Education - Water Supply
Please feel free to contact and talk to
EcoWater education staff.
They work with primary and secondary schools on a wide range of water projects
and their services are free within Waitakere City. They also provide information
for individuals and community groups.
The education team can do the following for teachers:
- provide a visiting speaker for your class who arrives with hands-on
activities
- supply student-friendly resource material
- help set up projects that are a working partnership between your
individual class and EcoWater
- assist you in developing your own classroom activities around water
issues.
Get started by checking out the information below which introduces the water
supply network in Waitakere City. You'll also find resource material ready to
download and use.
 What
is water supply?
Water supply is rain water which has been collected in water storage lakes
then treated so it is safe for people to drink. Water supply pipes carry water
to our homes and workplaces.
EcoWater purchases around 16 million cubic metres of bulk treated water from
Watercare Services
Ltd each year. This water comes from Watercare's dams in the Waitakere
Ranges.
Watercare operates the bulk water distribution network for the Auckland region.
Their network in Waitakere City consists of large diameter water mains, pumping
stations, reservoirs and water treatment plants.
After treatment, the water is stored in reservoirs for distribution by
EcoWater's Water Supply network to our homes and
workplaces.
Water Supply Network in Waitakere City
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Watercare's dams, filter stations, reservoirs, pumping stations and
pipelines in Waitakere City
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The water we use in our homes and workplaces is delivered by Council's supply
network. Council purchases bulk treated water from Watercare Services Ltd
("Watercare"). This water travels through underground
pipes to homes and
workplaces. There are water supply pipes in all the streets of those areas
supplied by water reservoirs. These pipes also supply water to the 5,991 fire
hydrants in the city.
Council's network consists of 1200 kilometres of pipes, reservoirs and
pumping stations. It supplies water to 55,000 customers.
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The performance of the water supply network is monitored on a 24 hour basis
by a series of automated radio links at various sites around Waitakere City.
This covers all bulk supply points for each of the 17 supply zones and sends
flow and pressure data back every few minutes to a central computer at EcoWater
Solutions. This system of gathering information is known as telemetry.
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Reservoirs and pumping stations on Council's network |
Water supply in Waitakere City is metered and customers are billed for the
volume of water used. The current cost of water is $1.48 per cubic metre. The
average family of three, uses 180 to 200 cubic metres of water per year. (There
are 1000 litres in one cubic metre).
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Summary of Water Supply Facts and Figures
EcoWater Solutions
- maintains a network of 1260 kms of water supply pipes throughout
Waitakere City
- installs on average 20kms of new water pipes each year
- carries out over 5000 special water meter readings per year
- processes over 1200 applications for water supply each year
- supplies water to 59,000 customers
- bills its 55,000 water customers twice a year (more frequently for some
non-domestic customers)
- receives over 2000 calls each month through the Waitakere City Council
call centre
- answers an estimated 14,000 fault maintenance requests each year
- provides expert advice and guidance on regulatory matters concerning
water supply
- manages public consultation programmes with regards to future options
for the management of the three waters - water supply, stormwater and
wastewater
- carries out water quality testing
- provides key business account customers with advice on efficient water
use and best water practices
- maintains a team of customer field officers to handle all customer
enquiries and general water investigations
- monitors the state of Waitakere City's complete water network through a
telemetry system
- optimises network efficiencies through leak detection and pressure
reduction programmes
- manages contracts with a range of independent contractors for the
ongoing maintenance and development of our networks
- is developing a comprehensive asset management system to keep track of
all parts of its network system. This will enable EcoWater to become more
efficient in delivering and managing its services
- gets involved in community events and projects
- provides water education resource material for schools throughout the
city
- provides wise water use information at local events and shopping malls
- provides a public information service through brochures, handouts,
newspapers and advertising
Water Supply Educational Resources
EcoWater Solutions assists Waitakere City schools with a variety of
educational projects relating to stormwater, wastewater and water supply.
Our staff help with topic planning, resource selection and provide a visiting
speaker service for classes. We encourage partnership arrangements with schools
and involve local students in many successful projects of this type.
The following materials align with a number of curriculum areas and will suit
a range of different ages. For additional material or specific requirements,
please contact us.
Note: All care has been taken to ensure that the information contained in these
leaflets is accurate and current. If you require further information, please
contact us.
Note: You will need to have 
Adobe Acrobat Reader
installed on your computer in order to view and print these documents. For
help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful
Tips.
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