New flows for outback town
A new high-quality drinking water supply is being piped into the SA town of Orroroo.
The first water is flowing through a new 36-kilometre water pipeline From Orroroo to Peterborough, connecting the town to SA Water's River Murray network.
The new pipeline is expected to improve the aesthetic quality of the township's drinking water through water produced by the Morgan Water Treatment Plant.
SA Water's General Manager of Asset Operations and Delivery Mark Gobbie said the difference will be clear.
“Water is currently flowing through the pipe network and into our water storage tank just outside Orroroo, which will take a few days to reach our customers in the area while the switch over to treated River Murray supply is complete,” Mr Gobbie said.
“We hope Orroroo residents enjoy having a better tasting water supply and that it makes a real difference to daily life.”
The project has seen new pipes installed within road verges and a further 17 kilometres of water main replacement between Peterborough and Yongala.
The township's previous supply was sourced from groundwater from the Walloway Basin, which although classified as drinkable under Australian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines did not meet certain taste qualities due to natural salinity occurring in many of Australia's groundwater systems.
“The new supply is treated with chloramine, which is a common disinfection method used to destroy pathogens that can arise in untreated water and ensures the water we supply to over 220,000 customers across the state is clean and safe to drink,” Mr Gobbie said.
“Some residents may notice slight temporary water discolouration when their supply, but this is common when we change over a water supply and it remains perfectly safe to drink.
“We're excited that our customers will now get to enjoy some of SA's best tasting tap water, and we thank the local community and the District Council of Orroroo Carrieton for their collaboration to get to this point.”