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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 1369 asked in the Legislative Council on 20 November 2019 by Hon Diane Evers

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

WATER — LEAK CHARGES

1369. Hon DIANE EVERS to the minister representing the Minister for Water:

I refer to my question without notice 1206 on 22 October 2019 and the minister's response.

For the Water Corporation, Aqwest and Busselton Water, I ask the following.

(1) How many of those bills in excess of $3 000 occurred within three months of the billing cycle of any maintenance to meters or pipes by the agency?

(2) How often are meters inspected and tested?

(3) When replacing meters or conducting maintenance, are pressure tests conducted to ensure that no leaks or blockages have occurred after maintenance; and —

(a) if no, why not; and

(b) if yes, are the results recorded against the customer's files?

Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:

I thank the member for the question. The Minister for Water has provided the following information.

For the Water Corporation —

(1) Due to the level of information required, this component cannot be answered in the time frame requested. I therefore ask the honourable member to place this part of the question on notice.

(2) New meters are inspected and sample tested prior to installation. They are then visually inspected every 60 days as part of the meter-reading cycle.

(3) (a) Pressure testing normally involves pressurising a pipe or equipment between two isolation points. This is not practical or necessary for meters installed at a customer's property. Following installation of a meter, it is visually inspected for leaks, and flow tests are conducted to ensure proper functioning.

(b) Not applicable.

For Aqwest —

(1) Two bills occurred.

(2) Meters are visually inspected quarterly during meter reading. Testing is conducted when requested by the customer.

(3) (a) Pressure testing normally involves pressurising a pipe or equipment between two isolation points. This is not practical or necessary for meters installed at a customer's property. Following installation of a meter, it is visually inspected for leaks and flow tests are conducted to ensure proper functioning.

(b) Not applicable.

For Busselton Water —

(1) One bill occurred.

(2) All meters are read three times a year. A small number of individual meters are inspected each metering cycle to validate meter-reading accuracy. Meters are also tested upon a customer's request.

(3) (a) The answer is the same as for the other two corporations.

(b) Not applicable.