I N SP E CT ION, C CTV & C OND ITION AS S E S S M E N T
SMART MAINS MANAGEMENT PUTS SA WATER BREAKS
on downward trend
With a long history of innovation, SA Water continues to embrace change in its everyday operation and long term planning, including by fostering and developing new applications of cutting-edge technology for the benefit of its customers and the South Australian community.
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A Water’s role of providing trusted water services for a sustainable and healthy South Australia is, among other strategies, underpinned by agile and mature water mains asset management and condition assessment. Coupled with continued investment and adaption of new technologies, it’s helped the utility build a greater understanding of the state’s water and wastewater network and more recently, contributed to a reduced water main break rate not seen in years.
MAINTAINING AUSTRALIA’S LONGEST PIPE NETWORK SA Water’s expansive state-wide network of pipelines, pump stations and vital treatment infrastructure exists to provide customers with the most essential of services, and as a result, requires a modern and comprehensive management strategy which meets customer expectations. SA Water’s General Manager of Sustainable Infrastructure, Amanda Lewry, said a substantial part of this includes a fresh approach to our water mains performance and condition-based maintenance programs, enabling the utility to maximise the useful life of assets and reduce operational costs.
THE MORGAN TO WHYALLA PIPELINE MOVES HIGH-QUALITY, TREATED RIVER MURRAY WATER THROUGH 358KM OF ABOVE GROUND PIPE.
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“Our water mains condition assessment strategy is diverse and can be tailored to different situations, ranging from the use of hoop stress calculations in our reticulation network, to determining blockages and low-flow incidents harnessing CCTV and flow meter technology,” Ms Lewry said. “Our innovative fleet of more around 300 smart water acoustic sensors across the Adelaide CBD has also proven to be instrumental in proactively using acoustic monitoring to gauge a better understanding of our underground network, and successfully detected leaks and breaks proactively through the power of noise. “Our sensors detect around 200 environmental noises every day, and we continue to understand and interpret the different acoustic patterns to distinguish cracks in our pipes from other sounds picked up by the technology. “The adoption of smart technology into our day-to-day asset management system made us the first water utility in the world to implement a range of Internet of Things-enabled sensors in a defined geographical area and has underpinned the expansion into our sewer network and customer meters. “Our thirst for innovation sees us continue to embrace new technologies to best understand the condition of our assets and make them work smarter in delivering trusted and reliable water services into the future.”
