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Barker Inlet Stormwater Scheme
Helping South Australia Lead the Nation in Stormwater Reuse
The Barker Inlet Stormwater Reuse Scheme is an $8.15 million project to harvest, treat, store and distribute stormwater from the Barker Inlet wetlands at Wingfield to industrial, commercial and irrigation customers in the Regency Park area.
The Scheme will provide upto 350 million litres of dual reticulation standard stormwater per annum, reducing the use of potable water and thereby improving the security of water supplies for metropolitan Adelaide.
Establishing the Barker Inlet Stormwater Reuse Scheme has seen construction of the following components:
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Infrastructure to harvest stormwater from the Barker Inlet wetland system
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Equipment for storing treated stormwater deep underground for future use and supply to industrial, commercial and irrigation customers (via a process called Aquifer Storage and Recovery or “ASR”)
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Chlorination and UV disinfection systems to treat stormwater to a dual reticulation standard
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Water distribution mains to Wingfield, Regency Park and Angle Park
The Scheme is jointly funded by the Australian Government, the Government of South Australia and SA Water.
The Barker Inlet Stormwater Reuse Scheme will create positive outcomes for the environment and the people of metropolitan Adelaide by reducing reliance on water from the River Murray and Mount Lofty Ranges, and increasing urban stormwater harvesting and recycling.
The Barker Inlet Stormwater Reuse Scheme will harvest stormwater from the Barker Inlet wetlands. The Barker Inlet wetlands are fed by four stormwater drainage systems, carrying urban and industrial stormwater runoff from a catchment of approximately 4,500 hectares of the metropolitan area.
It is expected that the Scheme will be operational in 2013
Transfer of water from the Torrens River to Barker Inlet Wetlands
During the past two Summers, investigations to reduce the presence of blue green algal blooms in the Torrens Lake in the heart of the City of Adelaide have occurred. The investigations involve the release of water from a reservoir, with this water flowing through the Torrens River and Lake where it will disturb the growth of the algal blooms. These flows are referred to as "amenity flows" as they improve the amenity of the Torrens Lake.
Currently the amenity flows are diverted to the Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant and West Lakes however there is a need to examine more beneficial uses for these flows.
One beneficial use that been identified is at the Barker Inlet wetlands. It is envisaged that the Barker Inlet Stormwater Scheme could make use of around half the daily volume of the amenity flows throughout future Summer periods.
Prior to investment being made for this transfer on an ongoing basis, SA Water are conducting a small scale trial during the 2012/2013 Summer to determine the feasibility of the proposal to divert the amenity flows to Barker Inlet wetlands using the existing stormwater network.
For further information about the trial read our fact sheet
More Information
For more information please call SA Water’s Customer Contact Centre on 1800 812 362.
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