SA Water Projects

New Pricing for SA Water

Local government and their communities will now pay more for their water under South Australia’s new three tiered water pricing system.  The move from a two tiered to a three tiered system will contribute towards securing Adelaide’s water resources, including funding Adelaide’s planned desalination plant.

The new pricing structure is as follows:

• 71 cents per kilolitre(kL) for the first 120kL used in the year (up from 50 cents)
• $1.38 per kL for consumption above 120kL used in the year (up from $1.16)
• $1.65 per kL for consumption above 520kL used in the year .

Glenelg to Adelaide Parklands Project – one step closer

 A proposed route for the recycled water pipeline that will transport water from the Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant to the CBD has been released and businesses and community groups are being encouraged to register their interest.

The Glenelg to Adelaide pipeline will cover a distance of 30 kilometres and will run along the southern edge of the Adelaide Airport, then head east along Anzac Highway before branching into the city. 

Construction of the pipeline is due to start in early 2009, with the first recycled water available in the city by mid 2010.  Once the pipeline construction is complete, up to 5.5 million litres of treated wastewater will be available for use every year. 

SA Water has already been working with local governments, including Water Campaign™ participant, Adelaide City Council, and large water users along the pipeline to develop opportunities for recycled water reuse.  Businesses and community groups are encouraged to contact SA Water to register their interest and obtain a map of the route on 1800 812 362.

Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board

Adelaide and Mount Lofty Regional NRM Plan 

The Regional Natural Resources Management Plan is now complete and has been developed to provide leadership, encourage community action, foster partnerships and identify where investment is required.

The plan was  formulated with extensive consultation with the community and stakeholders and is now available on the AMLR NRM website. 

Impacts of Climate Change in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges (AMLR) Region

The Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board in partnership with the Department of Water, Land & Biodiversity Conservation has recently released a report reviewing the vulnerability of NRM in the AMLR region to climate change.

The report entitled “There's a change on the way - Projected climate change impacts and adaptation options for Natural Resource Management in the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges Region�? reviews recent climate change predictions and within the limits of current science, summarises the range of likely climate change impacts on natural resources management in the region.

Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board

Climate Change and Us Forum 

Over 100 regional leaders from local government, regional development and natural resource management in the Central Region of South Australia came together to tackle regional climate change issues in an all day forum in Port Pirie on April 29.

The climate change forum was hosted by the Central Local Government Region of South Australia in conjunction with the Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management (NRM) Board and the Southern Flinders, Yorke and Mid North Regional Development Boards.

Delegates heard that long-term predictions forecast that the climate is expected to be more variable and unpredictable and are likely to see:

• An overall reduction in rainfall, particularly in autumn and winter;
• More hot days and less cold nights;
• Increases in the frequency and severity of droughts;
• An increase in extreme bushfire danger days;
• An increase in flooding and rain event intensity, destructive wind and storm activity;
• Migration or increased vulnerability of native species;
• Higher tides, storm surges and coastal inundation

A range of local initiatives are already underway to tackle climate change but it was strongly agreed  that there was a need to continue to work together and share information and resources.  It was identified that more information was needed at a regional and local level and that the regions peak bodies should continue to show collaborative leadership in this area.

For more information, visit the  Northern and Yorke NRM Board or the Central Local Government Region of South Australia websites. 

South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board

The SAMDB NRM Board is currently developing the region’s new Natural Resources Management plan. 

The plan aims to bring together all aspects of caring for our Natural Resources (our land, water, biodiversity, atmosphere and our people) including ways to respond to major threats like climate change and the influence of social and economic issues facing the region.

Visit the SAMDB NRM Board for more information. 

Participating Councils

There are currently 30 councils participating in the Water Campaign™ in South Australia.  We would like to welcome our newest participants Port Pirie Regional Council, Northern Areas Council, Coorong District Council, District Council of Loxton Waikerie, Southern Mallee District Council, Berri Barmera Council and Mid Murray Council.

Campbelltown City Council

On Wednesday 27 February 2008 Campbelltown City Council launched their stormwater and erosion control project at Wadmore Park.  The launch was attended by MP for Sturt Christopher Pyne,  Senator Dana Wortley along with Elected Members, members of the Campbelltown Landcare Group and many other guests.  The project is being undertaken in partnership with the Campbelltown Landcare Group and with close support of SA Indigenous Flora.  Council received a $ 227 000 grant from the Australian Government as part of the round 3 Community Water Grants Program. 

The project will help protect Wadmore Park from erosion and weed infestation caused by excessive stormwater flows.  A bioswale will be installed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water.  Work has already begun on the project, and guests of the launch were invited to attend a site visit where they were able to see part of the extensive drainage work being laid.  For more information please contact  Andrian Wiguna or Kaarina Sarac on 08 8366 9219. 

The District Council of Karoonda East Murray

In 2007, the District Council of Karoonda East Murray was successful in obtaining funding from the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin NRM Board for the purposes of developing a Water Resources Management Plan for Karoonda. Council has employed the services of Australian Water Environments to develop the plan, which is in its final stages of development.  The plan addresses opportunities and risks arising from an integrated approach to water resources management. 

City of Burnside

The City of Burnside has delivered almost 19,000 shower timers to its residents to help residents save water inside their own homes.  The shower timers also come with a magnet and information card detailing the benefits of taking shorter showers.  The four minute shower timers have the cumulative potential to save up to 736 million litres of water and 8,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year.     It is expected that residents will be able to save up to $45 off their water bill and $31 off their electricity bill if they use the timers on a regular basis.

For more information see the City of Burnside

Water Conservation Projects undertaken by Water Campaign™ Councils

A number of councils have recently reduced their water consumption through the implementation of a variety of irrigation projects, as outlined in the table below.

A number of councils have recently implemented rainwater harvesting projects, as outlined in the table below.

In addition to the projects outlined in the tables above, the District Council of Mount Barker have retrofitted 6 urinals to waterless urinals, resulting in annual water savings of 1,310 kL.

Water Campaign^TM Workshops

The first Milestone 2 and 3 workshop in the SAMDB NRM region was held with the District Council of Karoonda East Murray on 29 July 2008.  The workshop began with a brief introduction to ICLEI Oceania and the Water Campaign^TM.  Following this, a short introduction to Milestone 1 was given along with a brief explanation of Council’s Milestone 1 results. The workshop then focussed on the requirements of Milestone 2 and 3, including a discussion on goal setting as well as an activity where council staff listed all the water management actions undertaken by council to date. 

An Introduction to the Water Campaign™ and Milestone 1 workshop was held on 19 May at Coorong District Council with staff from Coorong District Council and Southern Mallee District Council. 

This workshop provided a brief introduction to who ICLEI Oceania is and what we do, provided an overview of the Water Campaign^TM framework and then provided detailed training in how to complete the requirements of Milestone 1.

The Presiding Member of the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin NRM Board, Bill Paterson, was a guest speaker at the workshop and spoke about the partnership between the SAMDB NRM Board and ICLEI Oceania as well as the current water issues in the region. 

The first workshop in the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin NRM region was held on 29 February at the District Council of Karoonda East Murray.  Staff from this council attended as well as staff from Mid Murray Council. 

The workshop included an introduction to ICLEI and the Water Campaign^TM framework.  Its focus was the requirements of Milestone 1 and what is needed to complete Milestone 1.  Presiding Member, Bill Paterson, was a guest speaker at the workshop and provided an interesting talk on the collaboration of the SAMDB NRM Board and ICLEI to deliver the Water Campaign^TM in the region and the role of local government in sustainable water management.

The second workshop was held in the SAMDB NRM region on 4 March, hosted by the District Council of Loxton Waikerie with staff from the Berri Barmera also attending. This workshop provided an introduction to ICLEI and the Water Campaign^TM, and focussed on the requirements of Milestone 1. 

The first workshops in the Northern and Yorke NRM region were held on 6 and 7 February 2008.  The first workshop was held at the The Farmshed and was hosted by the District Council of the Copper Coast, staff from this council and the District Council of Yorke Peninsula attended. 

 

The second workshop was hosted by the District Council of Mount Remarkable and was held in the council chambers at Melrose.  The District Council of Orroroo Carrieton also attended this workshop. 

These workshops provided a brief introduction to ICLEI Oceania and the Water Campaign^TM framework.  They then focussed on the requirements of Milestone 1 and included activities designed to familiarise staff with the Inventory tool. The workshop concluded with a brief introduction to Milestone 2.