Water leaks
No one wants to waste water. A dripping tap can waste over 1,000 litres (one cubic metre) of water each day, while your average 5kg washing machine uses about 120 litres for a single wash.
Whose responsibility?
Queenstown Lakes District Council owns and operates much of the drinking water, wastewater and stormwater (3 waters) infrastructure in our district. These are collectively known as the Public Three Waters Network.
What about privately owned infrastructure?
Some 3 Waters assets are privately owned and do not form part of the Public Network. We refer to these as Private Water Assets. The maintenance and replacement of Private Water Assets is the responsibility of the owners of those assets, and they are not included within Council maintenance services paid for by the rates we collect.
Private Water Assets will either eventually connect back to the Public Three Waters Network or to a private water supply scheme. If the connection is to the Public Three Waters Network, we’re responsible up to and including the valve which connects to the Private Water Asset. If there is no connection to the Public Three Waters Network, the operator of the private water supply scheme should be consulted for maintenance responsibilities.
Private Water Assets are often shared by multiple properties, and it is typically a joint responsibility to maintain and replace the assets. If you aren’t directly connected to the Public Three Waters Network at your toby, we recommend you seek advice as to your responsibilities and who you may share them with.
If a leak is discovered affecting a Private Water Asset, you must take action to source a suitable contractor to perform the inspection and/or repairs. Council has a list of approved contractors that can assist you with repair, maintenance or other works to a Private Water Asset. You’ll find a list here: https://www.qldc.govt.nz/services/water-services/connection-to-water-wastewater-and-stormwater#approved-contractors