Proactive environmental leadership
Proactive environmental leadership
As a leader in environmental management, and by partnering with our stakeholders, customers and community, we are taking action to adapt to climate change and finding ways to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We make decisions that reduce waste and grow opportunities to reuse resources and by-products of our production processes to create environmental benefits.
The number of wastewater network blockages caused by ‘unflushables’ such as sanitary waste has been increasing, and so we delivered geographically targeted advertising in May and June 2024 that focused on suburbs with a high rate of blockages. The focus was on what people can’t flush and rinse, such as nonflushable wet wipes and tissues, to encourage behaviour change.
Messages were shared through digital channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Mamamia podcasts) and on the back of toilet doors in shopping centres in the targeted areas.
The campaign will be evaluated to inform future activity.
More than 83,000 tonnes of biosolids, sourced from our sewage treatment facilities, were supplied as soil conditioners across 13,000 hectares of broadacre cropping land in South Australia. Providing biosolids to the agriculture sector promotes sustainable farming practices and reduces agricultural input costs, benefiting both farmers and the environmcominent.
We implemented 2 significant initiatives to help conserve native bird species across South Australia in 2023-24, and these initiatives showcase how we support biodiversity preservation.
Our River Murray operation team and contractors participated in an innovative trial to monitor fairy tern breeding at the Murray Mouth site. Maritime Constructions, our partners for dredging work, collaborated with BirdLife Australia to undertake a breeding monitoring program for endangered birds including fairy terns, little terns, and hooded plovers.
Despite challenges posed by storms and significant rainfall, the breeding season yielded a successful outcome with 14 fairy tern chicks and 13 fledglings recorded. This is a testament to the effectiveness of our monitoring program.
In this reporting period, we expanded our network of nest boxes to provide refuge for native owls at the Middle River Reservoir Reserve on Kangaroo Island. This initiative is part of a broader program to enhance the habitat for barn owls and boobook owls. These owls contribute to the local ecosystem’s balance by controlling rodent populations that attract feral cats.
Our ecosystem restoration project highlights our efforts to conserve biodiversity at Hope Valley Reservoir Reserve. In 2023-24, we began to restore 3 hectares of South Australian blue gum grassy woodland, and we have introduced more than
30 species of trees, shrubs and native grasses. This significantly improves the biodiversity value and natural amenity of the area. The collaboration between our rangers and Reservoirs SA volunteers to deliver this work has supported improved habitat for woodland birds such as the white-winged chough (rated rare in South Australia) that has already been observed using the site.
A restoration initiative began in December 2023 at Myponga Reservoir Reserve to recreate 7 hectares of habitat for the nationally endangered southern brown bandicoot. Once the vegetation becomes established, it will double the extent of suitable habitat available for the existing population of bandicoots and support other threatened species such as heath goanna, yellow-footed Antechinus and western pygmy possums.
In March 2024, we established seed production areas across 3 sites in the Mount Lofty Ranges to ensure there is enough seed supply to support future restoration and revegetation programs. These 'seed farms' are cultivating more than 80 species of understory plants (native grasses, herbs, and sedges) so we can re-introduce them back into reservoir reserves and support biodiversity, conservation priorities and improve the ecological function of our restoration efforts. Many of these species have conservation significance such as the pale everlasting (endangered in South Australia) and swamp wallaby-grass (rare in South Australia).
Major faults
Polkinghorns Rd
Arthurton
- 18/06/2020
Water Supply On
- 18/06/2020 03:05 PM - We are attending to an incident in Arthurton with no interruption to the water supply. The safety of our crews and customers comes first, and we always aim to minimise inconvenience by restoring services as quickly as we can. Reference Number WO: 07505663.
- See all major faults
Scheduled works
Spruance Rd
Elizabeth East
- 11/06/2021
Temporary Supply Interruption
- Estimated start time and water supply off: 15/06/2021 09:00 AM
Estimated restore time and water supply back on: 15/06/2021 04:00 PM
We’re improving your services and undertaking maintenance work in Elizabeth East. Sometimes our crews need to temporarily interrupt the water supply to our customers and/or manage traffic while they are working. Temporary traffic management may remain in place until reinstatement of the impacted road is complete. We always aim to minimise inconvenience by restoring services as safely and quickly as we can. - See all scheduled works
