NPDC water treatment plant lead Rachelle Quin checks an outlet valve at Tikorangi Reservoir. Photo: NPDC / Supplied
Installing water meters has allowed the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) to postpone a $4 million pump station upgrade for Urenui and Tikorangi in north Taranaki.
Meters have identified so many leaks in the area - including one property using 60m3, or about 450 bathtubs a day - that once they were fixed, demand dropped to the point where the upgrade was not needed.
Peak demand had been at 132m3 (about 880 bathtubs full) an hour - on the threshold that would have required an upgrade.
About 13,000 meters have already been installed out of 26,000 planned across the district as part of a $248 million investment in water infrastructure across 10 years.
So far this month, they had identified and helped stop leaks totalling 463m3 a day, equivalent to about 68 Olympic swimming pools a year.
Currently, most households in the district paid a flat rate for water, regardless of how much they use.
According to Water NZ's 2021 National Performance Review, residential water use of 288 litres per person per day was higher than the national average of 222 litres.