Council will consider prioritising water pipe renewals in Methven, as part of its response to data gathered from water meters installed in the town 18 months ago.

The 1,213 meters have highlighted water losses in Council’s 22km pipe network and in private connections, according to a report to Council today.

Council’s Group Manager of Infrastructure and Open Spaces, Neil McCann, said the information from the meters is valuable in helping manage water supply and demand in the future.

“The losses can be more accurately described as unaccounted-for water, and will include leaks in the private and public pipe network, or unmetered connections, faulty meters or illegal connections."

Data from the water meters is showing the difference between water leaving the reservoirs at the treatment plant and water measured by the water meters.

“At the moment that’s showing that three-quarters of the unaccounted-for water is on the public network, so we will be bringing forward pipe renewals in Methven, particularly on older parts of the network.”

The original Methven water pipe network was installed around 1925, but has been renewed over time and only about 2.8km of the original pipes remain; another 1.7km was installed prior to 1980.

Mr McCann said the 3.7km trunk main from the water treatment plant to Methven town was installed in 1967 and new bulk flow meters at the town end would help identify any issues on that part of the network.

“They are big pipes, and have the potential for big leaks, leaks that could also affect the whole town’s water pressure.”

He said information from the water meters had helped identify leaks on private connections too.

“Fixing those private leaks can also prevent waste or damage to driveways and foundations.

“Had we not done the trial, we might have been focusing on the wrong areas, but Council can now focus on certain parts of its network to repair or replace pipes. Renewing pipes is only part of it though, because fittings, joins, valves and hydrants can all develop issues over time, especially in roads where they’re under load.

“So, water meters are a big help, but we still need regular leak detection to spot new problems as they arise.”

The report to Councillors said Methven was chosen for the trial as the Council scheme had the highest reported water loss.

The data helps measure daily demand and understand typical household consumption, as well as flag leaks and burst pipes.

The following pipelines were already planned for renewal within the Long Term Plan, but as a result of this metering pilot trial additional pipelines may be identified for replacement:

• Spaxton St (Carr St to Main St)
• Cameron St (Alington St to South Belt)
• Jackson St (Alington St to South Belt)
• Farquhar Place and Talbot Place
• Bank Street (McMillan Street to Main Street)