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Overview

Laying of new water main pipe

The Council:

buys water from the Greater Wellington Regional Council
maintains the reticulation network that supplies water to homes and businesses in the city
performs regular maintenance, upgrades and renewal programmes.

The reticulation network includes:

81 reservoirs and tanks
1,020km of pipes
33 pumping stations
more than 100,000 fittings, valves and controls.

On average, our water pipes have a life of 70 years.

Over 4,000km of water and drainage pipelines are buried under Wellington's streets and public land.

Water for Wellington, Porirua and most of the Hutt Valley comes from the headwaters of the Hutt River at Kaitoke and from the catchment east of Wainuiomata.

New Reservoir above Prince of Wales Park

The Council is planning a major new reservoir to be built above Prince of Wales Park, in the Te Aro / Brooklyn area. It will give emergency storage in the event of an earthquake, and replace and expand on the existing storage facilities.

Planning only is under way at this stage, with construction depending on suitable financing arrangements. For more information on the reservoir project, read:

Hospital Prince of Wales Reservoir Project - Capacity website (362Kb PDF)

Water Shortage

During periods of drought, the shortfall is currently made up by water supplied from the Stuart Macaskill Lakes at Te Marua.

As part of a Greater Wellington Regional Council project to upgrade Te Marua water storage lakes, one lake has been drained. This has halved the stored water supply available to Wellington, Lower and Upper Hutt and Porirua.

This could lead to a water shortage if Wellington has a warm and dry spring or summer. So check out these tips on how to save water:

Water Conservation Tips

Remember that garden watering restrictions are in place all year (see Wellington Water Restrictions below). Water patrols will be around over summer to make sure people are using water in the garden as and when they should.

For more information on the upgrade of the water storage lakes, see:

Draft Water Services Bylaw

We investigate water consumption and loss by analysing information from the city's area water meters and commercial meters.

To make sure we maintain this flow of information so that we can plan our water-supply infrastructure correctly, the Council has prepared a draft water services bylaw.

For more information on the new bylaw or to make an oral submission on Thursday 5 April 2012, see:

Water - Draft Water Services Bylaw

Facts & Figures

Every year the total water supplied to Wellington city is about 30 million cubic metres (30 billion litres) per year. The Council intends to stabilise total consumption at this level.

Commercial Usage

About seven million cubic metres is used for commercial / industrial purposes. Most commercial water usage is metered.

Non-commercial Usage

Wellington's estimated non-commercial water consumption is typically about 350 litres per person per day. This figure is based on total water supplied, less the metered commercial use, divided by resident population. Because this figure can be affected by changes in resident and Council activities, it is used when measuring water usage trends as part of managing water demand.

The non-commercial consumption estimate takes into account leaks on private properties. Non-commercial use includes:

domestic
leakage from both public and private pipes
flushing of hydrants
water used for fire-fighting
watering of Council parks and gardens
street cleaning
burst mains and reservoir overflows
water that is removed without permission from hydrants, ie theft of water.

Seasonal Changes

Water consumption figures are dynamic and include water used in toilet flushes, baths and showers, washing machines and dishwashers. Actual consumption varies depending on a number of factors such as the weather - for example, consumption usually increases in a dry summer as residents water their gardens.

Wellington Water Restrictions

Wellington has year-round restrictions on sprinklers and garden hoses. Use is only allowed 6.00am - 8.00am and 7.00pm - 9.00pm on alternate days. If you have an even-numbered address, you can use sprinklers on even days of the month and vice versa. A hand-held hose or watering can may be used at any time.

Water Conservation Tips

During periods of high demand, the Council places greater restrictions on some uses of water, such as watering gardens. This is to make sure that the primary needs of the city can be met like supplying drinking water to homes, hospitals and the commercial sector.

Drinking Water Precautions

The Ministry of Health recommends you flush a cup of water from your drinking water taps each morning.

The softness of New Zealand water is associated with leaching of metals such as lead from plumbing fittings. Flushing your taps helps to remove these metals.

Although the health risk is small, all households should follow this simple precaution.

The Wellington Water Charter

The Wellington Water Charter came into effect in 2007. The document outlines the mutual responsibilities of the Council, in regards to the supply of water, and water users.

Wellington Water Charter (229Kb PDF) | Text version (455Kb Doc)