Mawson Lakes at a glance
Recycled water in the house
SA Water says recycled water from its treatment plants is piped directly to homes in Mawson Lakes, Bowden and Seaford, for flushing toilets and watering gardens.
A suburb of units as well as houses
At the 2021 Census, 66.5% of the suburb's occupied homes were separate houses, 17.9% townhouses, terraces or semis and 14.9% flats or apartments.
Young, and often renting
38.6% of homes were rented, against 27.6% across South Australia. The median age was 33.
City of Salisbury
Every part of the suburb falls inside the City of Salisbury's council area in the ABS boundaries, so Salisbury's tree and development rules are the ones that apply.
Toilets, taps and the recycled line
A cistern that keeps filling or a dripping hose tap could be on the recycled supply rather than the drinking water one. Say so when you book, so the plumber traces the right pipe before cutting into anything.
Not sure whether your home is connected? Ask SA Water before work starts. Our pages on toilet repairs in Adelaide and leak detection cover the rest of the job.
Townhouses, flats and shared drains
About a third of Mawson Lakes homes are townhouses or flats. Where a building or a group of townhouses shares a drain, find out who manages the shared part before you pay for a blockage to be cleared.
Renting? Report leaks and blockages to your landlord or agent straight away, and keep a note of when you did.
Sewer and stormwater
SA Water runs the sewer, but we couldn't confirm where its part ends on a Mawson Lakes block, so ask SA Water rather than guess. South Australia's plumbing code allows the utility's inspection point to sit inside your boundary as well as outside it.
Inside drains (kitchen, bathroom, laundry, toilet) go to the sewer. Downpipes and yard drains go to stormwater, which the EPA says is a separate network. For an overflowing gully, start with blocked drains in Adelaide.
Roots and frosty mornings
The City of Salisbury says severing large roots of a regulated or significant tree needs development approval first, and that root damage to pipes alone won't justify removing one. That makes pipe relining worth asking about before a trench goes in.
Frost is more common up north. The Bureau's Parafield Airport station averages 9.4 days a year at 2°C or colder, so lag any exposed pipes, and see burst pipes if one splits.
What we would do
Ask SA Water whether your home has recycled water, and mention it whenever you book a plumber. In a townhouse or flat, sort out who manages any shared drain first. And if roots from a big tree are the problem, get a relining quote and talk to the City of Salisbury before anyone digs.