Wellington Water Committee receives economic report on water meters

The Wellington Water Committee is pleased to receive the Economic Case for Providing Residential Water Consumption Information that evaluates a range of options to reduce water demand, support customer engagement, reduce environmental impacts, and improve network management.

“The Wellington Region water supply system (from catchment-to-tap) is under increasing pressure,” says Wellington Water Committee Chair, David Bassett.

“The high rate of population growth, together with high per-capita water consumption, is putting pressure on our existing water sources and an ageing network is contributing to an increase in leaks and water loss.

“If action is not taken to reduce this demand in the next five-six years, the frequency and severity of water use restrictions will increase and the region will need to make a significant investment in developing new water sources, storage facilities, and treatment option,” says David Bassett.

The economic case identifies one of the tools which could be used to conserve water is residential meters.

“A key focus area for achieving demand reductions is network leakage, however we have relatively limited information about where water is being used, making it difficult to determine where these leaks are occurring,” says David Bassett.

The economic case states the amount of water being lost in the network through leaks is estimated at being anywhere between 6 and 31 per cent of the total volume we have treated and supplied.

“The installation of advanced meter infrastructure (AMI, or “smart” meters) in every household with automated reporting has been identified as a proven methodology to find leaks and provide customers timely advice on water usage.

“The Committee will be working closely with shareholder councils before any final decision is made and this will involve consultation with all communities.

“The Wellington Water Committee has also directed Wellington Water to prepare a detailed business case to further refine the case for residential meters,” says David Bassett.