Aucklanders' water bills are about to go up. Photo: Luigi Bertello / 123rf
Aucklanders' water bills are about to go up. Watercare has confirmed household water charges will increase by 9.5 percent, starting from July.
Chief executive Dave Chambers said it was unavoidable.
"Unfortunately with the amount of investment we need to do around Auckland to upgrade our infrastructure, unfortunately this is the price that goes with that."
Rodney Local Board member Guy Wishart said infrastructure upgrades were worth the extra cost.
His area, which included Kumeu and Huapai, was prone to floods - with ugly results.
"There's a problem in our area," he said. "Every time we have flooding, the storm water and sewerage systems get affected and we get raw sewerage running across the ground."
Kumeu residents agreed. They said the current infrastructure was not cutting it.
"Wastewater is a big deal - everyone wants to wash their cars, everyone wants to wash their house," one resident said.
"They need to upgrade the pipes that are falling apart," said another.
"They definitely need upgrades, and the council needs to clean the drains," a third resident said, "especially around Kumeu and Huapai, where it always seems to flood."
One resident said the recent flooding had convinced him water infrastructure was worthwhile.
"I guess you would have to look at the flooding, especially here in Kumeu, it's pretty bad," he said. "If it means that's getting fixed, you can't really complain about that."
But he questioned whether it was the right time for a cost increase.
"I'm pretty sure everyone would have the same feeling that it's not the best timing, just given what's going on," he said.
"Our rates have gone up, housing's up, interest rates are going up, so to add another 10 percent on top of an outgoing [expense] is pretty bad timing."
On paper, the 9.5 percent increase would not break the bank. For an average household, water costs would increase by just $2.20 per week.
But Auckland City Centre Residents Group spokesperson Antony Phillips said every dollar counted.
"These costs may not be terribly noticeable to a double-income household," he said. "But when you've got an 85-year-old who still has a mortgage, living on their own in an apartment in the city centre, that small increase is massive."
Regardless, Phillips said water was not something to cheap out on.
"Water is an absolute lifeline, we can't survive without it," he said. "We need it to be clean, we need it to be constantly there when we turn the taps on, we need it to help flush the toilet, we need it to eat and drink. So it's very much part of our survival."
The price increase will come into effect from 1 July.