With nearly 4000 leaks fixed this year - will Wellington face summer water restrictions again?

Monday, 18 November 2024

Restrictions look less likely in the capital over summer, after over 4000 leaks were plugged.

Wellington water were predicting a 40% chance of level 2 restrictions.

With nearly 4000 leaks fixed so far this year, Wellington’s water crisis may be in a better situation heading into summer - with restrictions far less likely.

The capital has been dealing with a raft of water issues in 2024, due to an ageing pipe network. On Thursday a school in Khandallah was closed due to a ‘big leak’ that left the surrounding area without water.

Heading into the summer of 2023 there was a 100% chance of level 2 water restrictions, according to Wellington Water, but for 2024 that number has dropped to 40%.

The level 3 restriction likelihood has dropped to 14%, while level 4 sits at just 4%.

Wellington Water’s Group Manager of Customer Operations Charles Barker said the increased investment from council to get public leaks down has significantly reduced the risk.

“We can’t take our foot off the pedal yet,” Barker said.

“Leak fixes on the ageing network are a band-aid, and it’s vital that they are balanced with increased replacement and renewal of pipes to reduce the risk for years to come.”

Despite the risk of tighter water restrictions dropping, demand spikes or sustained high use could trigger a shift in levels, he said.

The highest risk period was late January to early February.

“We’re asking the public to keep an eye on their wai by following water restrictions and taking simple steps to reduce water waste at their place.”

Barker recommended turning the tap off when teeth brushing, hopping out of the shower a few minutes early or finding/fixing leaks on your property.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau said she was pleased that the extra $8m the council had put into fixing leaks had been working, and that there was less of a chance of restrictions over summer.

“It also shows our Wellington residents have been conserving their water well.”

The city still had a long way to go to replace and upgrade the pipes though, she said, so that leaks didn’t happen in the first place.

“I encourage all Wellingtonians to continue working together to conserve our water.”

According to Wellington Water’s November report, 3981 leaks had been fixed since January 1.

With an aim of getting to a backlog of 133 leaks, classed as ‘sustainable’, the region was sitting on 241.