A precious, undervalued resource

With problems affecting local water supplies in various parts of the country, Water New Zealand president Kelvin Hill asks if we value the resource enough.

Could you guess how much water you used yesterday? A hundred litres? Maybe even 200? My guess is that you’d probably be way short of the mark. New Zealanders use a staggering amount of water. On average, we use between 140 and 500 litres a day. Australians use between 155 and 368.

Compare that to water-efficient countries such as Denmark, where they use less than 110 litres per person.

As New Zealanders, we regard free access to water as a fundamental right. But there is a real cost attached to the convenience of turning on a tap and getting an abundance of safe, clean water.

For all this, most of us pay less than we do for our home internet. Last year across the country the average cost per household for water and wastewater connection was $913. Wellingtonians paid slightly less – at $862 per year.

This is incredible value given the cost and complexity of not only piping safe drinking water into our taps but also removing our wastewater in a way that doesn’t harm our environment.

Yet a nationwide survey by Water New Zealand found that most of us undervalue our water supply network. It found that almost a third of us (31 per cent) believed that the cost of water was too high. Only 9 per cent thought we didn’t pay enough. Around 43 per cent thought we paid ‘‘about the right amount’’ and 17 per cent didn’t know.

When compared to the price of utilities such as electricity, gas and telephones, 42 per cent agreed that water was good value for money, while 13 per cent disagreed. Twenty-five per cent neither agreed nor disagreed and another 20 per cent were unsure. These results reflect an ambivalent approach to water.

The recent high-profile issues that have been plaguing Wellington Water have led to questions about the level of investment that has been put into water in recent decades.

Wellington’s issues reflect the national situation where, perhaps, our ambivalence has led us to underspend on assets, though nationally about $970 million was spent on wastewater systems last year.

This is perhaps more an indication of just how enormous this sector is. And the costs will continue to rise. It’s been estimated that improving wastewater infrastructure to meet higher expectations such as the national policy statements on freshwater, along with climate change challenges, will push costs further into the billions.

Yet, when we look at our own water bills, it’s clear we get remarkably good value. It’s worth remembering that there’s an enormous amount of work going on to ensure we get continued safe drinking water and that our wastewater doesn’t ruin our environment.

There are certainly real issues in the sector that the current reforms are addressing – things like long-term affordability and ensuring all communities get access to safe drinking water.

The recent report by the auditorgeneral pointed to shortcomings in the way water has been managed, particularly around long-range strategies.

Yet despite these shortcomings, those of us in the water sector approach our role of ensuring resilience and long-term sustainability in a collegial way.

In recent years, Wellington Water has had a big focus on improving the city’s resilience in a major earthquake.

Wellington’s geological location has meant that in the event of a major quake, it’s been estimated that it could be 70 days before normal supply would be restored to most areas. Clearly this would be disastrous for the city.

That’s why Wellington Water has been working hard on schemes that would restore water to households within 30 days.

In Auckland, work is well under way on a huge $1.2 billion pipeline to reduce overflows in the central city by up to 80 per cent and help keep the Manukau Harbour clean.

And in response to this summer’s Northland drought, Watercare has sent a mobile water treatment unit and team to help supply treated water drawn from a local farm to rural communities.

Meanwhile, Tauranga City Council is leading on a major education campaign to reduce blockages and sewage overflows caused by wet wipes.

These are just a few of the initiatives under way right around the country by water utilities.

But perhaps the bigger question is around how much we value our water, and how much we’re prepared to pay for 365 days a year of safe drinking water and toilet flushing.