SA Water, New Technologies and Systems

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (14:38): My question is for the Minister for Water and the River Murray. Can the minister update the chamber about how SA Water is investing in new technologies and systems to improve the experiences of their customers?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:38): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. SA Water is investing in new technologies and systems that aim to improve their delivery of safe, accessible and clean water across our state. For example, SA Water recently finished training two network specialist operators on the installation of Quicklock Australia's repair fittings, a new type of trenches technology.

This training, I am advised, was undertaken on the job within the Victor Harbor and Lobethal sewer networks. For those who may not be fully conversant with the trenching requirements for laying sewers, the traditional method of repairing failed joints and pipes did involve expensive deep excavations. These excavations, of course, are time-consuming. They are expensive and sometimes impose minor safety risks which need to be mitigated, usually through some sort of infrastructure in the trench.

With this new technology, with these new fittings, technicians will be able to repair pipes in a much safer and more cost-effective manner. For example, after accessing a water main, a trolley is placed inside the pipe and manoeuvred into place with the aid of a remotely operated camera. A repair sleeve is then placed on the affected section and inflated, ratcheting into position over the area and sealing it against leakage.

In Victor Harbor, the technicians installed a 150 millimetre seal from a four-metre deep sewer access point in the middle of the road. I am advised the seal was installed at a distance of 41 metres from the operator. In Lobethal, they worked with the other Woodside depot members at an easement sewer drain that had caused recurring problems for seven years. These problems necessitated revisits by technicians every 12 to 18 months for repairs. The drain has blocked once again due to tree root intrusion, which is a common occurrence in our sewerage system in South Australia because of our relatively shallow placement of sewers compared to other states. Of course, in this instance, it overflowed upstream.

The drain was jet cleaned and four Quicklock seals installed to rehabilitate the drain. The job was completed in couple of hours and required no clean up of the surrounding area. I am advised that SA Water will continue to expand the use of this new technology, following the successful uses of it in these two locations. As a result, I think we can expect to see quite a deal of improvement in repair response times and a reduction in maintenance costs.

SA Water has also been trialling SmartBall technology. A SmartBall is a ball a little smaller than a basketball that is inserted into a particular spot in a water main. The SmartBall travels through the pipe, emitting an acoustic signal that allows SA Water to collect a wide range of data. SmartBall technology collects information that can detect leaks and also gas pockets. It can also conduct pipe wall assessments to identify high points of stress on the pipe walls. That information is collected and then used by SA Water technicians to determine future maintenance and capital works programs.

SA Water has carried out an initial inspection trial using the SmartBall, comprising of three runs. The first run was a 2.8 kilometre stretch of mild steel main, focusing on finding small leaks and air pockets. The second run was 3.6 kilometres in length on the Norwood cast iron trunk main, focusing on leak detection, gas pocket detection and pipe wall assessment. The third run was 5.6 kilometres in length on the Adelaide cast iron trunk main.

We hope that the assessments will provide SA Water with a greater ability to detect leakage points, air pockets and areas of high stress loading on the pipe. A decision can then be made on whether the main should be repaired and brought back into service or abandoned with network modifications to shift supply or replaced under a capital works program. This sort of approach to technology ensures that the risk and cost benefit to the customer is balanced and provides value for money in terms of our capital program.

The cost of the three runs conducted, including the preparation work, the site excavations, condition assessment and reinstatement, is about $250,000, or roughly about $21,000 per kilometre in the run. The longer the run, the more cost effective it is to conduct the assessment. Once the final report comes through, SA Water will evaluate the effectiveness of this technology. If it is indeed as successful as we hope it will be, SA Water will add it to the range of tools that it uses to carry out condition assessments on large critical trunk mains to avoid failure on high-risk pipes and so that we can also plan for early maintenance and capital works attention.

This is very exciting technology and builds on the technology we have announced in the CBD in terms of getting an early look at potential failures and by utilising pressure sensors and other mechanisms which I have talked about in this place previously. I would like to congratulate SA Water for again leading in terms of innovation and making sure that we get quality and value for the investment that the taxpayer puts into delivering a very important service to its customers.