Watercare raises prices for spend-up

Watercare has announced it will be increasing the price of its water services by an average of 2.5 per cent as Auckland’s population is predicted to grow by one million people in the next 30 years.

The company has forecast a $5.5 billion spend on upgrading and expanding infrastructure over the next 10 years to support this growth.

Chief executive Raveen Jaduram said this was an increase of less than $2 a month for an average household’s water charges. But it was necessary to cover growing service delivery costs, he said.

“Water and wastewater charges fund our day-to-day operations in supplying ‘Aa’-graded drinking water to the people of Auckland and treating wastewater to a high standard.”

They also fund infrastructure renewals and expansion that support development across the region, he said.

The price of wastewater services will increase by an average of 3.3 per cent, which reflects the greater investment required for future wastewater infrastructure.

“The increase of 3.3 per cent reflects the higher investment required in wastewater infrastructure as the city grows and demand for these services increases,” Jaduram said.

“These charges help to fund large projects such as the Central Interceptor, which not only provide for growth, but replace or help maintain the levels of service from our existing assets.”