SA Water historical operational performance (2016-2021)
SA Water is a government-owned provider of water and sewerage services, regulated by the Essential Services Commission. Under the regulatory regime, SA Water’s performance is monitored and assessed against the requirements of the current regulatory determination, which encompasses revenue caps, consumer protection obligations and annual service standard targets.
This webpage provides an overview of SA Water’s historical operational performance for the period 2016-2021 against key elements of that regulatory determination.
The Commission ceased reporting on these operational performance measures for SA Water as of 30 June 2021 as it is currently required to publicly report quarterly on its performance in meeting the annual service standards and provide annual performance self-assessments, supported by a system of verified trust and accountability around that reporting.
SA Water’s operational performance reporting can be found on its website.
How reliable were SA Water’s drinking water and sewerage retail services?
(for the period 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2021)
Under the Water Retail Code, SA Water must use its best endeavours to comply with obligations relating to the quality, safety and reliability of water and sewerage supply (including minimising supply interruptions and informing customers about planned interruptions).
For the period 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021, SA Water reported the following:
- 2,730 unplanned water service interruptions and 3,880 unplanned sewerage service interruptions
- restored 3,590 water service interruptions and 18,753 sewerage service interruptions
- attended 53,029 water network events and 7,540 sewer network events
How much were South Australians paying for their drinking water and sewerage retail services?
(for the period 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2021)
Residential drinking water retail tariffs are made up of a fixed charge for water supply and a variable charge for water use. For sewerage retail services, charges are determined by applying a rate in the dollar to the value of the property, as set by the Valuer-General every June for the following 12 months.
Annual bills for individual customers may differ from the figures shown, based on the actual volume of drinking water used and the geographical location of the property.
Note that, from 1 July 2020, a new regulatory determination took effect which will lower drinking water and sewerage prices.
How SA Water responded to its customers
(for the period 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2021)
Under the Water Retail Code, SA Water must use its best endeavours to comply with obligations relating to customer responsiveness and complaints (including requirements for handling customer enquiries, complaints and dispute resolution processes).
For the period 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021, SA Water reported the following:
- responded to 1,062 water quality service requests
- resolved 68,558 account enquiry telephone calls at first point of contact
- constructed 9,988 water network connections and 2,957 sewer network connections
Further information
The South Australian water and sewerage industry (including the complete time series performance data for SA Water) can be found on the water regulatory performance page.
The Water Retail Code – Major Retailers is the principal consumer protection document setting out the regulatory obligations (including service standards) to be complied with by SA Water when dealing with its customers, are available on the Codes and Guidelines page.
In addition, SA Water publishes information on a quarterly basis on its customer service and operational performance against service standard targets.