No. The water we supply is not heated. You are responsible for heating your water with a hot water cylinder or other system.

Yes. We treat your water to New Zealand Drinking Water Standards to ensure it is safe to drink.

For details of what’s in your water, see Water collection, treatment and monitoring.

The Annual Water Quality Report includes the physical and chemical parameters of the drinking water produced at Auckland’s main water treatment plants. See Reports and publications.

The Auckland region receives between 1200 and 1250 millimetres of rain per year.

A study of water use in Auckland found that people typically use between 140 and 170 litres of water a day.

Wastewater is liquid waste or sewage, including from toilets. Stormwater is rainwater that runs off roofs or collects on roads, etc. It is carried in separate stormwater pipes. View diagram.

Wastewater, also known as sewage, is the used water that goes down sinks, washing machines, showers, baths and toilets.

Most of it is water. The rest includes organic matter such as human waste, food scraps, cooking fats, oil and grease, and debris such as sand, grit and plastic.

Wastewater can also include household and business chemicals, paint and medicines. These can be harmful to our health, our harbours and waterways, so effective treatment is very important.

Auckland’s water supply comes from dams, rivers and sources under the ground. See Water collection, treatment and monitoring.

Your wastewater is carried through a public wastewater network to one of 18 wastewater treatment plants. Most wastewater is treated at the Māngere or Rosedale plants.

A kilolitre (kL) is 1000 litres. Your bill is based on a per kL charge.

We own and are responsible for repairing and maintaining the pipes and meters on our side of the point of supply.

Homeowners own and are responsible for repairing and maintaining the pipes on their side of the point of supply.

Learn more and view diagrams: Who is responsible for pipes?

It is also helpful to read the Customer contract

Clean, safe water

We continuously monitor water quality to ensure it meets Ministry of Health standards for drinking water. If you have any concerns about the quality of your water, please contact us. Learn more.

In the highly unlikely event that your water quality deteriorates and becomes unsafe to drink, we will advise you immediately. We or the Medical Officer of Health will make a public announcement.

Minimal interruptions

We aim to respond to any unplanned interruption to our service within 1 hour, and restore service within 5 hours. Faults and outages.

We maintain and operate the wastewater system up to the property connection point, taking care to avoid odours and overflows.

Wastewater spill on your property

Please contact us first: phone (09) 442 2222, press 1.

Problem in our network

We aim to attend to calls about overflowing sewers within 1 hour in metropolitan Auckland. We will contain the spill and clean the affected areas as quickly as we can.

Problem in private pipes

If you have a blockage in your private drain, please call us first, before you contact a tradesperson. Learn more: When to report a fault

Interruption to services

We aim to provide continuous wastewater services but may need to interrupt or restrict them because of emergencies or other reasons beyond our control. Learn more: Faults and outages

Although we have the right to enter your property without consent – to read the meter, or work on our network – we will do this with respect for you, your family and your property.

We will always show authorised identification. If you are not confident that visitors are Watercare representatives, please call us on (09) 442 2222, press 1.

We will endeavour not to enter your property in the hours of darkness unless there is an emergency, or we have your consent to do so.

Restoring your property

We will take care to avoid damaging grass and gardens on private properties.

We will fix any damage from our work or a problem in our networks, as close as possible to the original condition. Sometimes we may temporarily patch a footpath or paving to make it safe, and will return within 10 working days to restore the area to its original condition.

We offer priority services to customers with vulnerabilities or those who are in need of some extra help. See Priority assistance for more information.

You can apply by completing the appropriate online form on the Priority assistance page or phoning us on 09 442 2222 and selecting option 2.

Nothing, it is a free service.

Our dedicated team aim to have your application processed within 10 working days.

Our team will contact you using your preferred contact method.

Until you advise us that you no longer require the service, or your circumstances change.

Yes, you can nominate a person you trust to fill out the form on your behalf.

Yes, you can authorise a trusted friend, caregiver or family member to speak with us about your account.

Yes. You will need to tell us the names of the people you want to authorise. We'll also need their contact information and to understand their relationship to you (for example, trusted friend, caregiver, or family member).

Your nominated person/s will have the same account access as you.

You can change your nominated person by phoning us on 09 442 2222 option 2.

Our process and customer service staff have access to your application.

Your request is reviewed by our team and a decision is made based on the information you provided.

No. We do not offer customer discounts when you register for this service. If you have a special condition the local DHB may offer a subsidy.

We will deliver bottled water when you are affected by a water outage that lasts more than two hours, or if you are water dependent, for example: if you are on dialysis.

No, for the safety of all concerned we ask that you don’t invite our contractors into your home. Our contractors can leave the bottled water on your doorstep, in a chosen area, or hand deliver it to you on your doorstep.

Upon assessing your application, we may not have been able to determine your vulnerability and may require more information. We will inform you if your application is rejected.

Our dedicated team aims to have your application processed within 10 working days.

• A solicitor acting on behalf of the estate.

• An executor of the estate (we will need to sight a copy of the will, or receive a letter from the acting solicitor stating you are either the executor or nominated trustee).

• If the property was owned by more than one person, other listed property owners can make changes.

Let us know who passed away so we can record it on the account. We’ll need to know: if you will become the sole property owner, if someone will own the property with you, or if the property will be sold (the solicitor acting for the estate can help provide supporting legal documents).

We need to see a copy of your loved one’s will stating that you are an executor or trustee; or a supporting letter from the solicitor managing the estate to corroborate that you are an executor and authorised to make account changes.

You don’t, this will happen automatically if you are the recipient, or executor of the property. The solicitor handling the estate will provide the relevant legal documents to support this change.

Water bills operate differently to other utility sectors. A name change to an account will only take place with the support of a legal transfer document provided by the solicitor.

We can change the bill delivery method to the property address. If we need to change the billing method to any other address, we will need proof that you are an executor and authorised to make a change on the account.

Payment information ie: direct debit can be updated using our online direct debit authority form or you can phone us on 09 442 2222.

Unlike other utilities we don’t close the account between occupancies. The water account will only close when we are notified of a title transfer or ownership change.

We can only confirm payment and charge information with an authorised person. We may need to ask you for a copy of the will or supporting legal documents from the estate solicitor before we can give this information to you.

Power of Attorney ceases upon death. After your loved one has passed you need to be the nominated executor to be authorised to access the account.

No, we don’t need to see this as we don’t close an account without receiving either a transfer of title or notice of sale agreement from the solicitor.

We won’t be able to action any changes on the account nor give you any account information (this is in accordance with the privacy act). Please get in touch so we can classify the account as a deceased estate, this will hold off late fees (if applicable and 3rd party debt collectors).

We do suggest that you contact your family solicitor or the Citizens Advice Bureau (C.A.B) for free legal assistance.

Let us know of your circumstances. We can stop the account from proceeding to a third. party debt collector.

We can place the account on hold, so no further late payments occur.

We could work with you on a long-term payment arrangement.

We could refer you to the Water Utility Consumer Assistance Trust (WUCAT). They are independent and can help customers who are facing financial hardship.

Please note, if the estate is being sold the acting solicitor will pay the final water and council rates when the sale goes through as part of their settlement process.