Water works coming for Unley intersection

This weekend, SA Water will replace a critical section of an Unley water main at the intersection of Greenhill and Unley Roads, with works kicking off from 7 pm on Friday and finishing up at 5 am on Monday 30 April.

The planned works follow SA Water’s recent water main renewals to other major arterial roads throughout metropolitan Adelaide, including Glynburn, Tapleys Hill and South Roads to reduce the impacts of water main breaks on commuters, under a four year $137 million investment program.

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

“We can't completely stop breaks and leaks from happening, because they’re often triggered by weather or soil movements, but we're fully committed to reducing their incidence and impact on our customers,” Mark said.

“The new pipes will be made of PVC, which is flexible and more resistant to the movement caused by the area’s reactive clay soils compared to the existing, rigid cast iron and fibro-cement pipes.”

Traffic flows around the Greenhill and Unley Road intersection will be maintained in all directions, but temporary closure of lanes will be required from time to time.

“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,” Mark said.

“We’ve been working closely with local businesses to minimise the impact of the water main replacement will have on their trade and operations.

“Local residents have received advance notice of planned times for the temporary water supply outages that will be required when we cut over the old and new pipes.”

Both PVC and non-PVC 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.

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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