Safe and clean drinking water is flowing to SA Water customers in the South Australian outback town of Marree for the first time following the construction of a new desalination plant.

Marree’s water supply has historically been designated as non-drinking, with local customers responsible for sourcing their own drinking water from private rainwater storage tanks, water carting or bottled products.

Local customers are no longer required to take these steps, with water quality testing confirming the desalinated water is safe to drink and meets the strict requirements under the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

SA Water’s General Manager of Sustainable Infrastructure Peter Seltsikas said this marks a historic milestone.

“Whether it’s irrigating a veggie patch, boiling the kettle or topping up a glass of water straight from the kitchen tap, we are excited to see the positive social and economic benefits Marree’s desalination plant will deliver for the region,” Peter said.

“With the ability to produce more than 120,000 litres of safe and clean drinking water each day, the plant sources water from a local bore field and uses the desalination process of reverse osmosis to remove salt and other impurities commonly found in groundwater sources.

“The resulting high-quality drinking supply is stored inside an on-site 690 kilolitre water storage tank before making its way to our customer’s taps.

“Constructed inside of a shipping container to withstand the harsh summer heat experienced in the region, the plant was fabricated in Adelaide before making the lengthy journey to Marree for installation and required testing.”

Mr Seltsikas said a feature of the project included partnering with Birubi Australia, an Aboriginal-owned and operated South Australian company, to deliver the pipe network connecting the desalination plant to the Marree community together with major contract partner, John Holland Guidera O’Connor joint venture.

“This involved the pipe trenching and construction of approximately 4,000 metres of new PVC and ductile iron cement-lined pipes, 35 fire hydrant access points and 85 customer connection points linking homes and businesses in Marree to their new water supply,” Peter said.

“Importantly, the project’s partnership with Birubi provided positive employment and training opportunities, including helping local workers to receive vital training experience on major construction projects.

“Creating ongoing partnerships and investment with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses is a core commitment in our 2024-27 Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan, and we are proud to have since expanded our partnership with Birubi on other projects around the state.”

Marree’s desalination plant was one of three to be constructed by SA Water in South Australia’s Far North and North-East in recent years, with similar-sized facilities delivered at Oodnadatta in 2023 and Marla in 2024.

For more information, visit watertalks.sawater.com.au.