Wellington running out of water and facing outdoor bans and shorter showers

Thursday, 4 August 2022

The region is facing a shortage of water over summer, after years of under-investment in infrastructure. (File photo)

The Wellington region is fast running out of water and “severe” water restrictions are “probable” over summer, Wellington Water has warned local councils in a stark report.

The beleaguered utility – already struggling with under-funding and leaky pipes and reeling from a fluoride failure – has told local councils the whole water system is under significant stress and there is no quick or easy solution to its problems.

“It is now probable that more severe water use restrictions, including total residential outdoor water use bans and potentially restrictions on internal usage within private properties will be required this summer and in the following years until major investments are completed,” the utility said in a report to the Wellington Water Committee, which comprises council representatives.

The utility often warns of summer shortages, but this latest report was particularly direct. In a worst-case scenario, there would be no outdoor water use allowed this summer and households would be restricted to two minute showers, or one small bath a day, it said.

**READ MORE:

Will it be enough to quell opposition? Local Government NZ has formulated a proposal on the Three Waters reforms.

* Billions of litres continue to be lost from leaky Christchurch water pipes

* Porirua City Council wants water meters, big rates increases to fund pipes investment

* 2 billion litres of water lost in widespread Wellington drinking water leakage

Taking more water out of the Hutt River could be an option to meet the rising demand for drinking water.

* Extreme water alerts in forecast as hot, dry summer continues

* How we're wasting 100 billion litres of water every year

* More water restrictions likely in Wellington as emergency reserves are drained

Wellington mayor Andy Foster and Wellington Water chief executive Colin Crampton discuss the latest of the city's pipe failures last year. (File photo.)

Wellington Water staff and contractors repair a leak affecting the main supply pipe to Wellington City in February.

The report noted the Wellington region was already going through the volume of water usually used in the summer period – not because of high water usage, but because there were so many leaks in the system.

Without the resources to fix the pipes, the only short-term option available to Wellington Water, which covers Wellington City, Porirua and Hutt Valley, is to encourage people to use less water.

Adding to the problem is a scheduled work on the Te Marua water treatment plant in spring.

Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry says the amount of water being lost to leaks is unacceptable.

The amount of water Wellingtonians are using has risen steadily since 2014 – and at a much higher rate than planned.

Wellington Water chief executive Colin Crampton said the utility planned on the basis that each person in the region would use an average of 374 litres of water a day. But the daily average is now 383 litres and rising.

As a result the system was “nearing capacity” and a solution had to be found, Crampton told a meeting of the committee last week.

Fixing the leaks is a priority, but other options include finding new sources of water, metering, reducing usage and increasing storage. Finding a new source comes with a price tag of $800m.

Upper Hutt mayor Wayne Guppy, the deputy chairperson of the Wellington Water Committee, wants the utility to find a new source of water.

Crampton said without a significant increase in investment from councils, it would take 10 to 20 years to fix the backlog of leaks.

“We expect the faults, issues and incidents to go up,” Crampton told the committee, which agreed to discuss the issue in more detail at its next meeting.

In January, Wellington Water was getting 130 reports of leaks a day. Wellington Water did not respond to a request for updated leakage figures or for comment, citing a lack of time and staff at an all-day meeting.

In Wellington, a third of pipes are considered to be in poor or very poor condition. In Auckland, the figure is 10 per cent.

The Government is looking at reforming drinking water services as part of Three Waters reforms, citing chronic under-investment by councils across the nation.

Wellington Water Committee chairperson Campbell Barry, who is also Lower Hutt mayor, said the amount of water being lost to leaks was unacceptable and was why councils had increased capital funding.

“Population growth, an ageing pipe network, and historic underinvestment are all clearly playing a role in making this issue worse,” he said.

Upper Hutt mayor Wayne Guppy, the deputy chairperson of the committee, said he had no faith in Wellington Water to fix the problems.

The situation was being presented as an “emergency”, but it resulted from years of poor planning, Guppy said.

As well as fixing the leaks, Wellington Water should urgently find a new source of water to meet the extra demand caused by the rising population across the region.

“What annoys me is that I have been asking for years, ‘what are we doing to find a new source of water?’ ” he said, predicting widespread resentment if the community was asked to reduce water usage over summer.

“What credibility do [Wellington Water] have when you drive around Wellington and you see leaks that have been there for weeks, months or years without being fixed?”

Quentin Duthie, who is a candidate for the regional council and attended the meeting, said he was “alarmed” at the lack of concern expressed by the committee. “I was not aware it was such a dire situation,” he said.

He was previously involved with Whaitua te Whanganui-a-Tara Committee – a community group looking to improve water quality in streams and rivers.

Got a leaky street?

If you have a leak, report it to your local council: Hutt City (570 6666), Porirua (237 5089), Upper Hutt (527 2169), Wellington (499 4444). Reported leaks are prioritised based on a number of factors including: The type of leak (waste water, storm water or drinking water), the size of the leak, and location (is it on a main road?).

If the leak is on private property, it is up to the property owner to fix it.