The Adelaide Desalination Plant was opened in 2011 and has produced more than 212 billion litres of drinking water since then. Photo: SA Water.
The production of fresh water at the Adelaide Desalination Plant in the southern suburb of Lonsdale will be increased to shore up the city’s water supply in the face of ongoing dry conditions.
The State Government says 2024 was the driest year in the state’s southeast since 2006. The average rainfall for Adelaide is 540 mm, but less than 350 mm of rain fell last year, leaving the city’s reservoir levels at just 44 per cent.
Adelaide has 10 water supply reservoirs and also draws water from the Murray River. The desalination plant usually supplements these supplies by producing about 500 million litres of fresh water per month. Desalinated water from the Lonsdale plant is piped 11 kilometres to the Happy Valley Reservoir where it’s blended with treated water.
Production at the plant will be increased to up to 300 million litres per day over the next month, and is expected to remain at increased levels until mid-2025. Since being commissioned in 2011, the plant has supplied more than 212 billion litres of drinking water to Adelaide and, in full production, has the capacity to produce 100 billion litres of water per year.
South Australia’s Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Housing Infrastructure, and Planning Nick Champion said it was an exceptionally dry 12 months.
“But Adelaide’s water supply will remain consistent and secure, with sufficient supply to meet the needs of the community,” he said.
“Desalination plants are generational future-proofing investments that provide important water security at the times we need it most.
“In this dry time, we are reaping the benefits of long-term strategic thinking of the former Rann Government to appropriately invest in critical infrastructure,” he added.
“Without this previous investment in a desal facility, Adelaide would be facing the prospect of water restrictions.”
South Australia is also planning to build a desalination plant in two stages on the Eyre Peninsula as part of a Water Security Response Plan there and will build a 600-km-long pipeline from that plant to the state’s arid north.
