A dry paddock in the Fleurieu, one of the regions hit hardest by South Australia's lack of rainfall. (ABC South East SA: Caroline Horn)
In short:
SA Water will establish three water collection points in the Adelaide Hills to help off-grid households cope with water shortages.
Dry conditions across South Australia have created an "overwhelming demand" on the water-carting industry, leaving some households "at risk", the environment minister says.
What's next:
The state government is also considering establishing an emergency water collection point in the Fleurieu Peninsula.
The state government will establish three emergency water collection points in the Adelaide Hills — and is considering another one in Aldinga — as part of a "temporary emergency response" to local water shortages.
Environment Minister Susan Close said current demands for water-carting services in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu regions "significantly exceed supply", putting some off-grid households "at risk" of running out of water.
In response, Ms Close said SA Water will on Thursday open three user-pay potable water collection points at Ridge Road, Woodside; Koennecke Road, Sandergrove and Peggy Buxton Road, Brukunga.
The collection points will be staffed by SA Water from 7am to 7pm and accessible to water carters and households who are not connected to mains water.
The Woodside Water Tank on Ridge Road in the Adelaide Hills photographed on March 4, 2025. (ABC News: Luke Pike)
"The bulk water collection points are not intended for commercial stock or watering gardens," Ms Close told parliament on Tuesday.
"It must also be emphasised that the temporary emergency steps being implemented by the state government have been designed to support the water-carting industry respond to the current unprecedented level of demand and do not relieve off-grid households from their responsibility to carefully monitor and pro-actively manage their own water supplies."
A water tanker filling up in Callington on the eastern edge of the Adelaide Hills. Water-carting services in the Adelaide Hills are currently not able to keep up with demand, according to the state government. (ABC South East SA: Caroline Horn)
Ms Close said a fourth temporary water collection point is also being considered in Aldinga.
"I stress that this is a temporary emergency response only to help address the current overwhelming demand on the water-carting industry," she said.
'Sufficient' water supply for metro Adelaide
The localised water shortages come after Adelaide in 2024 experienced its driest year since 2006 with 347mm of rainfall — nearly 200mm below average.
Water inflows into South Australia's reservoirs were in January reported at their lowest level in 40 years, prompting the state government to fire up the desalination plant at Lonsdale to boost water supplies.
Ms Close suggested water restrictions across metropolitan Adelaide were not needed at this time.
"With the current operation of the Adelaide Desalination Plant, there is sufficient water supply for those connected to the SA Water mains network," she said.
"This will not change as a result of the government's efforts to address the current inability of the water-carting market to meet the demand from off-grid households in the broader Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu region."
Environment Minister Susan Close says there is "unprecedented" demand on the water-carting industry in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu regions. (ABC News: Carl Saville)
Low inflows into household rainwater tanks has put significant pressure on water-carting businesses servicing the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu regions, with one water carter telling the ABC in February they have doubled their daily deliveries since 2024.
Some Fleurieu residents have also reported that the lack of rainfall has forced them to cart water for the first time in 30 years.
Ms Close said the state government is working to link water carters with transport supply companies so they can boost their water supply capacity.
She also said the state government wants to help new water carters get "registered promptly" if they wish to help.
"I am aware of instances where local sporting groups have opened their clubrooms to provide their locals with a place to shower and individuals who have offered to open their homes and their taps to people in need,"
Ms Close said.
"It is important to note that the situation we are dealing with in the Hills and Fleurieu is not an overall issue of water security — sufficient volumes of water are currently available to meet domestic supply in this region.
"The issue that is really affecting off-grid households in this area is the current inability of the water transport market to meet their demands for supply."