Meters install complete
18 September 2017
Contractors have completed installing nearly 11,400 new water meters across Waipa district, paving the way for separate water billing to begin next year.
Water meters have been at Ohaupo since 1991 and Pirongia since 1997. Most of Waipa's rural, industrial and commercial users have also had water meters for years.
But from July 2018, Waipa water consumers will pay for water largely based on how much they use, rather than a standard charge. Before then, all consumers will receive at least two mock bills, showing their water use and indicating what that would cost once charging begins.
Project delivery manager Lorraine Kendrick said meters would make people in Waipa far more conscious of how much water they used. The Council was already urging people to fix water leaks and consider replacing old pipework in poor repair.
"Council does exactly the same thing. We constantly check our own networks for leaks because it costs to secure, treat and supply water and we don't want to waste it either," she said. "We'll also continue to work with the community on ways to save water."
Currently, every Waipa household not on waters meters pay $405.30 per year for treated water, irrespective of how much they use. For the 2017/18 year, on average, households in Pirongia and Ohaupo with water meters will pay around $345.
From next month, meter readers will be out in Te Awamutu and Kihikihi, taking readings from water meters in preparation for the first mock bill in January 2018. They will read Cambridge meters during November. Meter readers do not need to go inside houses to read the meter.
Council also confirmed it has now been in contact with all Waipa householders living in older cross-lease properties where it might not be possible to install individual meters. Possible solutions for those properties were still being considered and costed. Elected Councillors would make a decision on what option they wanted to proceed with within the next few months, Kendrick said.
Media enquiries, contact: Jeanette Tyrrell, 027 5077 599