“We are going backwards” - Wellington Water behind target on pipe renewals

A burst water pipe in Wellington's Mt Victoria, 2021. Photo / Jack Crossland

Wellington Water has come under fire at a heated meeting for failing to keep up with desperately needed water pipe renewals.

The region’s water pipes have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past few years, plagued by leaks, overflows and burst watermains.

Wellington Water says some pipes are 120 years old and deteriorating in combination with blockages from wet wipes, fats and oils.

The ‘ideal renewal rate’ for the water authority is to replace 100 kilometres of pipes every year.

But the latest Wellington Water Committee agenda shows it’s renewed only 18km in the 2022/23 period to July this year.

The committee, which met yesterday, noted this is an increase, as only 14.8km were renewed in the 2021-2022 timeframe.

Wellington Water chief executive Tonia Haskell admitted they were behind and laid the blame for that partly on councils not investing enough money in the problem.

“If you take all of the assets in the region and you consider they’ve got a 100-year lifespan, then we need to renew 100km of pipes every year to keep up and keep that all in fit state.”

The committee agenda suggests councils are already putting all they can towards fixing water pipes.

It says at the end of May, Wellington Water was forecasting a 5 per cent budget overrun “with overspend forecast for all councils.”

Most of the forecast overspend is on drinking water, relating partly to pipe leakage identification and repair.

Regional councillor Ros Connelly said costs will only increase in the future if things are not fixed now.

“We are going backwards. We’re not even making progress, we’re not even holding steady - so that’s a massive challenge,” she said.

“That figure is abysmal. Essentially, we are doing 18 per cent of what we should be doing. We’re in a dire state.”

Porirua mayor Anita Baker suggested council funds are drying up as some pipes keep leaking.

“We’re maxed out. We are spending everything we can.

“At Porirua [City Council], we’ve been spending for the last 10 years, more than we can actually afford.”

Baker said rates are already going higher than the rate of inflation in some areas.

“You see all of us with our rises with our rates - it’s us underfunding the whole way.”

Haskell said water loss is “going to be a big ticket item this year,” amidst concerns the Wellington region may have to go under a boil water notice, due to water loss in the network.

Wellington Water said one of its priorities moving forward was to renew more water pipes each year, and it would be looking for money to enable that in council long-term plans.

It will also start reporting to the committee chair monthly, rather than yearly, updating how many kilometres of pipes have been repaired.

Haskell said providing more regular updates “keeps us honest.”

Anita Baker also hopes Affordable Water Reforms, led by the Government, will help patch gaps in funding.

“Reform is needed - we all need Government help.”

The committee noted there was some uncertainty around when water reforms, previously known as Three Waters, would ‘go live’ for the Entity G region, which comprises Wellington.

It suggests Entity G will be the second entity to be established, after Auckland Entity A.

The earliest possible day it could start up would be October 1 next year, the committee said.

The committee is comprised of members from Porirua City Council, Hutt City Council, Upper Hutt City Council, South Wairarapa District Council, Wellington City Council, the Greater Wellington Regional Council, and an iwi representation group.