Drinking Water Quality Report 2014-15
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SA Water Drinking Water Quality Report 2014-15 Government of South Australia 4 / A Message from our Chief Executive 5 / SA Health Statement 5 / Economic Regulation 6 / Safe Drinking Water Legislation 7 / The Adelaide Services Alliance 8 / Drinking Water Quality Management 12 / Our Water Supply Systems 12 / Our Water Supply Sources 14 / Hawker Desalination Plant 15 / Water Treatment 20 / Country Drinking Water Supply System Sources and Treatment 22 / Metropolitan Adelaide Water Treatment Plant Sources 23 / Metropolitan Adelaide Water Quality Systems and Treatment 24 / Drinking Water Supply Systems and Towns/Suburbs Supplied 27 / Managing Our Water Supplies 29 / Water Quality 2014–15 29 / Catchment Management 32 / Reservoirs and the River Murray 33 / Groundwater Supplies 33 / Water Treatment and Distribution 34 / Water Quality Monitoring and Testing 35 / Drinking Water Quality and Performance 36 / Customer Satisfaction 37 / Our Tap Waters Pass The Tap Test 38 / Incident Management 40 / Research and Innovation Services 43 / Employee Awareness and Training 44 / Glossary of Water Quality Terminology 48 / 2014–15 Water Quality Data This report covers the period of 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015. Total water usage 2014-15 (raw water for treatment) Highlights 218 979 ML Population served 1 200 000 in metropolitan Adelaide through 9 220 km of water mains. Raw water sources Number of routine 432 000 in country areas through % of total water supplied water quality tests 17 600 km of water mains. River Murray: 50% carried out Surface water: 34% 293 415 (total) Seawater: 10% 50 720 Drinking water Groundwater: 6% (metropolitan Adelaide) quality & performance 242 695 43 762 of the routine samples (country) collected from our drinking water supplies throughout South Australia were used to determine Incident health-related compliance. management Total number of Achieved 99.85% compliance routine samples with the Australian Drinking Achieved a significant Water Guidelines (ADWG 2011) decrease in Priority Type 1 collected health-related parameters in incident notifications compared (Includes samples for metropolitan Adelaide and with previous years. health-related compliance) 99.78% in country areas. Incident response index E. coli compliance at customer 83 139 (total) exceeded the 84% target by taps was 100% in metropolitan 11 698 (metropolitan Adelaide) 13%, achieving 97%. Adelaide and 100% in For details see pages 38-39. 71 441 (country) country areas. 4 SA WATER DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT 2014-15 A Message from our Chief Executive During 2014–15, SA Water achieved of the taste of our drinking water by a number of outcomes in relation co-managing a program of community to maintaining high water quality engagement surveys. This data will guide standards across our systems. A Critical future planning and service delivery Control Point identification process was when selecting the most cost-effective formalised and the first Safe Drinking treatment options for enhancing Water Act 2011 audit was successfully customer satisfaction. undertaken. A Drinking Water Quality Our continued drive to improve our Management Improvement Plan was also operating efficiency and harness developed that consolidates and prioritises technology was recognised by us capital and operational water quality receiving the Water Initiative Award at improvement actions. the Global Water Summit in Athens, Plant optimisations occurred at Hope Greece in April 2015. This award Valley, Happy Valley and Anstey Hill Water recognised our partnership with MWH John Ringham Treatment Plants that aimed to enable Global, Optimatics and C3 Global to Chief Executive each plant to operate in accordance with develop modelling and analytical tools best practice. A new 440 kilolitre per day to allow more efficient operation of reverse osmosis desalination plant began Adelaide’s water distribution network. The Corporation has seen delivering improved quality water to the improved performance across township of Hawker. We have been working throughout the its operations in the past year. year to finalise our Regulatory Business The Little Para and Happy Valley Reservoirs Proposal (RBP) to the Essential Services SA Water managed to meet were fitted with floating pontoons Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA) almost all of its service standards containing automated vertical water for the period 2016-20, with a major relating to water quality, service quality profiling systems. The systems focus on affordability, provision of reliable delivery and environmental provide information at set intervals services, and improving the customer throughout the profile of the water compliance. experience. The RBP 2016 was submitted column. Real-time data for temperature, to ESCOSA for review on 31 August. turbidity, total cyanobacteria, chlorophyll, pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen is made available to water quality managers I hope you enjoy reading the report and via an online web-based interface. Work is welcome your feedback. Please email now focused on maximising the benefit [email protected] or of the additional information. phone us on 1300 650 950. SA Water, through its Research and Innovation Services (R&IS) group, has a national and international reputation for high quality water research and innovation. R&IS expanded its research to improve our understanding of John Ringham customer preferences and perception Chief Executive 5 SA Health Statement Drinking water provided to The number of incidents reported by SA Water collected a total of 43 762 the public by SA Water in the SA Water during the 2014–15 financial samples in the reporting period from 2014–15 reporting period was year was consistent with 2013–14 but drinking water supplies to test for safe. Operation of the interagency significantly less than previous years. health-related compliance. No E. coli Strategic upgrades to filters and filter were detected in samples collected from Water/Wastewater Incident control systems at a number of water metropolitan Adelaide and country areas Notification and Communication treatment plants and optimisation of (100% compliance with the Australian Protocol was maintained monitoring has continued to reduce Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG successfully throughout the the number of notified incidents. 2011). Compliance with the ADWG for period. None of the incidents Water quality incidents were notified health-related parameters was 99.85% reported were considered to by SA Water in a timely and appropriate for metropolitan systems and 99.78% represent a risk to public health. manner and appropriate preventive for country areas. measures were implemented. SA Water has met all obligations under the Safe Drinking Water Act 2011 and Safe Drinking Water Regulations 2012. Economic Regulation Economic regulation of SA Water The Essential Services Commission On 31 August 2015 SA Water submitted commenced on 1 January 2013 of South Australia (ESCOSA) is the its Regulatory Business Proposal (RBP 2016) in line with the requirements of independent regulator responsible setting out its proposed levels of service the Water Industry Act. The role of for protecting the long term interests and expenditure for the second regulatory of water and wastewater customers period (commencing 1 July 2016). economic regulation is to ensure with respect to price and service. water and wastewater customers ESCOSA will review SA Water’s proposal During 2014–15 SA Water has over the coming months and make receive value for money for the performed satisfactorily under the a determination. services SA Water delivers. economic regulatory regime, working SA Water engaged with customers and hard to deliver against its service key stakeholders whilst preparing RBP 2016 standards and the requirements of and has worked hard to produce a proposal the framework. that (if accepted by ESCOSA) will result in price reductions for its customers. 6 SA WATER DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT 2014-15 Safe Drinking Water Legislation South Australia’s Safe Drinking The Act provides the regulatory provide regular reports of water quality Water Act 2011 commenced on framework for drinking water providers testing. SA Water provided water 1 March 2013. The Audit and in South Australia and is administered quality testing reports for metropolitan Inspection Schedule for this primarily by SA Health with assistance and country water supplies on a from local government. Provisions in monthly basis with results showing reporting period commenced the Act are underpinned by the ADWG a high level of compliance. The first on 1 July 2014. SA Water (2011) and stipulate requirements for round of yearly audits to be completed successfully completed the drinking water providers, including: under the Act commenced on 1 July first round of yearly audits • Registration of drinking water 2014. A number of representative SA and inspections and met all providers with SA Health Water drinking water supplies were legislative requirements. audited during the reporting period to • Development and implementation satisfy the requirement of the Act. SA of risk management plans (RMPs) Water met the legislative requirement • Establishment of approved drinking for all metropolitan, country and remote water quality monitoring programs community supplies that it operates. • Notification of incidents or At SA Water, our approach to managing non-compliance drinking water quality through our • Audits and inspections to determine Drinking Water Quality Management compliance with