Watercare celebrates five years since integration

Watercare staff are celebrating the organisation’s fifth birthday as the council-controlled organisation tasked with quenching the city’s thirst, and safely disposing of its wastewater.

When the Auckland Council was officially created on November 1, 2010, Watercare went from being a wholesaler providing water and wastewater services to local councils and water retailers, to an integrated water utility delivering services direct to Aucklanders.

Chief executive Raveen Jaduram says the transformation was an immense challenge.

“Five years ago our customer base increased from seven to 450,000 overnight.

“The amount of planning that went into such a dramatic transformation was huge, and to make it happen without any disruption to our customers’ services is something we are all proud of.

“One of our first priorities was to standardise and lower the price of water. It was important to us to adopt a consistent pricing structure that treated all of our domestic and non-domestic customers equally,” Mr Jaduram says.

Watercare also introduced a more equitable charging structure for its wastewater tariffs for non-domestic customers.

“This was a challenging process because we inherited 44 tariffs from the legacy councils and water companies,” Mr Jaduram says. “We wanted a more equitable charging system across the region, so after extensive consultation with our customers, we adopted four pricing plans based on the volume of wastewater discharged.”

Another priority was to upgrade infrastructure in rural areas to ensure drinking water met Ministry of Health standards.

“We’ve invested millions in upgrades for rural areas like Franklin, Kumeu-Huapai, Riverhead and Helensville to ensure all Aucklanders receive the best quality drinking water.”

What we’ve achieved in the last five years
• In 2011 we standardised the price of water to $1.30 per 1000 litres for all domestic and non-domestic customers in Auckland
• We completed Project Hobson, a three-kilometre wastewater tunnel which replaced the ageing sewer pipe that once bisected Orakei Bay in 2011. This reduced wet weather overflows into the harbour and catered for population growth.
• In 2012 we changed to a monthly billing system in response to customer feedback.
• We simplified and standardised wastewater pricing for domestic customers in 2012.
• In 2014 we introduced a phased transition to a new wastewater tariff structure for our non-domestic customers that treated businesses equally, regardless of their location. We had inherited 44 tariffs from the legacy councils and water companies, which we simplified to four pricing plans based on the volume of wastewater discharged.
• We began the rehabilitation of Puketutu Island in December 2014. Treated biosolids from the Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant are used to restore the former quarry, which will ultimately see it transformed to a regional park for Aucklanders to enjoy.
• In June 2015 we completed the southern networks upgrade programme, which marked the end of a four-year $116 million project to transform Franklin’s water supply.

ENDS

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