Environmental protection

We are Australia’s second largest recycler of water, with one in every three litres of water being recycled. But we take it further – like taking water and wastewater treatment plant residual material and reusing it rather than sending it to landfill. Each year we collect and safely treat about 30,000 tonnes of organic biosolids this way, providing it free to local primary producers who use it for soil improvement.

Many projects have dedicated environmental management plans which outline strategies to ensure the local environment is protected.

Our specialists are involved in the planning process, contributing ideas for sustainable plantings for new projects to create native vegetation offsets or functioning ecosystems on retired grazing land. This determines the best ways to re-establish native vegetation that is disturbed or even improve it.

We factor in environmental impacts before commencing work and landscape around new infrastructure, such as pumping stations, with our specialists advising on botanical plants and land management.

We ensure that conservation and good environmental outcomes are front of mind during the length of any capital works project. An example of this is when we did a major upgrade of the Kangaroo Creek Reservoir:

• when it was drained, we salvaged the carp and provided them to the manufacturing sector to become fertiliser
• we salvaged and then re-used native seed-bearing topsoil and tree limbs and logs which had a high habitat value
• around 600 native orchids, representing 12 species including the purple cockatoo orchid and king spider orchid, were rescued during excavation works and replanted in another site. New seeds were also grown and planted, which has increased biodiversity in other water catchment lands we look after.

Through programs like the Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme, we support Adelaide’s horticulture and floriculture industries by providing a valuable source of climate independent treated wastewater for irrigation. Around 20 gigalitres of recycled water a year from the Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant also reach market gardeners through the Virginia Pipeline Scheme.

We manage a large amount of land across the state, particularly water catchment areas, working with the South Australian government, natural resources management groups and volunteers. Managing catchment areas is a key way to protect water quality and our water sources and conservation outcomes, and includes:

• improving the health of our ecosystems
• fire management to reducing bushfire risk and promote regeneration
• removing non-native plants and animals to prevent their spread
• revegetation.

We are working to decrease the cement pipes in our network that contain bonded, non-friable asbestos. Asbestos cement pipes are widely used for water supply throughout Australia and across the world.

The World Health Organisation and Australian Drinking Water Guidelines confirms that the presence of asbestos cement pipes within water networks does not pose a public health risk.