The SA Government has pledged that from next financial year, the average water bill should fall by about $87.

The government says residential water supply charges are set to stay at the current price amid an average usage price reduction of about 3.4 per cent.

Sewerage charges will fall by an average of 13.7 per cent for metropolitan customers and 13.2 per cent for regional users.

Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis says the price reductions came in the wake of a determination by the Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA).

“This is welcome news to South Australian families balancing their household budgets and managing cost of living pressures,” he said.

“The determination will also reduce costs for businesses, with the reduced water price to deliver a 12 cent reduction per kilolitre.”

Regulation of SA Water became the role of the ESCOSA in 2013.

This allegedly prompted chief executive Paul Kerin to quit, as he thought the Government was not showing enough interest in good water price reform.

Opposition Leader Steven Marshall says the price reduction proves that the Government had been using SA Water as an ATM, propping up its budget by “gouging” tax-payers.