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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-12-06 Daily Xml
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SA Water Infrastructure

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Water and the River Murray. Will the minister inform the chamber how the government is investing in new technology to improve the city's water infrastructure?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:51): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. As I have demonstrated in this place time and time again, the South Australian government is committed to continually investing in our water infrastructure to ensure a reliable water network for South Australia. Recently, I announced that more than $4 million is being invested in an emerging smart technology to help manage the water supply network in Adelaide's CBD.

Through a network of flow meters, water quality sensors, leakage sensors, pressure meters and other smart meters that are being attached to businesses, SA Water will be able to respond, we hope, more swiftly to issues and deliver a better customer experience as a result of that information. This smart network in the Adelaide CBD will ensure businesses can continue to access the water they need to serve the community and to contribute to a thriving economy.

To improve customer service, water utilities are recognising the value of collecting network performance data in real time. Commonly termed as smart networks, this involves information collection and monitoring systems that review parameters such as flow, pressure, water quality, leakage, and real-time and acoustic data in our water networks. By collecting and analysing this information, water utilities are able to better optimise asset life and deliver greater reliability of service to their customers. The drive to move to a smart meter network for the broader industry is also relevant for our state and also for the utility, SA Water, as we work to achieve our vision of a world-class water service for a better life.

SA Water is one of the first Australian water utilities to adopt this smart technology in the size and configuration that we are doing in the CBD, as I understand. One of the most exciting parts of this project is acoustic leak detection, where acoustic loggers will listen for vibrations that indicate where in the network a leak might be occurring. Nobody of course wants bursts or leaks in the system, even though our leakage rates compare favourably to other states. We know these are disruptive events for our community and also particularly for commuters. The project is about taking proactive action to manage water main incidents and minimise impacts. Once tested and proven, we will look to expand this technology to other parts of the state, delivering significant benefits to our water customers and to the community more broadly.

A smart network will involve the installation of flow meters. Mass or network flow meters apparently measure flows in and out of the network to enable enhanced understanding of the network performance and likely changes in demand. The benefits of these meters is that they allow monitoring of minimum flows that generally occur during the night and undertaking flow balances to help with leakage monitoring and demand management.

Smart meters for large customers within the Adelaide CBD will assist with flow balance calculations and measurement of demand for future demand planning by those businesses. This will enable SA Water's business customers to better understand their water usage, to look for efficiencies and help to keep down their water bills. We will also be installing pressure sensors which measure pressure at key locations in and out of the CBD network. These sensors allow for measurement and understanding of the network performance to help look for leakage and to monitor pressure management as well.

High-speed or transient loggers are also being installed to record and allow analysis of the cause of pressure transients within the network. Transients can cause fatigue of the network, shorten the life of pipes and contribute to bursts. These loggers trace the source of the pressure spikes and help to reduce the effect of spikes within the network. We are also improving leakage monitoring through the acoustic leak detection I mentioned earlier. When a pressurised pipe is leaking, I am advised that a vibration is created at the point from where the water is leaking and the acoustic loggers will listen for this vibration and provide an indication of the location of the leak. This technique helps limit potential disruption to our customers and more broadly to the community.

Water quality monitoring centres will also be installed within the network and will consider a number of parameters such as pH and water turbidity. The sensors allow for chemical dosage management at treatment plants. Monitoring within the network will tell us whether we will need to dose further or less, and it will provide the ability to improve aesthetics of water and therefore overall level of service in terms of water quality and taste. It is good to see that even those opposite are able to appreciate the great innovation of this investment in the CBD. I think the opposition spokesperson, David Pisoni, was incredibly pleased to see it being introduced, I am told.

This government is committed to providing all South Australians with reliable, high quality and affordable water. We delivered an average $87 reduction on the average water and sewerage bill in 2016-17 through ESCOSA's regulation of SA Water, and this is on top of the $44 average reduction, when the government first appointed the Essential Services Commission of South Australia to independently regulate water services during the first regulatory period. Our investment into making our network smarter is another demonstration of our commitment to the state's water supply and quality of service to our customers.

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