Burst water main causes power outages and disruptions in Adelaide's CBD

Posted Fri 31 Jul 2026 at 8:40amFri 31 Jul 2026 at 8:40am, updated Fri 31 Jul 2026 at 9:11amFri 31 Jul 2026 at 9:11amPower outages were caused by a burst water main in Adelaide CBD this morning. (891 ABC Adelaide: Troy Sincock)A burst water main that flooded an electrical substation has caused power outages across the Adelaide CBD, with businesses unable to open.SA Water crews have been on Grenfell Street to repair a water main break since 2am on Friday.As at 7:30am, traffic restrictions were in place on Grenfell Street, with the northbound left bus lane closed between Gawler Place and Twin Street. "The incident was reported during the early hours of this morning, with a field technician arriving on site at approximately 2am to begin turning the water off," an SA Water spokesperson said in a statement this morning. "The break has resulted in water entering several nearby properties and facilities, including some basements or underground areas."SA Water says repair works in Adelaide's CBD are expected to continue throughout the day. (ABC News: Ben Pettitt)Water from the burst main also flooded an SA Power Networks (SAPN) substation in Coromandel Place.“We have a substation in Coromandel Place, which is essentially across from Rundle Place Shopping Centre, and the water from that burst main has essentially flooded part of the Coromandel Place substation and that has, of course, triggered safety equipment," SAPN's Cecilia Schutz told 891 ABC Adelaide.“All of the customers that have been supplied by that substation were impacted."Ms Schutz said "around 1,200 customers" were initially affected.“Through automatic switching, they managed to reroute power and restore a number of customers but I believe there are around 600 customers still remaining without the power.”SA Water said they were helping SAPN to assess the damage and required repairs, while their crews were also on site "supporting impacted customers and property owners"Repair works were expected to continue throughout the day, an SA Water spokesperson said.