Strathalbyn water main upgrade to start in February

Beginning next month, SA Water will replace and relocate around 500 metres of water main along Sandergrove Road in Strathalbyn to ensure a continued reliable supply of water for local customers and address safety issues created by recent streetscape works.

An additional 265 metres of water main will also be installed along the same road as part of a separate project to ensure the local network can meet future demand as a result of expected population growth in the area.

SA Water’s General Manager of Asset Operations and Delivery Mark Gobbie said the upgrade of a 500-metre section of water main underneath the northern part of Sandergrove Road follows third party works in the area which damaged the pipe and placed kerbing and electrical poles directly above SA Water infrastructure.

“Before the kerbing was extended, the pipe on Sandergrove Road was previously in good working order and located below the road – where the majority of our water services are across the state – but is now under the footpath, which creates access issues that must be resolved for the safety of our people, customers and the community,” Mark said.

“Currently, in the event of a water main leak or break, our crews would have to drill down through layers of concrete to access the main and carry out repairs. This increases the time we’re on the road, and potentially how long water is disrupted for our customers.

“Kerbing laid above top stones and fire plugs, as well as underground electrical services moved closer to our water main also mean the infrastructure doesn’t meet safety standards as detailed in the Water Supply Code of Australia (2011). To rectify these issues, we need to move the water main back under the road.

“As with all our projects across the state, we aim to work closely with councils and it’s unfortunate the streetscaping schedule was not able to accommodate the water main relocation to minimise disruption.

“We’re now working closely with council staff to ensure minimal impact to residents and people travelling through the area during the water main relocation.

“Once the new main is installed, we will be resurfacing the entire lane width of the recently-upgraded sections of road, and all concrete and customer service connections will be reinstated to the closest joint, to minimise any visual impact.”

SA Water contractor Fleurieu Civil will complete both the safety relocation and water main extension works on Sandergrove Road, which is expected to take around 14 weeks to complete, with construction typically occurring from Monday to Friday between 7am and 6pm.

“For the safety of our people and commuters, we ask residents and road users in the area to please take note of the localised traffic management in place while our works are underway,” Mark said.

“We will also ensure residents and businesses are notified of any temporary water supply interruptions that are necessary when we move their connections over from the old to new pipes.”

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