New water main for Marrabel on the way

SA Water is next week set to replace around 68 metres of water main under Saddleworth Road in Marrabel, between Slant Road and Bruce Road, as part of continued efforts to reduce the impact of water main breaks on regional customers.

The replacement work, completed in conjunction with Trenchless Pipelaying Contractors, involves directionally drilling the new water main underneath an existing concrete stormwater culvert on Saddleworth Road to minimise inconvenience to road users.

Unlike traditional trenching techniques, directional drilling uses a 125-millimetre-high density polyethylene pipe that is bored in a continuous length without the need to join individual pipe lengths under the culvert.

A tanker has been arranged to set-up on Rowett Road on September 13 to maintain water supply to the township while the new section of water main is linked to the existing infrastructure.

SA Water’s General Manager of Asset Operations and Delivery Mark Gobbie said the replacement is on top of works already completed on a different stretch of Saddleworth Road earlier this year.

"The traditional lifespan of our water mains is around 100 years, meaning the work being done at Marrabel will allow us to continue providing world class water services to our customers well into the future," Mark said.

"Directional boring is the safest and most efficient way to cross this large culvert, and allows the water main to be replaced with as little construction inconvenience to the surrounding area as possible.

"Soil movement and weather factors can often make it difficult to prevent water main breaks and leaks from occurring, but we are committed to proactively limiting their frequency and impact."

The water main replacement is expected to take approximately one week to complete, with works typically occurring from 8am to 5pm from Monday to Friday.

"For safety purposes, we ask local residents and road users to please be aware of changed traffic conditions in the area while the works are being completed," Mark said.

"This is among a number of water main replacements SA Water is completing this year, and we look forward to continuing our investment in communities right across the state."

For more information on where SA Water is renewing water mains across the state, take a look at the interactive map at sawater.com.au.

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