The first of the new 1200-millimetre-diameter pipes—the largest SA Water has installed in over a decade—is now being laid across Adelaide’s northern suburbs.
More than 3,500 metres of new trunk water main have already been installed in four locations in the northern suburbs.
Work is now underway to install 2,400 metres of giant 1200-millimetre-diameter trunk water main beneath Petherton Road in Davoren Park. Crews are working east towards Elizabeth North to increase the local water network’s capacity and enable more homes to be built at one of the state’s largest residential developments, Riverlea.
“This is a monumental moment in our mission to build more homes,” South Australian Minister for Housing and Urban Development Nick Champion said. “For the first time in more than a decade, we are installing 1200mm diameter pipes, which will build capacity in the system and enable future growth. Without these new pipes, SA Water’s network would be at the absolute limit of its capacity, and no new houses would be getting built.”
As part of the upgrade, a second crew has also begun installing pipes along Woodford Road in Elizabeth North towards Whiteparish Road.
Each crew will start at either end of the pipe alignment and work concurrently until they meet in the middle at the Gawler rail line at Broadmeadows Station.
A specialist pipe-laying method known as horizontal directional drilling will be used to install the section of trunk main under the rail line without interrupting train services.
This work will involve operating a horizontal directional drill to install a 36-metre-long sleeve under the track, pushing the pipe through to a retrieval trench on the other side.
Given the rail track’s importance and to provide more protection, these pipes will also be encased in a slightly larger pipe to help prevent any damage to the track in the event of a leak.
These new trunk mains – which will duplicate existing pipes throughout Adelaide’s north – are critical to supplying more water into Riverlea to unlock capacity for new homes while maintaining reliable water pressure to existing SA Water customers.
Once complete, Walker Corporation’s $3 billion Riverlea housing development will have approximately 12,000 new dwellings and accommodate 40,000 people.
“We have strong demand from first home buyers, along with growing families and downsizers, all wanting to move to Riverlea, and this installation of essential piping being rolled out by the SA Government will give us the capability to get more homes delivered quicker,” Walker Corporation Chief Operating Officer Nathan Campbell said.
The work is part of a record $1.5 billion investment by the South Australian Government to grow the water and sewer network, announced as a key initiative of the Housing Roadmap. This will unlock a potential 40,000 new allotments across South Australia.
Further pipe installations are planned for delivery during the next four years. These mains will eventually connect to new pipes installed along Angle Vale Road and will be supplied by SA Water’s storage tank in Elizabeth East.
This first enabling stage is expected to be completed in early 2026.
Additional projects, such as delivering new trunk water mains to support housing growth in Angle Vale, will commence progressively over the next few months. This first investment tranche comprises $419 million of the overall four-year program.
The second investment tranche of $772.2 million was assessed by the Public Works Committee last week and tabled in Parliament. It will deliver additional new infrastructure to enable greater capacity within SA Water’s networks.
This second tranche will fund seven water projects and five wastewater projects, including further stages of upgrades for Riverlea – which involves an additional 10,000 metres of new trunk water main to complete the connecting network of pipes – as well as infrastructure to support new homes in Angle Vale, Onkaparinga Heights and Virginia.
Projects as part of this tranche will progressively commence from late 2025.
For images and video of pipe installation at Elizabeth North, click here.
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