Water crisis could reach boiling point

Saturday, 7 October 2023

A leak in Eastbourne earlier this year left a mossy pavement close to a school.

Wellington households could run out of water this summer – resulting in the need to boil water, like bacteria-infected Queenstown.

That’s the blunt message delivered by Wellington Water on Friday to a committee representing councils across the region.

Wellington Water board chairperson Nick Leggett told the committee “no-one should be in any doubt” the situation was serious, emphasising the need to do as much as possible to upgrade the region’s creaky pipes.

There was the possibility some households would run out of water over summer, he said.

Pipe renewals needed to increase, Leggett said – noting that 30%, or about 800km, of pipes had reached the end of their life.

Acting chief executive Jeremy McKibbin, in calling for more investment from councils, said the need to replace leaky pipes was a “critical“ issue.

Porirua mayor Anita Baker said her ratepayers were “tapped out” and the city could not keep increasing rates.

The situation outlined the need for reform and for central government investment in three waters, she said.

Regional councillor Ros Connelly described the situation as “dire” and said a water shortage could see the region follow Queenstown, which need a boil water notice after a cryptosporidium outbreak.

The pipes near city councillor Diane Calvert's home were recently replaced, allowing a glimpse of the rusted insides of Wellington's ageing drinking water system.

McKibbin said after the meeting water use was at an all time high and 45% of drinking water was being lost to leaks.

There was an increased risk of an “acute water shortage” if Wellington experienced a warm, dry summer and demand exceeded what could be supplied from the treatment plants for several days, he said.

If that happened, the region would experience tighter water restrictions than in the past.

It was hard to quantify how many households this could impact, McKibbin said. Some suburbs may be affected more than others, depending on the available storage in the reservoirs serving these areas.

Wellington Water has a big challenge fixing leaks.

In an extreme case of ongoing water shortages, there was a potential risk to public health that could result in a notice to boil water.

“If network pressures drop too low there is a risk of contaminants being drawn into the drinking water network,” he said.

Wellington Water had made it clear to councils that the situation was serious, McKibbin said.

“We have been clear with our councils that Wellington Water is unable to materially reduce the risk of an acute water shortage this year with the current capacity to treat and store water, the state of the network and with our current funding and resourcing levels.”

Last month, Wellington Water organised a “summit“ for councils, to emphasise just how critical the water situation, coupled with crumbling infrastructure, had become.

In the past 12 months, Wellington Water has fixed 8000 leaks. That equates to 22 leaks a day – but the number needing to be fixed keeps growing.

Wellington Water believes the best long-term solution is installing smart meters, increasing storage levels and renewing the pipe network.

Although the cost of installing 150,000 residential water meters is not known, a 2020 report estimated the cost at about $144m. .