Anzac Highway water main renewal continues in Keswick

SA Water began replacing more than 700 metres of water main last night, under the south bound side of Anzac Highway in Keswick between Richmond Road and Marleston Avenue.

The upgrade is part of an ongoing program that will see $137 million invested to replace around 375,000 metres of water mains across South Australia between 2016 and 2020.

The planned work follows SA Water’s recent water main renewals to other major arterial roads throughout metropolitan Adelaide, including Glynburn, Tapleys Hill and South Road to reduce the impacts of water main breaks on commuters.

SA Water's General Manager of Asset Operations and Delivery Mark Gobbie said this section of pipe was 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 pipes will be made of PVC, which is flexible and more resistant to the movement caused by the area’s reactive clay soils compared to the existing, rigid cast iron and fibro-cement pipes.”

Work to install the new water main will typically take place overnight between 7 pm and 5 am from Sunday to Thursday and will take around eight weeks to complete.  

“Please be alert to changed traffic conditions in the area, which will be in place for the safety of road users, pedestrians and our workers,” Mark said.

“We’ve been working closely with local businesses to minimise the impact of the water main replacement will have on their trade and operations.

We’ll also be sending local residents advance notice of planned times for the temporary water supply outages that will be required when we cut over the old and new pipes.”

Both PVC and non-PVC 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.

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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