The Adelaide Desalination Plant has started preliminary operations as water produced by the plant enters the state’s network.

 

Premier Mike Rann announced that water produced by the plant will be mixed with treated water from Happy Valley Reservoir in storage tanks before being pumped out to mains water pipelines.

 

“This is the first time residents and businesses who receive water from the Happy Valley water treatment plant will have drinking water containing desal water coming through their taps,’’ Mr Rann said.

 

“The Happy Valley Treatment Plant services customers across Adelaide from Happy Valley to Aldinga, the Adelaide Hills areas of Blackwood, Belair to Coromandel Valley, the western suburbs from Darlington to West Lakes and the eastern foothill areas from Clapham to Wattle Park.”

 

The site will contribute between five and 10 million litres of water per day before increasing the total volume in the coming months.

 

The plant passes water through reverse osmosis membranes before it is treated and stored in the plant’s two 25 megalitre treated water storages at Lonsdale.

 

From Lonsdale, the water flows into the transfer pump station where it is pumped through a 12 kilometre pipeline to the Happy Valley reserve.

 

At the reserve, the water is combined with water from the Happy Valley Water Treatment Plant before being distributed through the SA Water Network.

 

Mr Rann said AdelaideAqua D&C Consortium has undertaken extensive testing and monitoring to ensure the desalinated drinking water meets the stringent specifications set by SA Health.  

 

“SA Water has also undertaken further tests on the water just before it enters the Happy Valley treated water storage,’’ Mr Rann said.