Essential Water is proposing a significant uplift in its ongoing water mains replacement program across Broken Hill and surrounding areas, including Menindee, to improve service reliability and water quality for the community. Replacing aging infrastructure is critical to ensuring safe, reliable water services for our community. 

Background 

Broken Hill’s water network includes approximately 250 km of water pipes, many of which have reached or are nearing the end of their projected lifespan. These aging pipes are increasingly prone to bursts and service disruptions, impacting customers and requiring costly emergency repairs. 

Historically, Essential Water has replaced around 1 km of water mains per year. However, this rate is no longer sufficient to maintain reliable service across the region. 

What’s being proposed 

Essential Water is planning a significant uplift in its water mains replacement program, aiming to replace up to 10 km of aging pipes each year. This proactive approach will: 

• Reduce the frequency and impact of water outages caused by bursts 

• Improve long-term network reliability 

• Enhance water quality through the use of modern pipe materials 

• Lower maintenance costs and emergency response needs 

The replacement program is part of a broader infrastructure upgrade included in Essential Water’s 2026–2031 regulatory submission to IPART. 

Timeline and next steps 

This is an ongoing project as part of our maintenance commitment. 

Essential Water will provide regular updates on progress and upcoming works in affected areas.