Our first priority is to provide our customers with high-quality drinking water, reliable water supply and wastewater discharge services. Similar to previous years, the nine months of 2016 can be characterised with excellent quality levels of our services. We will continue to focus on maintaining and improving all our key performance indicators so our consumers can rely on the service they receive. The nine months of the year confirm that the quality of drinking water in Tallinn has been excellent already for years, thus, we keep encouraging people to prefer tap water for drinking water. Low leakage level and significantly decreased number of sewerage blockages are yet another positive signs of the Company’s excellent performance.
Operational indicators for the nine months of 2016
| Indicator | 2015 9 months | 2016 9 months |
| Drinking water | ||
| Compliance of water quality at the customers’ tap | 99.86% | 99.91% |
| Water loss in the water distribution network | 14.58% | 15.39% |
| Average duration of water interruptions per property in hours | 3.20 h | 3.51 h |
| Wastewater | ||
| Number of sewer blockages | 583 | 503 |
| Number of sewer bursts | 91 | 73 |
| Wastewater treatment compliance with environmental standards | 100% | 100% |
| Customer Service | ||
| Number of written complaints | 57 | 29 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding water quality | 81 | 108 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding water pressure | 226 | 247 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding blockages and discharge of storm water | 855 | 909 |
| Responding written customer contacts within at least 2 work days | 99.0% | 99.0% |
| Number of failed promises | 9 | 4 |
| Notification of unplanned water interruptions at least 1 h before the interruption | 98.9% | 98.4% |
Tap water is drinking water
Tap water quality remains excellent and is comparable to that of any other country in West-Europe. Strict legal requirements apply to the quality of drinking water and the compliance with these is monitored in accordance with the drinking water monitoring programmes approved by the Health Board. Water quality complies with the legislative acts.
During the nine months of 2016, we took a total of 2207 samples across our service area (Tallinn and Saue), from the consumers’ taps and carried out 17,630 water analyses. 99.91% of the water samples were compliant with all the requirements. Thus, only two samples exceeded the limit values. We immediately carried out maintenance works on the water network on the relevant street resulting in the new samples being fully compliant. Steady high quality level is a result of an efficient water treatment process, preventive actions reducing the number of water bursts on the network, and timely maintenance of the water network.
The results of drinking water analyses taken from the water from Lake Ülemiste, Water Treatment Plant, ground water and customers’ taps can be found on the company’s web page.
A reliable service
It is important for all consumers to have a reliable and high-quality service available 24/7. We therefore strive to plan and optimise our activities to minimise disruption and inconvenience, wherever possible.
Over the years customers’ need to inform us of problems has shown a declining trend. The number of customer contacts on various topics has increased to some extent in the first nine months of 2016. At the same time, the number of written complaints and failed promises has declined during the same period. There were 29 complaints submitted in the nine months of 2016, compared to 57 complaints in the same period in 2015. We continue to work hard so that people would have less reasons to be unsatisfied.
Cleaner environment
We provide wastewater discharge service to nearly one third of the Estonia’s population located in Tallinn and some of the surrounding municipalities. The company’s wastewater treatment plant is located at Paljassaare, which is constantly being updated with new technologies, to ensure continued compliance with ever tightening environmental legislation. During the nine months of 2016, effluent was again 100% compliant with the stipulated permit requirements.
We remain focussed on reducing the possible risk of flooding within our network and preventing any pollution incidents. The number of sewer blockages provides a good indication as to how we are proactively managing the network, for example jet washing. During the nine months of 2016, the number of sewage blockages reduced by 13.72% compared to same period in 2015, i.e. when during the nine months of 2015 we eliminated 583 blockages, then this year we eliminated 503 blockages in the same time period.
Mariliis Mia Topp
Head of Communications
Ph: (+372) 62 62 275
mariliismia.topp@tvesi.ee