Water meters suggested as Wellington faces water shortage

Friday, 22 February 2019

A Wellington Water report has warned of shortages if new sources of water aren't found for the region.

Wellington faces a looming water shortage with water meters being put forward as one way for the region to cut back - but the city's politicians are reluctant to confront the issue.

The region's water authority warns Wellington faces water shortages in the future if more of it isn't found or conserved.

Wellington City Councillor Iona Pannett says she is wary of any system that allows people to charge for water.

Wellington is one of New Zealand's worst offenders when it comes to the amount it uses and, compared to people in the other big centres, Wellingtonians use significantly more water per person than those in Auckland and Tauranga do, both places with water meters installed.

But a debate over water meters is one many are happy to put off.

Water NZ Chief Executive John Pfahlert says residents often find they pay less under a water metering scheme.

**READ MORE:

* Charging for water use

Malcolm Sparrow says water meters are probably going to be a more effective way of cutting water usage than education.

* Kāpiti Coast residents tapped for increased water rates

* Water bans looming for Wellington as region 'on the cusp' of a shortage**

Wellington Mayor Justin Lester says water meters won't be on a council agenda anytime soon.

While Wellington city councillor, Malcolm Sparrow, thinks water pressures in the region mean meters are 'almost inevitable', others including Green Party member Iona Pannett, oppose anything that would allow companies to charge for it. Councillor and city scientist Peter Gilberd says he is 'open' to a discussion but was 'not sure on the timing', and the city's mayor, Justin Lester, says water meters won't be up for debate 'anytime soon'.

Wellington Water's Sustainable Case for Water report, which was presented to the Water Committee in September, warned: 'current water consumption and a growing population will lead to water shortages by 2040'.

The report notes 2020 will be spent drawing up plans for options on how to avert the crisis, including through new infrastructure. But building that infrastructure would be expensive and take 10 years.

Kāpiti Coast faced a similar decision in 2003, Kāpiti District Council Waste and Wastewater Asset Manager Martyn Cole said.

'We were a fast growing district, the projections were that we were not going to have enough water to supply our communities, so that was the crisis.'

After a flurry of reports from advisory groups and a heated public debate the region installed the water meters over 19 months from June 2014.

After meters were installed water usage dropped by more than a quarter during peak hours and expensive water facility upgrades, $36 million worth, were no longer needed.

After the transition two-thirds of Kapiti residents paid less for their water, Cole said.

Water NZ Chief Executive John Pfahlert said where water was not metered residents paid a flat water charge. Often that was higher than if there were meters.

'The heat tends to go out of the political debate once the meters are installed because people realise that people only pay for what they use.'

But Pannett said other options should be explored before the public engaged in a 'big conversation' about water meters, including educating people to waste less.

'While of course I would accept that for environmental reasons it would get people to be more careful about their water usage, you've just got to balance that against what is the potential cost if you then potentially give control by making it possible to charge per unit.'

Fellow councillor Sparrow said education was an alternative but metering was 'probably going to achieve better results'.

And Lester said he was focused on other issues: transport, the economy, housing, and water supply resilience.

'There will come a point in time when it needs to be considered for water conservation purposes, but it won't be any time soon.'