New water main coming for Clarendon

SA Water will start replacing around 59 metres of water main under Nicolle Road, in Clarendon, including the Onkaparinga crossing, from late February to reduce the impact of water main breaks on its customers and the area's road users.

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

SA Water's General Manager of Asset Operations and Delivery, Mark Gobbie, said this section of pipe was prioritised for replacement after a recent break.

“Water main incidents are typically triggered by environmental factors like weather and soil movement, so we can't completely stop them from happening, but we're fully committed to reducing their incidence and impact on our customers,” said Mark.

“The new pipe will be made of stainless steel and ductile iron, because it has to be strong enough to cross over the Onkaparinga River, above the ground.”

“We’ll be using traditional trenching techniques to lay the new main around the river crossing, then bolting the remaining pipe to the footbridge, to take it securely over the river.”

Both the old and new 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.

Work to install Nicolle Road’s new water main will typically take place between 7 am and 5 pm from Monday to Saturday and is anticipated to take up to three weeks to complete.

“The section of footpath over the Onkaparinga River will remain open during the works and our contractors will ensure safe access for pedestrians.

“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.

“Local residents should also keep an eye on their letterbox for advance notice of upcoming planned temporary water supply outages that will be needed when we cut over old and new pipes,” said Mark.

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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