Lifting the lid on those ‘leak detectors’ (2024)

With a quarter of the Horowhenua District Council’s water supply being lost to leaks, the council is hailing its installation of digital smart water meters as a success.

In the past two months since it began installing these ‘leak detectors’ 65 properties with leaking pipes have been identified.

“Once these leaks alone are repaired, this will save our district up to 85,000 litres of water a day (equivalent to 3.5 swimming pools full of water each day),” a spokesperson said.

“The new meters can pick up leaks within 14 days, much faster than analogue meters which could take up to nine months.”

The plan is to connect all households in the district to a digital water meter by the end of next year.

“Our district is short on water, and we currently lose up to a quarter of our supply through water leaks each year (between 300 to 500 litres per connected property per day) putting unnecessary pressure on our water infrastructure.

“During the long-term plan amendment 2021/2041 it was decided that water meters will be installed to detect leaks and reduce water wastage to ensure a more reliable water supply for Horowhenua.”

Since leaks are being repaired the results are almost immediate, according to chief executive Monique Davidson. “This will save a lot of money in the long run,” she said.

“With every fixed leak we are decreasing water demand, and we don’t need to treat as much water. We can delay paying for projects to store extra water, or for consents to take extra water.

“Fixing leaks means less pressure on our water infrastructure and we are better prepared for growth. Being able to track your water usage also empowers people to be more mindful of their water consumption and create good habits to conserve this precious resource.”

Identifying where leaks are occurring is far more cost effective than replacing all the pipes in the 115km network which would cost $138 million.

Each unit only costs $260 plus installation, which is already covered in rates and there is no cost to get a reading from the meter.

Other meters require someone going to each site to record the readings and compare with earlier ones to calculate the risk of a leak, whereas the new meters are read through drive-by radio signal, cutting out the costs of manual labour.

“When a leak is discovered, we receive an alert on our software and a flag shows on the water meter’s digital display. Our team sends letters to the property owner when a leak is detected.”

Water meters are used for rating and recovering the cost of water infrastructure. Currently, water users in Levin, Ōhau, Foxton, Shannon or Tokomaru pay for water services through their rates, which cover the costs of 91,000 litres of water per quarter per household (approximately 1000 litres a day).

A cubic metre of water (1000 litres) gives people either about 4000 glasses of water, 167 toilet flushes, 22 five-minute showers, 11 baths, 10 full loads of washing or an hour watering with a sprinkler.

If people don’t use more than this, they won’t incur any extra water usage charges.

Property owners will need to arrange a private contractor or plumber to fix leaks on their side of the connection.

There is an amnesty period if a leak is found on someone’s property and has caused them to have used more than their water allocation. They can apply within three months of the water meter being installed for a 100 per cent remission on the excess water usage bill if it’s caused by a leak, upon proof of repair.

Outside of this amnesty, if the leak is fixed within two months the owner may be eligible for a 50 per cent reduction on their current bill.

They will need to apply for a remission in writing along with proof the leak has been fixed, such as confirmation from a plumber or two photos of the meter reading taken one week apart (if the property still has an analogue meter).

The council will work with people on a case-by-case basis to help if they are facing hardship.

As part of the long-term plan amendment, it was decided an additional $75m be spent in the next decade on three waters infrastructure.

The installation of the new water meters is one of the initiatives being introduced to ensure a resilient water supply in Horowhenua.

The council has been working towards the most significant and aspirational three waters infrastructure projects in recent history – the Poads Road Water Supply Reservoir (WSR) which focuses on constructing a large water supply reservoir on council-owned land between Poads Road and the Ōhau River and all builds at Tara-Ika will require rainwater tanks.

“Once the water meter rollout is complete, we will also investigate options for how people can monitor their water usage using an app connecting to their water meter.”

Installing the new water meters has also created jobs. There are three water meter installers, two of whom were recruited through Horowhenua mayors taskforce for jobs. A nationwide partnership between Local Government New Zealand and the Ministry of Social Development, the taskforce focuses on connecting young people with suitable training, employment and mentoring opportunities; and helping remove any barriers to employment or training while providing a platform for job creation.

There are a lot of opportunities in water services, and this has been a great foot in the door.

The two young recruits have been on the job since April, learning about water networks, installing meters and carrying out checks to see if the meters have picked up leaks and are connecting with monitoring software correctly.

“There are a lot of opportunities in water services, and this has been a great foot in the door,” recruit and field technician Liam Tipping said.

“I’ve learned a lot about the industry and I’m excited to see where this role could lead. I’m proud to be part of a project which will benefit my community for years to come.”

The physical installation of the meter is only one part of the process. The field technicians need to find the water toby, check it’s ready for the installation of a new meter and capture the details from old analogue meters if the property has one.

The existing meter number and final reading need to be recorded alongside the new meter serial number and GPS location in an electronic survey completed on a smart phone app.

All water meter installers carry identification cards and there is only a short disruption to water services as the water meters are installed.

Small changes to water consumption habits can have a big impact – such as limiting your shower time, turning taps off when brushing your teeth and only doing full loads in your washing machine. Visit horowhenua.govt.nz/WaterSavingTips for more ideas on how to conserve water.