Excess water: Your questions answered

Christchurch City Council's excess water invoices will begin to go out this week, we answer the most commonly asked questions below.

When were water charges introduced?
Since 1 October 2022, Christchurch households that regularly use large amounts of water are charged for their extra water use to cover the cost of supplying it.

The rate applies to households that use, on average, more than 700 litres a day – roughly equivalent to 100 toilet flushes.

On top of this, residents won’t be charged until their bill goes above $25. This effectively makes the allowance approximately 900 litres per day - although if you exceed this you’ll be charged for all use above 700 litres.

That’s plenty of water for use inside the home, and responsible outdoor use, even for large households and families.

Are charges working?
Yes. Since charges were introduced we’ve seen water use decrease by more than 10%.

It’s great to see the reduction in water use across the district. Millions of litres of water have been saved since we started a campaign to encourage residents to check and reduce their water use. It’s been particularly encouraging to hear from residents who have found and fixed leaks on their properties. Some of these leaks were resulting in hundreds of thousands of litres of water being wasted each week.

Why are we bringing in water charges?
The main reason for water charging is to help reduce the extreme demand on our water supply network at certain times, particularly over summer. If we can do this, it means we won't have to spend as much money upgrading and building new infrastructure to cope with the extreme demand.

Typically, the top 20 per cent of household water users in Christchurch use more than 50 per cent of the city’s entire residential water supply. A lot of this is driven by outdoor water use for irrigation and gardening, as well as leaks.

How much will residents be charged?
Property owners in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula pay a fixed rate of $1.35 for every 1000 litres they use over the allowance of 700 litres per day.

The median water use for single residential dwellings is 470 litres per day so most households won’t use enough to receive an invoice.

Currently residents won’t be charged until their bill goes above $25. This effectively makes the allowance approximately 900 litres per day - although if you exceed this you’ll be charged for all use above 700 litres. 

Water is free - Is this fair?
The Council doesn’t charge ratepayers for water itself; rather it charges for its delivery - through a network of pipes, pumps, reservoirs and other infrastructure that continuously transports the water safely and speedily from source to tap. 

When the district’s water use doubles over summer (compared to winter), the cost of delivering that water goes up significantly too. That increase in demand isn’t spread evenly, with most of the district’s excess water being used by only a small proportion of households.

Why are we bringing in water charges?
The main reason for water charging is to help reduce the extreme demand on our water supply network at certain times, particularly over summer. If we can do this, it means we won't have to spend as much money upgrading and building new infrastructure to cope with the extreme demand. 

Typically, the top 20 per cent of household water users in Christchurch use more than 50 per cent of the city’s entire residential water supply. A lot of this is driven by outdoor water use for irrigation and gardening, as well as leaks.

What consultation has been done on this new rate?
We first consulted on introducing an excess water use targeted rate in the Annual Plan 2020-21. We received 460 submissions in support, 249 submissions that didn’t support it and 176 that didn’t indicate a preference either way. At the time the Council decided to defer any decision on the rate to the Long Term Plan, so more advice could be provided on issues raised during the consultation – for example, equality and fairness, water conservation and cost recovery.

We consulted again during the Long Term Plan 2021-31. This time we had 206 submissions in support, 130 submissions that didn’t support it and 67 submissions that didn’t indicate a preference either way. The Council subsequently approved the introduction of an excess water charge for households that use significantly more water than average.

Will this generate income?
It’s important to remember that the rate isn’t about generating revenue, it’s intended to help us manage the water demand better and reduce the risk of pressure drops in our network over summer. 

Long term, we won’t need to spend as much money expanding our water supply network, and it will also improve the sustainability of our city’s water supply, which aligns with our climate change goals. 

This isn’t about penalising people – it’s about getting people thinking about the way they use their water. This approach has already seen a significant reduction in excess water usage over the last 12 months. 

Approximately $2.4 million per annum Recovered Revenue from residential excess water supply targeted rate has been budgeted. This has been calculated from analysis of usage since October 2020, with adjustments for one–off water leaks and change in consumer behaviour.

How much money will you save in infrastructure costs?
In order to support increased demand on our water supply, without this demand management measure, we would need to establish at least 11 additional groundwater wells and associated new pump stations by 2031. Excess water charges are forecast to reduce water use, particularly at summer peak times, which reduces the need for additional water infrastructure (halving the additional capacity needed).

We have projected this could result in an estimated $17 million in capital expenditure being deferred in the next 10 years. 

Value: $17 million ($1.7 million per year over 10 years)

Why aren’t households with shared meters being charged?
Shared meters are also read quarterly and where the water use is much higher than expected for the number of households, we will contact property owners to ask them to investigate and fix any leaks. Over time these shared meters will be replaced by individual meters with the priority being set by water use. 

For the first billing period (October 2022 – January 2023) there are only 194 properties with shared water meters out of the total of 22,781 that would be eligible to receive to an invoice for high water use. We are planning on contacting these properties to let them know water use is high, and that they may have a leak. We’ll continue monitoring water use at shared connections and will be able to see where there is high seasonal use.

Finding and fixing leaks is a priority so we’re focussed on helping property owners to get these sorted, whether they are on a shared or individual water connection.

In general, households sharing a water meter are low to average water users because the majority are smaller properties within multi-unit developments with very compact or shared gardens. 

For the 2022 calendar year the median use for shared connections was 295 litres per household per day compared with 470 litres per household per day for single residential connections. 

Where there are more than three households on a single title these properties pay commercial rates for water – approximately 900 residential shared connections are charged for water in this manner. This has been the case for many years and is not part of the new excess water charge.

Similarly multi-unit developments with a single shared connection and a residential body corporate pay the excess use charges if they exceed the allowance – approximately 348 connections are charged in this manner and we expect this number to increase with the intensification of housing in the city.

Why does everyone have the same allowance?
The Council considered a number of approaches to the allocation of water to each property and concluded that the 700 litres per household was the best approach. Keeping track of the number of residents in each household would be very difficult and it is not the primary driver of high water use – high water use is primarily due to use of the water outside of the house, particularly irrigation of gardens and lawns over the summer months. 

The 700 litre allowance is plenty of water for use inside the home, and responsible outdoor use, even for large households and families. If your family has nine people or more and is using water responsibly you may also be eligible for a remission.

On top of this, residents won’t be charged until their bill goes above $25. This effectively increases the allowance to 900 litres per day - although if you exceed this you’ll be charged for all use above 700 litres.

Are water meters accurate?
Water meters are built to remain accurate for many years, and data collected from thousands of meters over the years supports this. As they age, they tend to slightly under-read, not over-read. This means that if you have an older water meter and you trigger the Excess Water Supply Targeted Rate, you’re likely paying for less water use rather than more.

Who is eligible for a remission?
We know there are some reasons households might have high water use. If any of these circumstances apply, remissions are available:

• Unexpected high use due to a leak, upon proof the leak was repaired promptly
• Families with more than eight members who are using water responsibly
• High use due to a personal medical condition.

How can people apply for a remission?
Residents can apply online through the Council’s website, or by filling in a paper form which can be printed or requested from our call centre.

As part of the application process residents will need to provide property information, details about their situation, and evidence such as a doctor’s note or invoice from a certified plumber. 

When we’re considering applications we’ll review household water consumption history including the difference between summer and winter consumption. 

If water use is a lot higher over summer this can indicate outdoor water use for gardening and irrigation, and they may not be eligible for a remission. 

Remissions guidance is available on our website, which explains remission criteria and what evidence is required to make a successful application. 

How can I pay? 
Pay your bill online(external link). There is no surcharge for online credit card payments. We accept Visa and Mastercard. Remember to put your water account number in the 'reference' field. Do not use your rates account number. 

You can also pay by internet banking. Our account number is 02-0800-0044765-01. On your bank's website, select 'one-off payments' and fill in the details. Remember to put your water account number in the 'reference' field. Do not use your rates account number. 

Or you can pay in person by eftpos, credit card or cash at any of our service centres.