Starting in mid-August, SA Water will resume work to replace the water main under Flinders Street in Adelaide’s CBD, between Pulteney Street and Frome Road. This is part of a $137 million investment over four years to renew around 375,000 metres of water main across South Australia.

Preparatory works began in November last year, but were put on hold, due to technical constraints.

SA Water's General Manager of Asset Operations and Delivery Mark Gobbie said the 320 metre section of pipe had been prioritised for replacement after recent breaks and leaks.

“We can't completely stop breaks and leaks from happening, because they’re often triggered by weather or soil movements, but we're fully committed to reducing their incidence and impact on our customers,” Mark said.

“The new pipe is made of PVC, which is flexible and more resistant to movement caused by the area’s reactive soils compared to the existing, rigid cast iron and fibro-cement pipes.”

Both the new and existing water mains have an expected lifespan of 100 years. More than half of SA Water’s 27,000 kilometre network of pipes are under 50 years old, which is relatively young by urban water industry standards.

The main replacement will take around six weeks to complete. Work will typically occur between 7pm and 5am from Sunday to Thursday to minimise the impact on local residents and businesses, as well as people travelling in the area.

“While our works are taking place, please be alert to changed traffic conditions, which will be in place for the safety of road users, our workers and pedestrians,” Mark said.

“During the day, our worksites on Flinders Street will however be clear, allowing free flow of traffic.

“This is made possible by laying a temporary bitumen seal over the excavated areas of road, at the end of each night’s work.

“We’ve been working closely with businesses in the area to minimise construction impacts and maintain property access. We’ll also give local residents advance notice of temporary water supply outages that will be required when we cut over the old and new pipes.”

For more information on when and where water mains are being renewed across the state, as well as details on existing pipes, take a look at the interactive map available at sawater.com.au.

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For further information contact SA Water’s media team on 08 7424 2477

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