SA Water achieves regulatory performance standards for 2018-19

SA Water continued its commitment to improving customer outcomes in 2018-19, with all 18 service standards achieved, improving on the previous year’s results.

As shown in the Essential Services Commission of South Australia’s (ESCOSA) latest review of the utility’s performance, 17 of the 18 service standards were met or exceeded.

The remaining service standard is considered met on best endeavours for being within one per cent of the target.

This measure relates to the restoration of water network service interruptions in regional South Australia. With the longest water network in Australia, SA Water’s regional crews – in comparison to some of their interstate counterparts – are required to travel greater distances to respond to incidents, increasing the time taken for repair and restoration.

ESCOSA’s annual Regulatory Performance Report details SA Water’s performance against its regulatory requirements, relating to customer service, financial assistance provided to customers and the reliability of drinking water and sewerage services.

SA Water’s General Manager of Customer Delivery Kerry Rowlands said the targets are based on average historical performance, and although attainable, are set high to match customers’ expectations of SA Water.

“Customers are our top priority, and that’s why it’s great to see we consistently perform well in customer service, as shown in ESCOSA’s performance report each year,” Kerry said.

“In 2018-19, we exceeded targets for phone and complaint responsiveness, and the number of complaints decreased for a second year in a row, from 1763 in 2017-18 to 1568 in 2018-19.”

A key area of improvement identified in both ESCOSA’s report and the Bureau of Meteorology’s National Performance Report (NPR) 2018-19: urban water utilities is the frequency and duration of unplanned water outages, with around 2700 reported last year in metropolitan Adelaide at an average duration of 243 minutes.

"Over the past several months, we have been working to identify what contributes to these high numbers and assess potential improvement opportunities, primarily through enhancing our data and work practices,” Kerry said.

“We’re looking to train more field crew members to operate shut-off valves as part of water main repairs, investigate innovative ways of isolating, repairing and restoring the water network, and optimise resources for repairs in regional areas with the longest required repair time.

“Several initiatives aimed at improving our management of water networks, actioned in recent years, are already producing positive results for our customers.

“The installation of nearly 300 additional valves in metropolitan Adelaide means smaller areas and fewer customers experience a temporary water supply disruption during water main works, with more than 1500 properties avoiding an outage between 2016-20.

“Since it began operating in 2017, the Adelaide CBD smart water network has successfully detected more than half of all water man leaks and breaks, to enable proactive repair before they impact customers and commuters.

“As recommended in a recent independent report commissioned by the SA Water Board, we are also looking at further ways to reduce the total community impact of water main repairs and renewals, such as better planning for work on arterial roads to help limit any impact on commuters and businesses.”

For a full copy of the 2018-19 SA Water Regulatory Performance Report, visit escosa.sa.gov.au.

Contact:

Phone:

Email: