Out with the old and in with the new as Gawler tank is reborn

Construction of a new 3-million-litre concrete water tank in Gawler East is set to commence later next month, as part of SA Water’s ongoing investment in enabling housing growth throughout South Australia.

The $17.7 million tank – more than double the size of its predecessor – will enhance the resilience of the local water network for 6,200 existing customers, while increasing storage capacity to support growth across the region as new homes connect to the utility’s network.

Demolition of the existing and smaller 1.27-million-litre tank was completed earlier this month to make way for the new tank to be built on the same site, which is located on Calton Road.

This project is in addition to the $1.5 billion investment in critical water and sewer infrastructure through the State Government’s Housing Roadmap – delivered by SA Water – to unlock capacity for new homes to be built throughout Adelaide’s northern and southern growth fronts.

SA Water’s General Manager of Growth Amanda Lewry said the original tank served its local community for almost 120 years, and it was time to replace the structure to secure a reliable supply into the future.

“Our existing tank was constructed in 1907 and after more than a century of service, it has naturally reached the end of its design life and was ready to be decommissioned to make way for a new tank,” Amanda said.

“As the local community continues to grow, we need to ensure our infrastructure is growing in step and this will see our water storage capacity at this site increase to hold 3 million litres of safe, clean drinking water.

“By more than doubling the capacity, we are setting up our local water network for the future to support an increase in demand over time as more homes are built throughout Adelaide’s outer north.

“To prepare the site for our new tank, we first established a temporary supply prior to draining the existing tank to continue providing water to our customers.

“Once this was in place, the tank was then gradually emptied to enable a 3-week demolition of the concrete structure – which was 6 metres deep and around 19 metres in diameter.

“Crews are now focused on preparing the new tank’s foundation ahead of our first major concrete pour later next month to establish the tank’s base slab.

“Importantly, during this project, our existing customers’ supply will be supported with bypass arrangements throughout our network to keep the water flowing until the new tank is in service.”

For the safety of crews and the community, Barossa Avenue remains temporarily closed to traffic between Calton Road and Popham Avenue for the duration of the project, with a detour in place via Trevu Avenue.

The project is expected to be complete by mid-2026.

Contact:

Phone:

Email: