Topics > Water and River Murray > Urban water

Managing urban water

A lot of water management systems happen 'behind the scenes', so you may not notice it. Urban water is managed to:

  • ensure our towns and cities have safe and reliable water supplies
  • minimise the inconvenience and damage to life and property (by managing drainage systems and floods)
  • safely collect, treat and dispose of wastewater
  • minimise any negative impacts on precious fresh water and marine environments.

Many organisations manage urban water, driven by legislative instruments and informed by scientific monitoring, analyses and research.

The South Australian Government sets the directions for water management with the support of the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) and other departments.

Urban water challenges

The challenges of the past included droughts, floods, pollution, meeting water demand for a growing population, managing wastewater, and protecting the environment.

We continue to face similar challenges. It is important that we prepare our towns and cities for a hotter, drier future with a growing population and economy, while we continue to maintain our current lifestyle and enjoy greener streets and public spaces. The water challenges facing our towns and cities are expected to increase in the future including:

  • Increasing water demands as the South Australian climate becomes hotter and drier, our population grows, our economic activity increases and to meet community expectations for green parks and streets.
  • Decreasing water availability from traditional sources in a hotter, drier climate.
  • Greater potential for flooding as urban areas become larger and more densely populated and even with lower average annual and seasonal rainfalls, increasing rainfall intensity with the changing climate.
  • Impacts on the natural environment of our towns, cities and surrounds from pollution, the increased water demands and flooding.
  • Changing urban development patterns, with increasing urban density in some locations providing the prospect of more impervious surfaces − this may potentially increase urban runoff creating challenges for our stormwater networks.
  • Ageing urban water infrastructure, with some assets likely nearing the end of their useful life, including some stormwater drainage assets.

Management themes

There are many other delivery partners who contribute to managing the following five service areas to the standards expected by South Australians.

1. Natural environments

All water in the urban area begins from rainfall, surface water runoff, groundwater or seawater. The natural system also includes freshwater and marine ecosystems that are important habitats and receive discharges of stormwater and wastewater.

  • Landscape boards oversee the development of water allocation plans that underpin the take of water for urban use in prescribed areas and set out the requirements for water affecting activity permits.
  • Local councils are responsible for the receiving environments on lands that they manage, including riparian areas, estuaries and coasts.

2. Drinking water supply

Most of the water used in urban areas is treated to a quality that is safe for drinking; this is referred to as potable water. Water from rivers, seawater or groundwater is treated to drinking standard and distributed to homes, businesses and other properties.

  • SA Water delivers potable water supply (to 99% of SA customers).
  • SA Health regulates public health aspects of urban water, including safe drinking water requirements.

The SA Water database Your drinking water profile provides information on drinking water supply and its mineral make‑up. Postcodes and suburbs are matched to the water supply system and show you the most current information about your tap water. With this database you can find all the information about what makes up your drinking water, at home or at work.

3. Non-potable water supply

In some areas water from a diverse range of sources including stormwater, wastewater, rainwater and groundwater is treated and supplied for toilet flushing, irrigating parks and gardens and other non-contact uses. This water is either not treated or treated to a lesser degree than is required for drinking water; it is known as non-potable water. Public health and environmental regulations are in place to ensure water is treated and managed to the level required for its intended use (‘fit-for-purpose’). Most commonly non-potable water is used close to where it is collected and stored, but sometimes it is piped to other parts of a town or city or exported for horticulture irrigation in rural areas.

  • Local councils collect, treat, store and supply non-potable water for irrigating parks and gardens. In some cases this is also supplied to other users.
  • SA Water supplies recycled water for irrigating parks, to some homes and to horticultural areas and in some parts of South Australia water that is not drinking quality is supplied without treatment.
  • Private water industry entities supply collect, treat, store and supply non-potable water.

4. Managing wastewater

Wastewater from toilets, showers and sinks in homes and other buildings is delivered to treatment plants by the sewerage system. Once treated, some of this water is used for non-potable supplies. Water that is not used is discharged to rivers or coasts.

  • SA Water delivers sewerage services (to 87% of SA customers) for cities and many towns.
  • Local councils provide sewerage services in most regional towns and cities.
  • Private water industry entities deliver sewerage services in some localities.

5. Managing stormwater drainage

Rainwater runoff that drains to roads and streets is captured and drained in a system designed to minimise the risk of flooding. Some stormwater is treated and used for non-potable supplies. Water that is not used flows to the rivers or coasts.

Water industry regulation

South Australian water ‘consumers’ are protected by regulation that ensure value for money and technical compliance in the delivery of the water services.

Integrated urban water management

Traditionally, we have managed each part of our urban water system separately (i.e. drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, recycled water and natural environments). While this has worked in the past, a more integrated approach promises a broader range of benefits, such as: water security, public health, enhanced urban greening and amenity, and a cleaner environment.

Integrated urban water management involves more than just building infrastructure. It also incentivises institutional cooperation, defines roles and responsibilities, ensures that we have supportive enabling regulation, and builds a well informed and supportive community.

Some examples of how managing urban water in an integrated way provides benefits include:

  • Increasing stormwater harvesting and wastewater recycling for non-potable reuse reduces the need for harvesting from natural sources and the volume of water that needs to be treated to drinking water quality.
  • Managing urban planning and stormwater systems to retain rainwater and runoff in the urban landscape reduces the volume of water and amount of pollutants that flow to natural environments. The retained water also soaks into the soil, reducing the volume of water needed to irrigate trees and other vegetation.
  • Reduced water use in homes leads to less wastewater discharge that needs to be treated and managed for reuse or discharge to the environment.

History of urban water management

First Nations

Find out about First Nations water management in the area that is now the city and suburbs of Adelaide.

1800s - Water in developing towns and cities

With the increased population that followed European settlement, water availability was the most immediate water management issue. Townships were established close to water sources hoping they would provide a reliable water supply. Water supply schemes were established very quickly, with the first piped water supply reaching Adelaide homes by 1860.

For towns close to waterways flooding was a regular problem, taking lives and damaging properties, bridges and other public infrastructure. The management of flooding in the flat South Australian landscape has continued to be a major issue for our towns and cities.

Pollution of drinking water supplies from human and other wastes quickly led to disease and environmental impacts that needed to be addressed urgently. In 1881 Adelaide became the first city in the country to have a water flushed sewerage system.

1900s – Major water management developments

During the twentieth century the State’s population continued to grow, requiring significant investment to provide clean drinking water and to keep people safe from flooding and pollution.

Construction of large reservoirs in the Mount Lofty Ranges to supply water for Adelaide and the surrounding regions began early in the century and continued until the 1970s. Local water supplies were also developed for regional population centres as these grew. The second half of the century saw connections from the River Murray to many areas of the state and the introduction of water filtration plants to improve water quality. These developments form the backbone of the state’s water supply system today.

During the twentieth century home rainwater systems were common, but as reliable, high quality water provision arrived in the cities and towns rainwater tanks became less common.

Flooding continued in many towns and the suburbs of Adelaide and urban drainage became a focus. Major drainage works were constructed in the western suburbs of Adelaide including the Breakout Creek outlet at the end of the River Torrens in 1937. The 1960s saw construction of a major drainage scheme, which included the Sturt River flood control dam, channel lining, and new drains which enabled the development of the south western suburbs of Adelaide. In many other areas watercourses were straightened and concrete lined to better drain away high rates of runoff following suburban development. As flooding remained common across towns and cities drainage infrastructure has continued to be improved.

In the latter decades of the twentieth century environmental and sustainability considerations became more important to the community and by the end of the century bodies such as the Environment Protection Authority and the catchment water management boards had been established in response.

The concept of water sensitive urban design was introduced to urban planning at this time. South Australian researchers such as Professor John Argue were pioneers of sustainable water management in urban environments in Australia, and especially in innovative capture and reuse of urban water. Technologies and approaches such as constructed stormwater treatment wetlands, aquifer storage and recovery and watercourse restorations became common. Significant early developments included the New Brompton Estate project (1991) that is widely acknowledged as the first example of water sensitive urban design (other than constructed wetlands) in Australia. Other well-known developments included New Haven, Mawson Lakes and the early stormwater harvesting schemes of the northern suburbs of Adelaide.

Twenty first century – Water for a growing state

The twenty first century began with the ‘millennium drought’ which led to renewed concerns about water security and the construction of the Adelaide Desalination plant to secure water for Adelaide’s future. Securing water supplies for towns away from Adelaide remains a focus with small scale seawater and groundwater desalination becoming common solutions where suitable. Changes to building and planning regulations has increased the number of new houses which are including a rainwater tank, often plumbed into the house to provide an additional water supply, reducing the demands on the traditional supplies.

Occasional flooding still occurs, at times causing significant damage. A program of stormwater management planning has introduced a systematic approach to drainage management planning in the state’s towns and cities and there are clear flood hazard response arrangements.

Environmental regulation and management approaches that were introduced in the late twentieth century are now the standard, providing some protection for our unique environments. Water sensitive urban design principles have been widely adopted and can be seen in towns and cities across South Australia as core parts of urban planning and design. Households, public agencies and private operators all strive for water efficiency gains from wise water use, water recycling and waste reduction. This provides cost savings and improved environmental outcomes as part of South Australia’s move towards a circular economy.

Urban water management remains vital for South Australia’s towns and cities to remain great places to live, work and visit. Urban water management is preparing our towns and cities to be resilient in a warming and drying climate, while supporting our vibrant way of life and economic growth into the future.

Acknowledgement of Country

Acknowledgement of Country

The state government acknowledges Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and Nations of the lands and waters we live and work upon and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge and respect the deep spiritual connection and the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to Country.

We work in partnership with the First Peoples of South Australia and support their Nations to take a leading role in caring for their Country.