Wellington East water upgrade is nearly done, SA Water says
Work is continuing on a $2.5 million project which will give residents access to mains water.
Wellington East residents should have access to mains water by July, according to the latest update on the project.
SA Water has spent the past six months working on a new pipeline which will connect the fast-growing residential area to a water main which runs alongside the Princes Highway.
That will give 220 households access to clean, safe drinking water for the first time.
Until now, the Coorong council has provided them with non-potable River Murray water, which is not fit to be used for drinking or bathing.
Residents have had to rely on their own rainwater tanks.
SA Health water quality advisor David Cunliffe said the new scheme would be safer, and that the department would continue to monitor water quality in the area when the new water service began operating.
Construction of a 1.2-kilometre water main, and installation of two valves used to stabilise water pressure, has been completed.
SA Water has been cleaning and disinfecting the existing pipe system, previously used for raw river water, this month.
The final stage of work – a period of water quality testing – will follow over a period of up to six weeks in June and July.
Residents would remain customers of the Coorong council until the project was completed, SA Water spokesman David Coombe said.
“Once the water mains are operational and water quality testing has been successfully completed, Wellington East residents will become SA Water customers, having access to a 24-seven customer response service, bill payment support when needed and inclusion in our state-wide pricing structure,” he said.
“We want to make sure this transition is as smooth as possible, so will continue to provide more information to our new customers once an exact transition date is confirmed.”
Property owners have been asked to contribute $2750 each to the project, payable to the Coorong council either as a one-off sum or over three years.
The project had previously been expected to be finished by May.
