The majority of southern Tasmanians welcome the introduction of water meters into unmetered properties and are supportive of the proposed introduction of fairer pricing, according to market research commissioned by Southern Water.
In a detailed survey of 400 Tasmanian households conducted in 2010, 67 per cent of Tasmanians indicated they were supportive of water meters – with 37 per cent of these in “very strong support”. Only around a quarter of southern Tasmanians expressed opposition to water meters.
“The findings of both the phone survey and focus group research showed that most Tasmanians understand that water meters benefit customers and want meters, Project Director for Water Metering Tasmania, Danny Sutton said.
“The research also indicated that more than 70 per cent of people would consider reducing water use if they understood how much they were using,” he said.
According to Mr Sutton, the research’s findings that people welcomed meters as a way of evaluating their water use reflected the experience among the two thirds of Tasmanian households already metered. The majority of north and north-western Tasmanian homes are metered.
“When people understand how much water they use, many choose to use less. This takes pressure off our heavily used and ageing pipes and plants and reduces the significant cost of treating, pumping and delivering water to customers. Given that the three corporations need to spend around $1 billion to bring pipes and plants to an appropriate standard, that price tag can be reduced if less water is used.
“The other benefit is that meters are essential for tracing major leaks in households and in Southern Water’s pipes. We can measure how much water goes into our pipes, but without meters at the other end, we cannot always identify unusually high peaks and therefore detect major, underground leakages.”
Installation of meters is planned to commence in February and is expected to be completed in time for the 1 July 2012 introduction of the Economic Regulator’s new pricing approach which ensures that all customers are charged for water in the same way, based on water usage.
On Tasmanian Times: Residents Against Water meters
Friday, Chairman of Southern Water, Miles Hampton:
The Chairman of Southern Water, Miles Hampton, today announced that the company would be undertaking a press advertising campaign to counter the misconceptions that were being raised in relation to the company’s services and operations.
A media release is below. The initial advertisement, which will appear in the Mercury on Saturday, is also below.
SOUTHERN WATER CHAIRMAN DEFENDS THE FACTS
The Chairman of Southern Water, Miles Hampton, today announced that the company would be undertaking a press advertising campaign to counter the misconceptions that were being raised in relation to the company’s services and operations.
Mr Hampton acknowledged that spending money on the advertising campaign would be criticised in some quarters but he believed it was important to set the record straight.
“Southern Water has taken on the enormous challenge of implementing the far-reaching reform agenda set in place by the Tasmanian Parliament in 2008,” he said.
“It is important that people taking part in a legitimate community debate on topics such as water meters have the facts, and that’s why I’ve authorised a press advertising campaign.
“I’m aware that some people in the community are very fixed in their opposition to us and will probably never change their minds. But we’re committed to getting the job done to bring our water and sewerage assets up to the required standards and to meet future demand for these services.”
The campaign will begin with a full page advertisement in the Mercury tomorrow setting out the facts. This will be followed by a series of smaller ads to run over the next few weeks reinforcing these messages.
“We believe this company is worth fighting for and we will continue to do everything we can to get our story out there and to keep the public fully informed,” Mr Hampton said.
Download ad: SW_full_page_openletterMercury.pdf
