SA Water was established by the proclamation of the South Australian Water Corporation Act 1994 on 1 July 1995. Its predecessor was known as Engineering and Water Supply Department (E&WS). E&WS evolved from the Waterworks and Drainage Commission, which was established in 1856.[1] The management of the state's water supply was privatised in 1996 with a $1.5bn 15-year contract being awarded to United Water, a subsidiary of Veolia. [2][3]
SA Water is owned by the Government of South Australia. According to the SA Water website, turnover is around A$900M per annum, assets are over A$9Bn, over 1,500 staff are employed and almost 1.5 million people use their services.[4]
Its assets include:
SA Water is also involved in desalination plants at Penneshaw,[9] Port Stanvac[10] and Eyre Peninsula.[11]
SA Water moved into SA Water House in Victoria Square, Adelaide, in 2008.