For the first time in South Australia, SA Water is trialling the use of satellite technology in an attempt to predict leaks and breaks in the state’s water main networks and minimise their impact on the community. The satellite trial is part of SA Water’s ongoing investment in smart technology.
The trial will use satellite imagery and monitoring to assess ground movement around over 820 kilometres of underground piping throughout Adelaide’s northeastern suburbs like Athelstone and Rostrevor.
These suburbs are among those most prone to water main incidents due to reactive soil conditions. Located in the Adelaide foothills, these suburbs feature a unique combination of soil layers that shift when they become wet or dry out.
This development comes during an ongoing period of dry conditions across vast areas of South Australia, a problem that has the potential to cause an increase in water main incidents for the remainder of 2025.
In assessing ground movement, which is one of the central causes of water main leaks and breaks, SA Water hopes to identify potential incidents, like future pipe breaks, before they arise. Information gathered by the satellite technology will then be provided to operational crews, allowing them to manage water main repairs.
Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Nick Champion, said “We are always looking to innovate and find new ways to minimise the potential impact of water main breaks.”
“This new satellite technology trial will hopefully help the crews fix a fault before it becomes a bigger issue, saving time and money in future repairs.”
Over the past two years, more than a thousand pressure loggers and acoustic sensors have been installed across Adelaide, with plans for additional installations to be realised by the end of 2025.
The smart technology utilised by SA Water monitors acoustic patterns and changes in water flow or pressure to identify potential pipe cracks. In just the last twelve months, over 250 leaks have already been detected and addressed thanks to these sensors, helping reduce the potential impact on the community. If overlooked, these incidents can cause temporary disruption to water supply or disrupt key transit routes.
“With the sustained dry conditions, areas of Adelaide will become more susceptible to water main leaks and breaks so using this new technology should help us reduce the impact on the community”, said Champion.
Beyond the satellite trial and smart networks, SA Water has placed additional operational crews on standby to manage the potential increase in water main incidents as a result of South Australia’s drier-than-usual summer.
SA Water has also encouraged the community to report any leaks to their website.
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