Watercare cops flak for leak failure
Resident furious after company omits to fix problem for 8 days in midst of shortage
ANorth Shore resident is furious with Watercare for telling Aucklanders to save water and not fixing a water leak he reported eight days ago. John McCarthy said he reported the leak on Park Rise at Campbells Bay on June 14, saying “it is like having three garden hoses going full tilt 24/7”.
He said he phoned Watercare and was told the leak had already been recorded and “we will get on to it”.
“I’m extremely angry because we’ve got this chief executive earning $800,000 telling us to save water but he can’t sort out his own backyard,” McCarthy said.
Chief executive Raveen Jaduram is the highest-paid bureaucrat at the Auckland Council Group, with a salary of $775,000. His package rose $50,000 from the previous year.
A Watercare spokeswoman said the company was first made aware of the leak on June 11. It was classed as a low-priority leak and when contractors arrived on June 15 they were unable to find the source.
“Leak detection services were called in and they too have been unable to find the source,” the spokeswoman said, saying the presence of plastic pipes makes audible testing more difficult.
She said chlorine testing to determine the presence of potable (drinking) water has been negative. Pilot holes drilled into the surrounding area are dry, which shows the water is tracking some distance and may therefore be groundwater.
“Fluoride testing is due to be [done] today and it’s hoped that will reveal if the water is potable/non-potable.”
The spokesman said Watercare appreciates local residents’ frustration but sometimes the source of leaks is not easy to locate, saying Watercare must carry out all reasonable investigations before ripping up roads and footpaths.
The problem with the leak comes during the worst drought in the city’s history and a ban on using water outdoors for activities like watering gardens and washing cars.
Mayor Phil Goff said taps could be turned off in homes across the region if the prolonged drought turns into a major crisis over summer.
The amount of water available for Auckland’s 1.5 million residents will plummet to 200 million litres a day at the height of summer when usage peaks at 600 million litres at the height of summer, the mayor said.
Since May 16, controls have set outdoor usage targets at 410 million litres a day or less. Savings are broadly in line with the target and dams are holding at about 45 per cent full.
Yesterday, Goff made a plea to Parliament’s environment select committee to fast-track Auckland’s application to take more water from the Waikato River.
Auckland Council wants its application added to a list of 11 projects being fast-tracked by special laws to override the Resource Management Act and speed post-Covid recovery.
Auckland Council applied to the Waikato Regional Council in 2013 to take an extra 200 million litres of water a day to cater to increasing population demands.