Similarly to previous years, the first quarter of 2014 can be characterised by stability Above all, it gives security to our consumers that they are provided with a high-quality drinking water, stable water supply and service of wastewater discharge. In addition to the quality of service, we also concentrate on being a good partner for our customers. The feedback from our customers has become more positive, but despite that we aim to continue making efforts to fulfil customers’ expectations.
Operational indicators for the 1st quarter of 2014
| Indicator | 2013 Q1 | 2014 Q1 |
| Drinking water | ||
| Compliance of water quality at the customers tap | 99,86 % | 100 % |
| Water loss in the water distribution network | 17% | 17,73 % |
| Average duration of water interruptions per property | 3,13 h | 2,29 h |
| Wastewater | ||
| Number of sewer blockages | 251 | 231 |
| Number of sewer bursts | 125 | 118 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding floodings, blockages and storm water | 420 | 268 |
| Wastewater treatment compliance with environmental standards | 100% | 100%(excl. Zn and Cu) |
| Customer Service | ||
| Number of written complaints | 37 | 15 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding water quality | 29 | 27 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding water pressure | 113 | 72 |
| Responding written customer contacts within at least 2 work days | 99,7 % | 99,4 % |
| Number of failed promises | 3 | 4 |
| Notification of unplanned water interruptions at least 1 h before the interruption | 96 % | 97,4 % |
Tap water is drinking water
The first quarter of 2014 once again showed an excellent performance on water quality. In the first quarter of 2014, we took a total of almost 800 water samples from the consumers’ taps in Tallinn, Saue and Maardu and all of them were in compliance with the applicable quality requirements to the extent of 100%. As the water quality has remained at a uniform high level for years now, we keep on encouraging people to drink tap water.
A reliable service
We understand that the services provided by us considerably influence the quality of life of the residents. Therefore, we concentrate on a continuous improvement of our services’ reliability in order to ensure a high quality service twenty-four hours. For example, in the first quarter we were able to decrease the duration of water interruptions as a result of a proactive planning of works. At the same time, it also meant that there were less inconveniencies for residents caused by water interruptions and they had less motives to turn to us.
Cleaner environment
Our focus continues to be on reducing the risks related to potential floodings and pollution as well as any unpleasant impact on customers. In the first quarter of 2014, preventive jet washing resulted in a decrease of sewer blockages by 8% compared to the same period last year.
The level of leakages is also decreasing year-on-year due to preventive actions. The first quarter leakage level was 17.73% and the average in March was 9.26%. This saves approximately 13 000 m3 of treated drinking water a day compared to the time 10 years ago.
2014 is the Baltic Sea Year, when all the Baltic Sea countries aim to attract more attention to the marine environment. Over the years we have made extensive investments in upgrading and developing the treatment technology and therefore we can be proud of our contribution. The effluent discharged to the sea continues to comply with all requirements, except for the concentration of zinc and copper. Namely, under the water abstraction permit issued by the Environmental Board in December 2013, the former limit concentrations of heavy metals in treated effluent were reduced 400 times. Although Paljassaare wastewater treatment plant is removing 70 - 80% of zinc and copper from the wastewater, which is a very good result, we are currently not technically able to meet the limit values. New limits cause problems across water sector in Estonia.
Customer is our partner
Our wish is that our activity would have as little unpleasant impact on customers as possible. In 2014, the number of complaints has significantly decreased compared to the same period last year. In the first quarter of 2013, the number of complaints was 37, while this year there have been only 15 complaints. We also deem very important that our customers know when their questions would be resolved. We monitor the compliance with the promised deadlines with proper diligence and inform our customers when we are not able to fulfil an agreement.
Our communication with customers concentrates on preventive activities in order to enable us to react on problems faster and avoid more serious issues from occurring. We ask for a monthly feedback from our customers to be able to immediately deal with the subjects where we do not meet customers’ expectations. In the first quarter of 2014, our customers’ assessment on our work was more positive than in the same period last year – the result was 3.63 points on a 4-points scale compared to 3.37 in 2013.
Mariliis Mia Topp
AS Tallinna Vesi
Head of Communications
Tel: (+372)62 62 275
mariliismia.topp@tvesi.ee