SA Water Infrastructure

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (14:59): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Water and the River Murray questions in regard to pipe maintenance.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY: I understand that a number of years ago SA Water undertook a preventative maintenance program which included inspections of the pipe network, a register of the age and condition of the pipe network, and information pertaining to soil reactivity in areas across the state. My questions are:

1. Can the minister advise if SA Water still have a preventative maintenance program or if this has been replaced by a breakdown maintenance program?

2. Can the minister provide details as to whether SA Water still maintain a register for the age and condition of the pipe network and how often this is reviewed and updated?

3. What was the date of the last review of the pipe network, including pipes and pipe joints, in Campbelltown, Newton and Paradise?

4. When was the pipework originally laid?

5. Can the minister table the last review results?

6. Can the minister advise if SA Water conducts regular soil testing on soils that are known to be particularly reactive? If so, can the minister advise if the soil in Campbelltown, Newton and Paradise has been tested and, if so, the date of that test and the type of soil found, including the extent of expansion and contraction?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (15:01): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions. It was incredibly detailed, and some of it I will have to take on notice and come back with some answers for him, but I can put some general remarks on the record for him.

Over the past four years, 2011-12 to 2014-15, SA Water has spent $51.4 million per annum on average, I am advised, on direct routine maintenance repairs, including breakdowns to its infrastructure right across the state. This cost is directly attributable to maintenance activities, I am advised. Those activities are undertaken on individual assets and do not include the cost of operating, monitoring and managing those assets on a day-to-day basis.

In addition to the asset maintenance cost, SA Water also invests significant capital in the ongoing renewal of its infrastructure. Over the past three years, SA Water has invested on average $325 million per annum, I am advised, on the renewal and upgrade of its pipe networks, treatment plants, water storages and other related infrastructure. The 2014-15 spend, I am advised, has reached approximately $243 million.

The results of SA Water's Customer Engagement Program have determined that customers were satisfied with the level of service and reliability provided by SA Water. In terms of the condition and age of the network, SA's water pipe network is in good condition, I am advised. The average age of the water mains is 51 years, with those water mains in regional areas being slightly older than metropolitan Adelaide water mains on average.

The Australian water industry anticipates that water pipes will have useful lives, between an average of 80 and 150 years, depending on soil conditions, pipe material and construction standards. SA Water's pipe network is therefore relatively young by urban water industry standards. SA Water owns 27,078 kilometres of water mains with a gross replacement value of $7.3 billion, I am advised, as of June 2015, in order to supply water to 682,749 metered connections across the state. I assume that relates to the same date.

I can also say that in terms of comparing the failure rate of water mains of interstate providers, it does demonstrate how favourably SA Water performs in this regard. The National Performance Report compares the failure rate of water mains of utilities between comparative interstate providers, that is, those with a customer base of over 100,000 customers. I am advised that for 2013-14, South Australia statewide had a failure rate of 11.5 failures per hundred kilometres per year and, in comparison, as I said earlier, Western Australia experienced 17.3 failures, Victoria experienced 32.2 failures and Sydney Water experienced 30 failures. I read into the record previously what those actual figures were and, again, they show that SA Water performs remarkably well in comparison to those other utilities.

I don't think you asked a question about wastewater mains. I will undertake to take those other detailed questions the honourable member asked and bring a response back to the chamber on his behalf.