Complex sewer main repairs to continue in Camden Park

Work to repair a sewer main on Mooringe Avenue in Camden Park is expected to continue this week, following further challenges on-site with groundwater infiltration and soil instability.

Crews working 24/7 across the weekend successfully exposed the section of impacted sewer main and found considerable infill of surrounding soil material, which entered the pipe as a result of the break.

SA Water’s Senior Manager of Field Operations Colin Bell said two specialist contractors are on site today to help explore a range of solutions given the additional complexities.

“Our crews persisted over the weekend despite the challenging conditions and after exposing a section of the pipe, our visual assessment found a significant amount of soil material blocking the inside of the pipe as a result of the surrounding ground collapsing last week," Colin said.

“Along with this challenge, the ongoing infiltration of groundwater is also causing soil instability.

“The immediate priority is to secure the site and stabilise the trench to ensure it’s safe for our crews, who will then work to clear the pipe of soil material to enable further condition inspections using CCTV.

“Unblocking the soil will need to be completed carefully using low-pressure water, and this process may take a few days.

“This will help get the pipe to a suitable condition for relining, which involves feeding a liner through the inside of the sewer main to create a new pipe.

“Importantly, there remains no interruption to our customers’ sewerage services, with network bypass pumps and vacuum trucks on-site to keep sewage flowing while the impacted pipe is offline.”

Mr Bell said SA Water’s priority is keeping local businesses and residents informed as work progresses during the week.

“At this stage, we’re working on a day-to-day basis due to the challenges we’ve experienced while carrying out repairs, and through our Community Support and operational teams, will look to continue providing regular updates as they arise,” Colin said.

“We understand the inconvenience this work is having on commuters and locals in the area, and assure them we’re working as quickly and safely as possible to complete repairs and reopen the road.

“Immediately following the incident last week, our Community Support team arranged for the clean-up and disinfection of three properties impacted by sewer overflows, with this work completed last Friday.

“The team also continues to work with these customers and others impacted more generally by the sewer main break, to work with their insurers and cover any out-of-pocket expenses.”

For the safety of SA Water crews and the community, traffic management remains in place, with detours between Deeds Road and Fitzroy Avenue.

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