delivered major projects and planned for the future.
As I reflect on the year, what stands out most is the scale of work being undertaken across the business. We are investing in the infrastructure needed to support a growing state, while also preparing for the challenges that come with climate change, ageing assets and changing patterns of water use.
Supporting South Australia's future growth remained a major focus throughout 2025-26. We continued delivering infrastructure under the South Australian Government's Housing Roadmap, laying more than 36 kilometres of pipe and enabling water and wastewater services for more than 5,000 new allotments across Greater Adelaide. This work is creating capacity for new homes and ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with growth in the state.
We continued planning for South Australia's future water security. Construction progressed on the Eyre Peninsula Desalination Plant and work continued on longer-term planning for future water sources and regional water security initiatives.
The year also brought significant reform activity through the South Australian Government's announcement of its intention to establish the SA Gas and Water Trust. The formation of a Taskforce to progress this work reflects the government's commitment to streamlining the way essential services are governed and regulated in South Australia. The proposed reforms will expand our remit to include gas services and transition SA Water from a statutory corporation to a trust structure. While there is considerable work ahead, we will build on the strengths that already exist within the organisation and create opportunities to deliver services in a more coordinated and efficient way. The Trust will be an important contributor to state prosperity while managing our water resources responsibly and sustainably for the future.
Another major announcement during the year was the decision for us to take responsibility for water treatment and delivery services in Coober Pedy. This is an important development for the community and reflects the confidence placed in our people and expertise. We look forward to working with local stakeholders as this transition progresses.
Alongside these strategic priorities, we continued delivering environmental initiatives that support our long-term sustainability goals. These included expanding recycled water opportunities, increasing renewable energy generation through our wastewater operations and progressing our Reservoirs for Nature program. These projects show how we can deliver essential services while reducing waste, reusing resources and improving environmental outcomes.
The safety of our people and contractors remains our highest priority. During the year, we strengthened our Critical Risk Program and continued embedding critical risk controls across the business. We also expanded collaboration with delivery partners through our Executive Contractor Safety Forum, bringing together leaders from across our broader workforce to share insights and drive improvements in safety performance. These efforts contributed to a united focus on safety across our business and partners, resulting in a major reduction in significant incidents.
As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, we remain committed to operating responsibly and aligning our activities with its principles covering human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Those principles continue to guide the way we work with our employees, partners, suppliers and communities.
We also continued making progress on our commitments to reconciliation and inclusion. During the year we launched branding developed by our Kauwi Miyurna employee network group, progressed actions under our Reconciliation Action Plan and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment and Retention Plan, strengthened cultural capability across the organisation, and increased Aboriginal employment. While we are proud of the progress being made, we know there is more work to do. Building strong relationships with Aboriginal communities and creating meaningful opportunities remains an important focus for our business.
Most importantly, I want to thank our people.
Every day, I see examples of employees going above and beyond for our customers, supporting one another and finding better ways of doing things. Their professionalism, commitment and willingness to take on challenges to continue to strengthen our organisation and make me immensely proud.
I would also like to thank the many delivery partners, contractors and suppliers who work alongside us. From our major alliance and framework partners through to smaller regional businesses and specialist contractors, their expertise and commitment play an important role in helping us deliver for South Australians.
Finally, I thank the Board for its ongoing support and leadership, and I acknowledge my Executive team. I am grateful for the support, leadership and commitment they bring to the organisation every day. I am fortunate to work alongside such a capable and committed group of leaders whose expertise and dedication continue to strengthen our organisation
David Ryan
Chief Executive