Gross per Capita Consumption 2004 to 2025
Water Efficiency Plan 2021-2025
Our Water Efficiency Plan marks the final stage of our commitment to the Auckland Three Waters Strategic Plan (2008) which requires Auckland to reduce its gross per capita consumption by 15 per cent by 2025 (from 2004 levels). By 2025 we will know whether we have achieved the target we set ourselves in 2008. Unlike previous water efficiency plans, this one has a different purpose. Rather than seeking to achieve our water efficiency target as a means to defer investment in a new source (the key focus of the previous updates), we instead want Aucklanders and the environment to thrive. If we can use and re-use water wisely while reducing wastage, this outcome is achievable.
Our current gross per capita consumption is 241 litres per person per day, so we are pleased to be ahead of target for FY23.
We have created additional measures as a way of building an important water efficiency foundation beyond 2025. Utilising units of measurement that indicate efficient water use rather than the total amount used is one aspect in the plan. We are pursuing water efficiency not because it’s the cheaper option but because we are committed to sustaining Auckland as a healthy, green and resilient city.
We will use residential consumption per connection as a way of measuring water efficiency over time. This is much more accurate than measuring the total population. We know how many households are connected to our network, whereas we do not know how many visitors use our water or how many people are leaving, arriving, or staying in Auckland at any given time.
Auckland’s population is projected to grow at a rate of 1.8 per cent per year, with approximately 6,000 new (residential) water connections per year. When it comes to water use, our aim is to reduce domestic consumption from 510 litres per dwelling per day (our current rate of consumption in FY21) to 481 litres per dwelling per day in 2025.
The food and beverage sector is responsible for around a quarter of Auckland’s commercial (ie non-residential) water use. The sector provides significant employment and generates revenue for the local economy. We, as the water provider, aim to support businesses by offering water audits based on smart data solutions. Such data will help manufacturers improve their output for every litre of water used.
Our commercial customer team have completed training in helping companies identify water saving opportunities. If you are a food and beverage manufacturer and you’re interested in improving your water use, click here.
Our significant and ongoing water efficiency programme in schools aims to reduce water use through improved facilities and access to smart data. We will continue to partner with educators on how to reduce water wastage in schools and at home. Over time, our target is to reduce the amount of water used per student, which is currently estimated at 12 litres per student per day. If your school would like to become more water efficient, click here.
Diocesan School in Epsom is reaping the rewards of introducing a number of water saving initiatives. Their water use is down and so is their bill. Click here to watch a short video about the measures they've put in place.
Auckland Council will be using several initiatives to help reduce its water use by 30 per cent. These initiatives include: Changing contracts to make contractors more responsible for water use, only watering public parks when necessary (in some cases installing moisture sensors), and fixing leaks. Some public toilets have been connected to rain tanks rather than the metropolitan network, while public pools are being reviewed to determine where water savings can be made.
We have developed per connection measurements for Council water consumption in order to support these initiatives. Our FY21 Council consumption was 1,050 litres per connection per day. We will continue to measure this to ensure year on year improvement until 2025.
The food and beverage sector is responsible for around a quarter of Auckland’s commercial (ie non-residential) water use. The sector provides significant employment and generates revenue for the local economy. We, as the water provider, aim to support businesses by offering water audits based on smart data solutions. Such data will help manufacturers improve their output for every litre of water used.
Our commercial customer team have completed training in helping companies identify water saving opportunities. If you are a food and beverage manufacturer and you’re interested in improving your water use, click here.
Our significant and ongoing water efficiency programme in schools aims to reduce water use through improved facilities and access to smart data. We will continue to partner with educators on how to reduce water wastage in schools and at home. Over time, our target is to reduce the amount of water used per student, which is currently estimated at 12 litres per student per day. If your school would like to become more water efficient, click here.
Diocesan School in Epsom is reaping the rewards of introducing a number of water saving initiatives. Their water use is down and so is their bill. Click here to watch a short video about the measures they've put in place.
Auckland Council will be using several initiatives to help reduce its water use by 30 per cent. These initiatives include: Changing contracts to make contractors more responsible for water use, only watering public parks when necessary (in some cases installing moisture sensors), and fixing leaks. Some public toilets have been connected to rain tanks rather than the metropolitan network, while public pools are being reviewed to determine where water savings can be made.
We have developed per connection measurements for Council water consumption in order to support these initiatives. Our FY21 Council consumption was 1,050 litres per connection per day. We will continue to measure this to ensure year on year improvement until 2025.
Like other water utilities across the world, we produce more water than our customers require. This non-revenue water consists of:
— water used to clean mains
— water used to fight fires
— illegal connections (theft)
— meter under-reading
— leakage in the network.
Currently, Auckland’s non-revenue water is 181 (FY21) litres per connection per day. The aim is to maintain our non-revenue water at or below 186 litres per connection per day by 2025. While the factors listed above play a role, most of the losses are through network leaks. To resolve this, further investment in leak detection services is needed, while managing pressure across the network is important. Both can be effectively driven by centralised data that identifies the areas that need focusing on.
Based on an extensive trial over 500km of pipeline, we estimate it will cost $111M over five years to reach the non-revenue target (this cost includes renewals which are required to ensure that pipes do not continue to break when they are fixed due to age). The length and severity of breaks determines the parts and labour required, as well as the type of ground covering (e.g. grass or concrete) and the nature of the area (e.g. areas requiring significant traffic management).
PER PERSON PER DAY
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