Kaitiaki Wai - Wellington Water
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Te
Kaitiaki Wai
Wellington Water’s official magazine | Winter 2018
Another
wet winter?
Why your home
is more prone to
flooding
Six Principles
Taking a principles-based
approach to three waters
management
Not if, but when:
building Wellington’s
resilience for
‘the big one’
contents
Editorial 2
Our People: Waterloo treatment plant 3
Harbour bores 4
Not if, but when: building Wellington’s 7
resilience for ‘the big one’
Award: Civil Defence Emergency 10
Management (CDEM) innovation
Six principles approach to three waters 11
management
Opinion: “Will it flood?” 14
Respect for the environment 18
Critical health and safety risks 22
Omāroro reservoir 24
Community engagement 26
Our service goals 28
Reports 32
Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 1
EDITORIAL OUR PEOPLE
W waterloo
elcome to our first edition more frequent, particularly short- urban stormwater networks.
of Te Kaitiaki Wai – burst rainfall events. No matter what
Wellington Water’s official the event, our customers can rely We’re developing a stormwater
magazine. We’ve got lots of great on us to be out there dealing with strategy, and will work with councils
treatment plant
stories to share with you, and we’re the issues and working hard to get to introduce planning controls to
looking forward to getting to know our services back up as quickly as mitigate the effects of stormwater
you better. possible. run-off. By 2021 we will complete
three major stormwater projects in
For our three water networks We’re working with government Tawa, the Porirua central business
(drinking/potable water, stormwater and our client councils to help district, and Kilbirnie.
and wastewater), the wetter weather Wellingtonians be more resilient in
can pose risks and opportunities. the event of a significant earthquake To make sure we minimise the
through raising awareness for the impact of flooding on people’s lives
While it’s the perfect time to make need to get water storage sorted (at and proactively plan for the impacts
sure our storage lakes (Stuart a household level) and implementing of climate change we’ll complete a
Macaskill Lakes) are replenished, a network of community water three-year modelling programme to
so we have enough water stored stations and distribution points understand the full extent of the risk
for summer, we must also manage throughout the region. We’ve also across all catchments. While we know
the capacity of our stormwater been busy looking for an alternative high-risk flooding areas, we’ll model
network to prevent overflows. If water source in the harbour and stormwater impacts and work with
stormwater enters and overwhelms the development of more water our client councils and customers to
our wastewater network, this can reservoirs. plan how to minimise this impact.
cause overflows that can wreak
havoc in terms of public health and To make sure we enhance the health If you’ve got a story to share with us
environmental impacts. of our waterways and ocean we’re for our next issue, we’d love to hear
working to reduce wastewater from you – please flick us an email at
We live in a region which experiences network overflows following heavy info@wellingtonwater.co.nz.
a number of natural hazard events. rain events. We’ll also monitor the
In recent times these have been impact of stormwater run-off from Happy reading!
Tony Ochsner, Lance Harrison, William Stewart,
Operations Technician Maintenance Fitter Project Facilitator/Treatment
Operations
He wai, he wai Tony is monitoring the Optimiser Lance is kitting up in Personal
programme. The Optimiser is a Protective Equipment (PPE) ready to William is checking the chlorine
He wai herenga tāngata computer programme which runs in perform a lime dosing system clean. residual level at the Waterloo
He wai herenga whenua the background, primarily to optimise treatment plant using a pocket
He wai ora power usage and reduce running The lime dosing system is cleaned colorimeter. The water in the sample
costs. once a week to remove a build-up vial has gone pink, visually indicating
He wai rua the presence of chlorine.
of calcium, a by-product of hydrated
Tihei mauri ora It does this by predicting the demand lime slurry.
on our bulk water system and A reagent is added to a 10ml vial of
Tis water, tis water juggling things like available water water sample. The change in colour
supply and cost of treatment at the is then measured using a pocket
Water that joins us plants. Then it schedules pumps meter to give an accurate reading
Water that necessitates the land on and off accordingly to maintain of chlorine, which in this case is
Soul of life reservoir levels while avoiding peak ~0.77ppm.
Life forever power demand periods.
The screen Tony is looking at shows
a 12-hour prediction of the reservoir
@wellingtonwater level for McAlister Park, Waterloo
Treatment Plant’s outflow, and the
@WgtnWaterNZ schedule for the Wellington pumps.
wellingtonwater.co.nz
2 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 3
FEATURE
On the hunt for alternative
fresh water sources
harbour
bores
Drilling barge, Tuhora, being transported back out into Wellington Harbour, January 2018
T
he search for an alternative city, particularly the eastern and could be a cheaper and more resilient would require significant treatment
fresh water source beneath
Wellington Harbour began at
Wellington southern suburbs, could be without
water for up to 100 days after a
alternative to a cross-harbour pipeline. Fresh water was to make it safe for drinking, as early
tests identified levels of manganese,
the end of June 2017. could be significant quake. In June 2017, the barge and drilling discovered in iron, and ammonia.
rig, Tuhora, was fitted out at Taranaki
Wellington city’s water is piped without water To ensure Wellington is prepared, we Wharf and deployed about a kilometre the Waiwhetu In January 2018, the harbour bores
from the Hutt Valley along the State began investigating ways to provide off the Miramar Peninsula to see project resumed with Tuhora
Highway 1 and 2 corridors. In a large for up to Wellington city with an increased and if suitable drinking water could be Aquifer that heading back out into the harbour
earthquake, it’s likely these main more resilient fresh water supply. found in the Waiwhetu Aquifer which at a new location near Somes/Matiu
water pipelines will break, and could 100 days after extends under the harbour floor. extends under Island. After a month of exploratory
a significant the harbour
take months to repair. Investigations highlighted two water drilling, it headed back to the wharf
source options – a cross-harbour Fresh water was discovered in and is now decommissioned.
Wellington needs an alternative
water supply because parts of the quake pipeline and under harbour bore.
If viable, the under harbour bore
sufficient volumes that could be used
as an emergency supply. However, it floor A full analysis of all data from both
4 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 5
exploratory bores is now underway.
The results from the second bore
FEATURE
are not yet available, but early
indications are positive as the upper
aquifer is thicker in this location than
the first, but the water quality is not
not if, but when
yet known.
Additional analysis has also been
commissioned from GNS Science
into the aquifer and the likely
thickness of the aquiclude (the solid,
impermeable area underlying and
overlying the aquifer).
Once the data has been assessed,
a full report will be developed,
providing a comparative analysis of
the harbour bores against the cross-
harbour pipeline, looking at the
business cases of both in providing
Wellington with an alternative water
supply.
We expect to have some decisions on
the way forward by July this year.
The first of the emergency bladders being manufactured February 2018
Building Wellington’s resilience for ‘the big one’
H
ave you thought about what We will do our best to get our
you’d do for drinking water water services back up and
after a major quake? And do running, but the time this takes
You need
you have a plan for what to do with will depend on the damage to our
your wastewater (ones and twos)? infrastructure.
Our water network is made up of 20 litres In an emergency, the first
more than 2000 kilometres of buried
pipes – and around 1400 kilometres
of stored water thing people need to rely on is
themselves and their families – so
are considered vulnerable. Around 30
per cent of our 149 water reservoirs
per person storing water and food is a must for
every household. We recommend
are also considered vulnerable. per day, you need enough stored water (20
litres per person per day) for you,
Following a significant earthquake, for at least your family, and your pets, for at
some communities will be without
drinking water and wastewater seven days least seven days.
services for more than 100 days. The single best thing people can
There will be no water in the taps, do to help Wellington survive and
and you’ll be unable to flush your thrive after a major earthquake is
toilet, or use your sink. to be prepared.
Drilling barge, Tuhora, in Wellington Harbour 2017
6 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 7
Preparing communities From mid-June 2018,
22 community water
stations will be
We are working with local councils
strategically-placed
and central government to establish throughout the
an above-ground emergency water Wellington region.
network. Made up of at least 22
water stations across metropolitan
Wellington, they will supply more than
300 strategically-placed water collection
points throughout Wellington, Lower Community water
Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua. stations will only
operate from day 8+
From day eight you’ll be able to get a onwards following an
daily supply of 20 litres of water per earthquake, so from
person, from these community water days 0-7 all households
collection points. There’ll be a collection need to be prepared
and have water stored
point within one kilometre from your
at home.
home.
Get your water storage sorted TODAY!
Plastic bottles
Water can be stored in plastic juice
or soft drink bottles that have been
washed with warm soapy water and
rinsed. Don’t use milk bottles, as they
are too difficult to clean well and will
spoil your water. Fill each bottle with tap
water until it overflows.
Store your bottles in a dark, cool place,
and replace the water every 12 months.
Put a reminder on your calendar, or do The community
it at the same time as checking your water station signs
smoke alarm batteries when daylight demonstrate where the
saving starts/ends. water comes from and
how it’s distributed.
Water tanks
You can buy a 200-litre water tank from
your local council for $105. They will fit
into most cars, and are easy to install at
home. All fittings are included, including
a diverter kit to collect rainwater,
strapping, a bung and brass tap.
We recommend filling it up with hose
water first so you have chlorinated
water ready from the outset. Then hook
up the diverter if you need it.
Because it doesn’t need to be fitted to a
downpipe, a water tank is a good option We have an Emergency Water section on
even if you’re renting – just empty it and our website where people can go for more
take it with you when you move. information about the water stations.
Visit wellingtonwater.co.nz/emergency-water.
Emergency drinking water and wastewater kit supplies
8 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 9
CDEM
AWARD REPORT
innovation six principles
S Taking a principles-based approach to
ignificant Contributions to Mark said that the award was a great
Civil Defence Emergency recognition of the collaboration
Management (CDEM) have
been recognised by Minister of Civil
between Wellington Water and
Cardno to deliver the CIR programme
three waters management
Defence Kris Faafoi at an event in of work.
Wellington on 30 May.
“We are grateful to be recognised
Mr Faafoi said that the awards for the hard work and innovative
ceremony recognised people and approach to delivering this
P
organisations who have made a programme in such a short
vital contribution to CDEM in New timeframe. The outcomes will rinciples serve to guide
Zealand. help our communities to be more behaviour and practice. They
prepared and resilient in the event of are foundational beliefs or
“Through their efforts, they have a significant natural disaster, and this understandings of how we believe
helped make our communities safer is something we are very proud of,” things should be done, and as such,
and more resilient,” said Mr Faafoi. Mr Kinvig said. they guide what we do. They are
especially valuable when decisions
The awards ceremony also The CIR programme is jointly funded have to be made quickly, or in the
recognised innovation in CDEM by central government and the absence of hard and fast rules, or
through the presentation of the Wellington, Porirua, Upper Hutt and in the presence of considerable
Director’s Innovation Award, which Hutt City Councils, and has three complexity and ambiguity. spite of all the regulations and rules, going about it.
was jointly awarded to Wellington elements: processes and standards, procedures
Water and Cardno for Community 1. building awareness about the Recognising this complexity, the first and tests that you might care to It’s worth noting that two of the
Infrastructure Resilience (CIR): need for household water recommendation of the Stage Two wrap around something as critical principles have a strong cultural
keeping water flowing to 400,000 resilience (20 litres per person, inquiry into the contamination of to human health as providing safe element to them. Principle 1: A high
people following a major earthquake per day) to help people cope for Havelock North’s water in August water, there are always going to be standard of care must be embraced,
in Wellington. at least the first seven days after 2016, which caused a third of the times when human behaviour can and Principle 5: Suppliers must own
an earthquake; population there to fall ill, was that influence outcomes. the safety of drinking water, speak
This award recognises exceptional 2. building community water water supply managers adopt six to the way we engage with our
innovation or creativity that has resilience; and principles for assuring safe drinking As the Inquiry put it, supply systems communities on the work we do, and
pushed the boundaries of current 3. strengthening water water.* are vulnerable in countless ways the way we choose to behave as we
CDEM practice in New Zealand. infrastructure. to contamination and a single carry out our work.
*Recommendation 1. The six vulnerability has the potential
Wellington Water’s Mark Kinvig We’re currently building a fundamental principles of drinking to cause widespread illness in Over the coming year we’ll refine
(Group Manager, Network Strategy comprehensive above ground water water safety should be recorded and consumers. how we report on the six principles
& Planning) and Nick Hewer- distribution network that will provide promulgated to the industry and used and look to broaden their application
Hewitt (Service Delivery Facilitator emergency water from nine new to inform all recommended reforms We are embracing this principles- across other areas of our work.
- Operations, Network & Customer bores, and a number of streams and as well as the operation of the entire based approach, and we intend to For now, we’ve chosen to present
Operations) were at the ceremony rivers will be available through 22 drinking water system. use it to demonstrate both what both hard (data-based metrics) and
held at The Beehive to collect the new water treatment stations, as well we’re doing to make sure the water soft (people-focused) performance
award on behalf of Wellington Water. as desalination systems. This reflects the experience that in we provide is safe, and how we’re measures and activities.
10 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 11
A high standard of care must Protection of source water is Maintain multiple barriers Change precedes Suppliers must own the Apply a preventive risk
be embraced of paramount importance against contamination contamination safety of drinking water management approach
We care about our customers and We will look after our water sources Our source-to-tap approach uses We will actively monitor our Our people are responsive, We will actively monitor and manage
their communities, and will make and catchment areas and will multiple robust barriers to make sure environment, prepare and respond knowledgeable, experienced and risks to our water supply from source
sure they always have access to safe work with others to make sure the water we supply our customers is quickly to any change that could result committed to making sure we provide to tap to make sure we prevent
drinking water now and in the future. they are protected from potential and remains safe. in the contamination of the drinking safe drinking water to our customers. contamination.
contamination. water we supply.
What we do: What we do: What we do: What we do: What we do: What we do:
• Water quality testing at: • Source risk management plan • Treatment results • Emergency response events • Learning participation hours • Risk audit
• source • Resource consent compliance • Monitoring procedures • Customer service response • Consultation activity • Water safety plan status.
• treatment point • Lab test review and audit. • Burst and leak responses. • Workplace risk management. • Responsiveness.
• delivery How we do it:
• Backflow prevention testing How we do it: How we do it: How we do it: How we do it: We’re preparing a single, regional
• Water supply operator and Our source water quality depends We employ multiple barriers against Flooding and overflows from the Recently, earthworks created a water plan from the nine water safety
contractor training requirements. on the surrounding catchment. Our contamination: storm or wastewater network can situation where wastewater entered plans that are currently in place. This
river sources are protected, but • protection and quality monitoring impact customer safety and drinking the water distribution network. Staff will include identifying nine critical
How we do it: our aquifer is located in an urban at source; water quality. from across our business, along with control points, along with points
One of our drinking water wells environment. This puts the aquifer at • treating raw water; our partners, quickly worked together where there’s increased pressure to
recently recorded a positive E.coli risk from development. • secure distribution networks; Customers can often be the best to make sure the affected community the contamination barriers.
result. We shut this well down and • network monitoring; and early warning system we have to let knew what to do to keep themselves
classified it ‘non-secure’. We are working with local authorities • rapid responses to adverse us know about water quality issues. safe while the problem was fixed. Alongside these, are other risk
Note: All water from our active to make sure that any development signals such as leaks. and assurance processes designed
wells is ultra-violet (UV) treated and activity takes the aquifer into We’re working hard to make it easier We know that people are to minimise the chance of
chlorinated before it’s delivered to account. The annual programme of network for customers to find us, when they concerned about major work in contamination. We support activities
the customer. upgrades and renewals is a core part need us, and to respond quickly in their community. Our consultation that make sure our key stakeholders
Recent work to identify an alternative of improving distribution security. times of emergency. process on a planned reservoir was are involved in this work.
extraction point for aquifer water We’ve recently completed installing commended by community members
prioritised the risk of salt water network meters to improve our and commissioners.
intrusion in viability studies. ability to respond to leaks.
12 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 13
OPINION
“will it
B
flood?”
uying a house can be one of Our nation’s legacy of establishing
life’s biggest decisions, so you towns and cities on floodplains,
want to get it right. There are combined with our shift to slab-
a lot of factors to consider, like: how on-ground house construction,
many bedrooms do you need; does it has left many of us in a vulnerable
get enough light; what maintenance situation. But whilst our past has
does it need; does it have enough left us exposed, it’s actually our
storage space; how big is the garden; future climate that could turn our
and, of course, can I afford it? vulnerability into a crisis.
We’re working to These days many Kiwis also ask New Zealand experienced a taste of
make sure Kiwis are the question ‘will it leak?’ In the
1990s and 2000s, the combination
what it should prepare for recently
when, in Christchurch, following
prepared in the face of of changing building regulations,
architecture design, construction
the earthquake, some low-lying
neighbourhoods sunk. Another way
a changing climate industry materials and practices
created the conditions for a national
of looking at this is that these areas
experienced more than half a metre
crisis. The leaky homes legacy rise in sea level in only one year. Half
has left us with a nationwide scar. a metre may not seem like much,
-Ben Fountain Those affected speak not just of the but in the floods that followed close
financial hardship, but also about the on the heels of the earthquakes, this
Wellington Water Chief Advisor, stress and health impacts. sinking of half a metre was enough to
Stormwater nudge a vulnerable drainage situation
Another question worth asking is ‘will into a crisis.
it flood?’ This can be a hard question
to answer because many parts of our The changing climate is making us
country are only flood-prone under think about our toolbox of measures,
rare weather conditions. But, like a which we use to manage flood risk.
leaky house, a flood-prone home can
be just as hard on the owners as a Traditionally, New Zealand’s flooding We’re trying to help, where
leaky home can be. risk has been managed through a
combination of infrastructure and we can, and make sure
Minimising the impacts of flooding
on people’s lives is one of our service
private insurance, and to a lesser
degree by development planning flooding does not become
goals. We’re trying to help, where we
can, and make sure flooding does not
controls, community preparedness,
and emergency response. As we learn another ‘leaky homes crisis’
become another ‘leaky homes crisis’. more about the impacts of rising sea
14 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 15
levels and the increased frequency communities grapple with these
of rainfall, we recognise the need to complex problems, the challenge
place greater emphasis on the flood will be to draw together a consensus
risk management tools we haven’t around appropriate responses and
frequently used before. to empower communities to make
meaningful changes.
Appropriate development planning
controls are the most effective and A learning following the Canterbury
powerful measure that councils Earthquakes was that the resilience
can employ to build a community’s of our communities is one of our
long-term, sustainable resilience to greatest assets in a disaster.
flooding. The controls encourage
the growth of our towns and cities, Connecting and empowering a
but also avoid the most vulnerable community to respond to a flood
areas. They also maintain a natural is an important way we can reduce
hydrology, enhance natural drainage the impact of flooding on people’s
paths and guide homes and lives. Wellington Water is engaging
businesses to be built at safer, higher with communities to help them
levels. prepare for floods, develop response
plans and prioritise the vulnerable
In many low-lying areas near the areas that may need assistance. A
coast, the traditional forms of neighbourhood’s response helps to
private insurance and flood defence avoid a catchment-wide problem
infrastructure are likely to be the being carried only by those at the
least adaptable measures to our bottom.
changing climate. The consequences
of sea level rise and the warming Technology is also providing new
climate are slow-approaching tools to empower communities
challenges, so we need to make the to respond– currently we are
most of the narrowing window of developing a system to utilise rain
opportunity to rethink how we grow radar, which would provide a warning
our neighbourhoods. to location-specific areas that are
about to be hit by intense rain, up to
A privilege of our democratic society two hours beforehand. A lot can be
is a community’s involvement in done with a bit of warning, such as
shaping its own future. Those of us moving vehicles, raising valuables,
who are tasked with understanding putting barriers in place or closing
flooding hazards need to be creative flood prone roads.
in how we inform and empower our
communities to prepare for floods. Underpinning all our efforts in
There are fantastic examples of this minimising the impacts of flooding
engagement happening across New on people’s lives is the need for a
Zealand we can all learn from. strong and reliable base of evidence.
But evidence is only as useful as the
For communities to prepare for
flooding, they need access to Wellington Water is ability to effectively communicate it.
quality information that explains
the risks. Pictures, maps, interactive engaging with communities It is communication that will help us
shift from our reactive methods of
websites, animations, and virtual
reality are some of the many tools to help them prepare for dealing with floods and our changing
climate to a proactive approach,
that are increasingly being used to
communicate effectively. As our
floods, develop response allowing communities to become
sustainable, connected and resilient.
plans, and prioritise the
vulnerable areas that may
need assistance
16 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 17respect for the
FEATURE
The Resource Management Act’s Plan-Making Process
environment
-Stewart McKenzie, Principal Advisor, Resource Management Act and Environment
W
ellington Water operates in
a highly-regulated industry,
with the effect of our
activities on the natural environment
rigorously regulated under the
Resource Management Act 1991
(RMA). The overall purpose of the
RMA is to achieve ‘the sustainable
management of natural and physical
resources’, and the remainder of the
Act provides the means to support
this.
In our region, the key RMA plan is
the Proposed Natural Resources
Plan (PNRP). This sets out the
objectives, policies and rules for
activities affecting water, land and air,
and is administered by the Greater
Wellington Regional Council (GWRC).
Given its broad scope, the PNRP has
a direct bearing on the three waters
services we provide to customers,
affecting everything from how much
water we can take for drinking
water, what standard we must treat
wastewater to, and even how we
maintain stormwater assets.
The PNRP replaces five Regional
Plans, and is the most fundamental
change to our region’s past
environmental regulation in 20
years. There is a lot at stake for any
person, business, farm, industry,
etc. that relies on using natural
resources (indirectly, everyone).
Given how much is at stake, the PNRP
18 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 19Respect for the environment dashboard
We are mindful of the impacts that our activities have on the environment. We work closely with
stakeholders to ensure discharges into waterways and the sea are carefully managed.
Below are the results of our activities from 1 July 2017 – 31 March 2018.
Wellington Water
Harbour quality
maintains
7500
Target: Each monitored beach is
suitable for recreational use 90%
of the days during bathing season
stormwater inlet and (1 Nov 2017 - 31 Mar)
outlet structures, and
1615km
of stormwater pipes in
the Wellington region
must go through a legal submission the fifth of seven hearings about the PNRP that will make it apply
and hearing process in front of activities in the beds of lakes and more realistically to three waters’ Fresh water quality:
independent commissioners before rivers, which has a direct bearing on infrastructure and services. We’ve % of sites compliant
it becomes operative, with the many of our operational activities. also suggested a number of changes
potential for appeals. This includes the ability to maintain to the plan’s objectives.
7500 stormwater inlet and outlet Target: 90% of all freshwater sites
We submitted a lengthy submission structures and the 1615km of We also gave evidence on consenting have a rolling 12 month median
about the PNRP, making over 350 stormwater pipes we are responsible risk and compliance issues, and < or = 1000cfu/100ml3
individual submission points relating for. highlighted the potential costs that
to water allocation, stormwater, could be borne by ratepayers if the
S On Track
wastewater, discharges to land, Previous hearings covered PNRP remains in its current state. The S Some concern
activities in streams and rivers, and strategically important matters such commissioners presiding over the S Off track
a host of other matters. We are just as water quality, allocating drinking hearing were very interested in our
one of 526 submitters on the PNRP, water from aquifers and rivers, evidence and arguments, and have
with submitters collectively making and policies and rules applying to taken an inquiring approach. This is a
14,500 separate submission points. wastewater and stormwater services. positive sign.
Overall, we support the intent Our people, including Chief Advisors One thing’s for sure, the process
Overflow discharges
of the PNRP, as it aligns with our and the RMA team, along with expert for developing the PNRP is complex from treatment plants
customer outcomes and service planning and legal advisors, have and highly contested, and will take
goals, particularly ‘respect for the presented a comprehensive suite of several years (it’s taken four years Target: Nil non-consented overflow
environment’. However, we do evidence (some 700 pages to date). just to get to this point). We’re in it from treatment plants
have concerns with many of the for the long haul, and are doing our
objectives, policies and rules in the The resounding theme from the best to influence the PNRP, so it lets *In 15/16, the portion of the HCC/UHCC
network operated by HVWS was included
PNRP, and we’ve been presenting evidence is that we’ll struggle to us provide an efficient three waters in the total number of discharges for the
evidence on these matters at topic maintain our service delivery in services, whilst at the same time Seaview WWTP. For the 16/17 period the
based hearings. these areas, given the objectives, being respectful for the environment network discharges have been separated
from the WWTP discharges.
policies and rules currently proposed. and meeting the overall purpose of
We recently presented evidence to We have suggested changes to the RMA.
20 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 21FEATURE
W
ellington Water is Our Health & Safety and Risk & To start, we will concentrate on • less experienced staff still coming
conducting a review of Assurance teams analysed the risks in the first four critical risks and set to terms with site risks;
its critical health and our incident reporting system. From up a structure to actively manage • staff stepping out of the
safety risks to find out if those we‘ve this information, we’ve identified our them; ideally by eliminating the controlled zones into traffic lanes;
previously identified are, in fact, the own critical health and safety risks: risk altogether or minimising the and
ones our people truly face when opportunity for those risks to cause • site controls with more of an
they’re working. • traffic management more harm or ill health. The first emphasis on complying with the
• vehicles and mobile equipment critical risk we’re addressing is traffic temporary traffic management
It will help us concentrate our • tools, equipment and assets management. code of practice and not
resources on the risks that have the • falls from heights necessarily thinking of practical
most potential to seriously injure our • excavations Traffic management safety measures.
workers, contractors, and customers - • contact with services such as We’ve held workshops with our
or make them sick. electricity, gas, sewage, etc senior leadership and our contractors A working group has been set up to
• chemicals to identify what safety issues workers investigate suitable controls, while
The review was prompted by an • confined spaces. face when using traffic management working alongside our supply chain
update from WorkSafe New Zealand processes on worksites. As expected, to agree on a best practice approach
that identified the top three critical Our strategy for managing critical risks a number of risks were identified, to eliminate or reduce the risks
risks workers face. They are: is to follow a consistent approach with including: surrounding this activity.
an emphasis on involving our people, • distracted drivers and pedestrians
1. traffic management our supply chain and consultants. We not obeying the traffic signs; We will also follow up with the staff
2. work equipment seek feedback from these important • driver inattention from cellphone exposed to this risk to find out if the
3. falls from heights. contributors at each stage of the use; controls are making a difference for
process. • increase in speeding vehicles; the better.
Health and safety dashboard
Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR)
Note: Total Recordable Injuries (TRI) include medical treatment, hospitalisation and fatality injuries.
This trend has increased over the
period, in particular in terms of lost
time injuries.
We’ll continue to reinforce good
practices, and raise awareness of
risk mitigations to prevent injuries.
Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR)
Note: Lost Time Injury (LTI) rate is based on rolling 12 months data per 200,000 hours worked.
critical risk
This quarter, we experienced three
LTI’s, resulting in us not meeting
our industry benchmark metric of
1.5 LTIFR.
We have reviewed each incident
and have been able to implement
-Nikki Ganley, Business Assurance Advisor, Risk and Assurance controls to either eliminate or
significantly reduce the potential of
the incidents reoccuring.
22 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 23FEATURE
A
panel of independent challenges and improve disaster within the Town Belt and also close planning and addressed openly.
commissioners have praised resilience. to long-established residential
the extensive community communities in Mt Cook and A key concern raised at the Open
engagement carried out for the Currently, bulk water supply Brooklyn. This meant the project Days was the number of trucks using
proposed new Prince of Wales/ pipelines bring water to Wellington required an easement under the Rolleston Street. To address this,
Prince of Wales/
Omāroro reservoir. The project from both Lower Hutt and Upper Wellington Town Belt Act 2016 – and Wellington Water proposed to limit
Omāroro
has included a strong consultative Hutt, crossing major earthquake this was the first test of how the Act truck use of the road from 9am to
process. faults. It is very likely water supply would be applied. 3pm Monday to Friday and Saturday
will be disrupted in the event of a mornings; and to raise the level of
The panel specifically noted that a severe earthquake. Wellington Water Project Director, two adjacent sports fields, using
number of submissions, including Ulvi Salayev, said it was clear from material from the site, reducing the
from local residents’ associations, The proposed 35 million-litre buried the earliest stages that extensive need to truck out rock and fill.
reservoir
had welcomed the level of reservoir will be built to modern community consultation would be an
community engagement. seismic standards and will be the integral part of the project. To help address concerns about the
largest in Wellington. visual impact of the reservoir, we
It has long been recognised that “We knew from the outset, when provided virtual reality headsets,
Wellington needed a major new The proposed site for the reservoir the site was first identified, that showing how it currently looked
reservoir to address water storage provides the challenge of being we would need to be as visible as from different vantage points
-Dan Ormond, Omāroro Reservoir Communications Lead
It was clear from the earliest
stages that extensive community
consultation would be an integral
part of the project
possible within the community, with and how it would look five years
very active, ongoing and genuine after completion. The residents
engagement,” said Ulvi. really appreciated this innovative
approach.
“It was important that people
recognised we weren’t there to tick “Between the formal open days, we
boxes, but to work with them to held evening street meetings, where
reach solutions.” we could hear particular concerns
and answer questions where
One of the first steps was a possible. Again, these were well
community barbecue hosted by attended,” said Ulvi.
Wellington Water in Rolleston Street,
Mt Cook. Ulvi worked with the very We used a local shopfront to post
active Mt Cook residents’ association information and we personally
to help publicise the event. delivered leaflet information to
houses. We entered feedback from
“We used the barbecue as an the meetings into a Frequently-
opportunity to introduce the project, Asked-Questions (FAQs) section on
and to meet the community – helping our project webpage.
the locals to put names to faces,” said
Ulvi. The next stage of the project will
see a community reference group
A series of community open days established and the appointment of
helped to make sure residents’ a community liaison person to act as
concerns were fed into project a direct point of contact.
Omāroro Reservoir site location, Brooklyn, Wellington
24 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 25COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
love every drop
T
he 2017/18 summer was one of Garden watering restrictions allow for The goals of the campaign were to:
the hottest Wellington has had the use of: 1. reduce demand; and
in recent times. After months • a single watering system 2. increase our reach on Facebook,
of rain, the third driest November on (sprinkler, irrigation system, so we could:
record caught us on the hop, because soaker hose, or unattended hose) • Build a sense of community
at the same time as water demand between 6-8am and 7-9pm • Connect with our customers,
shot up to over 180 million litres a • on allocated watering days: providing them with
day (MLD), we were also working on • even-numbered houses on information/tips
important upgrades to two of our even dates of the month • Engage with our customers.
three main treatment facilities. (2nd, 4th, 16th, etc,.)
• odd-numbered houses on Messaging focussed around taking
We run a summer demand campaign odd dates of the month (1st, care of water by conserving and
every year which typically kicks off 3rd, 11th, etc,.). using it responsibly, so everyone
on Wellington Anniversary weekend can enjoy it all summer long. This
(mid-January), however the increased The campaign was largely digital, message was reinforced when a
demand around the region coupled giving us the flexibility to change sprinkler ban came into effect at the
with low supply meant we had to messaging depending on the water end of November, 2017.
launch our Love Every Drop campaign demand and weather predictions.
six weeks early with Watch Every The sprinkler ban was lifted at the
Drop. end of January, 2017, thanks to a
combination of community members
out and about
The summer demand campaign is taking action to reduce their water
in addition to the garden watering use, completing important treatment
restrictions in place in Lower Hutt, plant upgrades, and some much-
Porirua, and Wellington during needed rain, which replenished
daylight saving months (and all year- supply in our storage lakes and
round for Upper Hutt). rivers.
I
t was a busy start to 2018 for our Petone Fair. The turn-out was great emergency water tank proved
Community Engagement team, despite the howling wind and on- popular. A big thanks, as always,
attending local shows, fairs, and-off showers throughout the to The Tank Guy for donating the
festivals and arranging treatment day. tanks!
plant tours. So far, this year, we’ve
attended six fairs and festivals, and We donned our jetpacks again A number of student groups have
had three groups visit our treatment on 24 February, and headed out been on tours of our drinking water
plants. to Waitangi Park to support the treatment plants. The tours are
LGBTIQ community at Out in the a great opportunity to teach the
In February, we attended the all- Park. Once again we had fantastic students (young and old) about
new Waitangi Day festival in Porirua. weather and the chilled water was where their water comes from, and
This event replaced Festival of the well received. the process it goes through to make
Elements and saw approximately sure the water that comes out of
25,000 people wander through Our last event of the summer was your tap at home is safe to drink.
during the day. The weather was Upper Hutt March Madness, where
fantastic, so our water manifold and another cracker of a day greeted Make sure you look out for the
jetpacks went down a treat as we us. Our focus was resilience and Wellington Water team at your
spent the day handing out chilled reminding people to be prepared next community event, or if you’re
water to thirsty patrons. by having at least 20 litres of stored interested in a water treatment
water per person per day. Our plant tour, contact us at
On 17 February, we attended the competition to win a 200-litre info@wellingtonwater.co.nz.
26 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 27service goals
REPORTS
How we’re tracking against our service goals in 2017/18 to date.
S On Track S Some concern S Off track
The Havelock North Inquiry recommended six fundamental principles that all water supply We measure water consumption (including loss) across the region. An increase in the
companies should adopt for assuring safe drinking water. The development of our regional identification of water leaks requiring repair occurred in late 2017, coinciding with the early
Water Safety Plan is currently underway, and any requirements related to the Inquiry will be summer dry period and impacting on the per capita consumption for all councils. We put summer
incorporated or actioned as required. We expect to achieve compliance with the New Zealand demand management strategies in place, and we’re investigating the causes of the increased
Drinking Water Standards. leakage.
As part of the future consolidation of contracts for wastewater treatment plants, we’re
developing a regional approach for managing biosolids.
We have experienced six injuries in 2017/18 to date. Our investigations considered physical and
behavioural causes, and put a range of controls in place to prevent re-occurrences. The critical
risk project has commenced with traffic management and vehicles/mobile equipment being We currently monitor freshwater sites and beaches. Some of these sites exceed pollution target
the two areas under review from a people and public safety perspective. The review process is levels. This is a long-term ongoing initiative to identify and remove sources of pollution.
collaborative, with working groups involving our staff, suppliers and consultants.
This indicator is not currently measured although education programmes are in place for some
Identifying and confirming critical hydrants with Fire and Emergency New Zealand of the critical areas, such as community information boards, summer water conservation, and the whaitua
hydrants that will be part of ongoing hydrant performance testing programme. When non- committee. At this stage, we’re assessing these indicators using our experience and knowledge.
compliant hydrants are found, they are prioritised for upgrade works. We’re finalising an annual plan to align with three water activities and raise community
awareness is being finalised.
There are network capacity and condition issues that may cause wastewater overflows and
contaminate urban stormwater catchments. This can cause public health concerns. Work is There is significant work underway, with consenting activities under the proposed Natural
ongoing throughout the region to minimise the number of overflows. Resources Plan (NRP). We’ve also been involved in a good level of engagement in the NRP
process itself, including hearings, submissions and other collaborative opportunities. The
outcomes of the collaborative work with the whaitua committee may impact on future consent
conditions.
28 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 29WHAT COULD BE
LURKING IN YOUR PIPES?
The Rag Monster and Fatberg can wreak havoc on your home’s pipes, and could cost
you thousands of dollars if the damage happens within your property boundary!
To beat these two monstrosities into submission, remember these tips:
1. Flushing anything down the toilet that isn’t
the 3 Ps (pee, poo or toilet paper) can cause
blockages. Cleaning wetwipes (including
‘flushable ones’) and other sewage items
can tangle together and create a monster
of a problem for your pipes – and the
environment.
Only flush the 3 Ps
When we complete our hydraulic models in three years, we can better understand the likely
impact of flooding on communities. There are known flood risk areas, and recent flooding events
• PEE
in Kilbirnie have reinforced the need for improved flood mitigations and programmes. Areas • POO
prone to flooding continue to be prioritised.
• PAPER (toilet paper)
Our networks are fragile and vulnerable to a significant natural event such as an earthquake.
Improvements coming out of the water supply resilience strategy have been incorporated into
the councils’ 30-year Infrastructure Strategies, informing and supporting the 2018-38 Long-Term
Plans.
We identified a water treatment capacity limitation at Te Marua treatment plant, which affects
our drought resilience. The issue is under investigation, and we expect the results (due by June
2018) to help determine how this can be resolved. The National Policy Statement (NPS) on Urban
2. When you pour fats and oils down your
kitchen sink, it can cause fabergs to form –
lumps of congealed fat that can grow larger
Development Capacity reinforces the need to understand the impact of the councils’ growth and larger as they pass through your pipes,
aspirations on the three waters infrastructure performance. Continued pressure to process even becoming big enough to block them.
building consent enquiries has highlighted the need to properly identify and resolve potential
capacity issues.
Current service interruptions for water supply and network blockages for the wastewater and Keep fatbergs away! Put fats
stormwater networks continue to sit within targeted service levels.
and oils in the bin.
30 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018 29REPORTS Drinking water supply
Three waters network
reliability dashboard Total water
supplied to the
four cities is
tracking above last
year after a long,
dry summer, but it
looks to be easing
off with the arrival
of winter.
13,831 million litres of safe
drinking water was supplied in
January - March 2018
Network reliability remains well within target performance level,
with the exception of Porirua City Council.
Note: due to the temporary unavailability of task data, Capital expenditure
customer call data has been substituted and possibly
overstates the number of actual supply cuts and
blockages. Our capital expenditure (Capex) programme of work was tracking well
against our full year forecast as at April. It’s been a challenging year for our
programme managers, with the fast-tracking of the $11 million ultraviolet
water treatment work requiring some rescheduling mid-flight to ensure we
remained within budget, along with the additional work required to deliver the
community water supply resilience programme.
These two projects bumped up the total capital programme budget for the year by about $13
million – the bulk of the roughly $25 million increase over last year’s programme. It’s a credit to
our supply chain – our contractors and our consultants – that we were able to deliver the larger
programme along with the critically important water quality project, as well as keep up with
prioritised network renewals and upgrades.
32 Te Kaitiaki Wai | Winter 2018Wellington Water is owned by the Hutt, Porirua, Upper Hutt and Wellington city councils, and Greater Wellington Regional Council. The councils are all equal shareholders. Our vision is to create excellence in regional water services so communities prosper. Our customers, the residents of the metropolitan Wellington region, use the services we provide: drinking water; wastewater; and stormwater in their homes, businesses, and communities every day.
You can also read
