Wellington water shortage: Drums beat for crown observer, Tory Whanau commits to meters- Opinion

OPINION:

You would be forgiven for thinking this is the first time Wellington has faced a serious water shortage when in fact the threat has existed for the past several summers.

Wellington is currently in Level 2 restrictions, meaning outdoor residential sprinklers and irrigation are banned.

The region was also moved to these same restrictions last summer and the one before and the one before that. However, these summers passed by with little interest in how much water we were losing and using.

But this summer, potentially due to Wellington Water changing its approach to communication, there has been wall-to-wall coverage of Wellington’s water restrictions.

Revelations include a plan being put in place to declare a regional state of emergency if efforts to conserve water fail, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown firing a warning shot at some local councils, and 44 per cent of drinking water being lost through leaks.

This recent interest in water demand was sparked by a Wellington Water report that surfaced in the middle of last year.

It said water use was at an all-time high and an acute shortage this summer could result in people having to boil their drinking water.

The report said severe restrictions were only avoided last summer because the region had more rainfall than usual due to Cyclone Gabrielle.

The last time interest was sparked in Wellington’s looming water shortage crisis was in 2020 when another report by Wellington Water surfaced.

This one warned demand could outstrip supply in the region by 2026.

Later that same year, the Wellington Water Committee received a report looking at the economic case for water meters and directed the water company to prepare a detailed business case for residential meters.

“If action is not taken to reduce this demand in the next five-six years, the frequency and severity of water use restrictions will increase and the region will need to make a significant investment in developing new water sources, storage facilities, and treatment options,” Wellington Water Committee chairman David Bassett said at the time.

The Stuart Macaskill water storage lakes at Te Mārua, near the water treatment plant. Photo / Mark Mitchell

In December 2020 Wellington Water estimated 20 per cent or more of the region’s drinking water was being lost to leaks.

“Without meters, we have to wait for water to come to the surface before we can remedy them,” a press release from that time said.

Fast-forward to January 2024 and those leaks have indeed come to the surface with 44 per cent of our drinking water now being lost through leaks that are more visible than ever before.

So what happened between 2020 and now? Well, not much happened and that’s the problem.

For example, it is still unclear exactly what happened to that detailed business case for water meters.

Current Wellington Water Committee chairman Campbell Barry also wonders what happened to it.

The only thing he can think of is that Covid-19 changed councils’ priorities and water meters were no longer a focus, even though the seriousness of the problem had not changed.

Now we’re back talking about water meters and building political consensus for them. Again.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has committed to them this week, saying she would like to see them rolled out in coming years so the region can take a smarter approach to identifying leaks and reducing waste.

The cost to Wellington City to do this is estimated to be $130 million.

“Which is why we first need to determine how they are best rolled out and work through any equity issues,” Whanau said.

Simeon Brown and Tory Whanau meet on Monday

It’s convenient timing for Whanau to take this position after facing heat from the Local Government Minister this week.

Brown will meet with Whanau and Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy on Monday after he said they failed to provide more detailed information about their plans to address the water shortage.

He wanted information including how much the councils have invested in their pipes over the past decade and evidence they are committed to supporting water meters.

Brown has said the omission of this information was “concerning”. However, Whanau and Guppy have said it was simply an unfortunate case of miscommunication.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau says the cost to Wellington City for residential water meters is $130 million. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Minister has now asked for this information using special powers available to him under the Local Government Act.

The part of the Act that outlines these powers is also the part that provides details on the appointment of a crown observer and commissioners.

This caused excitement in some Wellington circles that the request for information was the first step to appointing a crown observer.

The information request is the lowest level of intervention Brown can make. It’s more a sign of him throwing his weight around than an intention to appoint an observer.

Regardless of the politics of who said what and when the spotlight is once again on Wellington’s looming water shortage.

Let’s hope it sticks this time because this is a problem that’s not going to go away.

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.