New meters go to Shannon
Horowhenua’s leakiest town to get first devices
Shannon is the first Horowhenua town to get new water meters simply because it is leaking the most water. Contractors have begun installing the new water meters at a rate of 65 a day, across 799 properties in Shannon. Foxton and areas of Levin suspected of having high water loss will be next.
All 13,600 properties in Horowhenua will have new water meters by the end of 2025.
Already 40 per cent of properties in Horowhenua have water meters. The whole of Foxton Beach already has water meters and it uses the least amount of water of any Horowhenua township.
All existing water meters will be replaced by new digital meters, which have a lifespan of 15 years.
Between 300 to 500 litres per property per day is being lost across the different water networks in Horowhenua. An estimated 20 per cent of the region’s water supply is lost through leaks and the new digital water meters will help spot leaks, save water, and cut treatment costs.
Horowhenua District Council chief executive Monique Davidson said the water meters could reduce water use up to 25 per cent.
“Not only will we be able to identify and remedy leaks, but as people become more conscious of their water consumption they are likely to adopt better water conservation
habits,” she said.
“Districts with water meters are less likely to need water restrictions.”
Private property owners will be responsible for fixing leaks. Households leaks were likely to be a result of small leaks, like a leaky tap or toilet, or a major leak in an underground pipe.
Regular meter reading allowing a comparison of historical water use could help determine which.
Improved monitoring meant any problem could be flagged immediately, replacing the current quarterly manual reading system. Previously, when a leak was detected, it was reviewed again after three months, so it was actually taking nine months to confirm and remedy a leak.
HDC Water service engineer Albert Hoffmann said a dripping tap could lose up to200 litres of lost water daily. A 2020 leak survey identified 65 leaks on private property were leaking 350,000 litres per day.
There were high labour costs involved in reading meters manually and eventually rubbish collection trucks, which visit households weekly, will be fitted with meter reading technology, using radio antennae.
Residents could also download a free Antenno phone app that sends alerts and notifications. The app can be downloaded from the App Store or on Google Play; just search ‘Antenno’.
The prompt return of data would also signal immediately whether remedial work had been successful in fixing a leak.
A cubic metre of water (1000 litres) equates to approximately 4000 glasses of water, 167 toilet flushes, 22 five minute showers, 11 baths, 10 full loads of washing or 1 hour watering with a sprinkler.