Tank transformation a boost for KI water supply

SA Water is increasing water storage for residents on Kangaroo Island with two nine megalitre concrete water storage tanks in Kingscote soon to be filling with water for the first time in 20 years.

Restorations to the 39 metre-diametre tanks form part of SA Water’s $89 million investment to refurbish 111 water storages around South Australia between 2016 and 2020.

SA Water’s General Manager Asset, Operations and Delivery Mark Gobbie said the project will quadruple treated water storage capacity in the Kingscote water supply network.

"The tanks were built in the early 1960s and have not been operating in around two decades, so we needed to do some work to ensure they can help provide clean and safe drinking water to the Kingscote area well into the future," Mark said.

"Increasing the system's storage capacity will help increase water security for the network and provide additional time to manage and resolve potential issues like pump faults or power failures before they turn into supply interruptions for our customers.

"The two refurbished tanks will be filling up with water in the coming months, and we will then commence similar refurbishment works to the smaller nearby storage tank that is already in operation. "

Completed by Fulton Hogan and SA-based company JMA Engineering, around 50 people have worked to replace all interconnecting pipework between the tanks and the supply network, along with the installation of new aluminium roof sheeting to protect water quality and evaporation.

"The existing concrete columns that reinforce the tank structure have also been replaced with a strong fibre-reinforced material which has a 100-plus year lifespan," Mark said.

In addition to network maintenance activities like the tank upgrades, SA Water recently published a refreshed Long-term Plan to secure Kangaroo Island’s water supply into the future which identified the potential for an additional desalination plant at Penneshaw.

SA Water currently operates two water supply systems for customers on Kangaroo Island – the Middle River system, which supplies an average of 356 million litres across 1500 customer connections, and the 400 kilolitre per day capacity Penneshaw Desalination Plant for around 300 customers on the eastern end of the Island.

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