Tallinna Vesi
Company Announcement
AS Tallinna Vesi’s operational performance in the 3rd quarter and 9 months of 2020
AS Tallinna Vesi delivered excellent operational results in the first nine months of 2020. The quality of drinking water was better than last year with 99.8% of tests fully compliant with the strict water standards. In comparison with the same period last year, the reliability of wastewater network improved showing a 15% reduction in sewer blockages and the number of sewer collapses lower by a quarter. The number of customer requests were also 17% lower than in the first 9 months of 2019, which is another reflection of the excellent service being provided to our customers. The Company has adapted very well to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic to ensure the continued welfare of staff and an uninterrupted service to our customers.
Continuous supply of high-quality drinking water
The quality of tap water continued to meet the high standards throughout the 9 months of 2020. A total of 2,301 water samples were taken during the 9 months this year, 99.8% of which met all quality requirements, indicating an improvement in the water quality parameters year-on-year (99.1% of water samples taken during the same period of 2019 were compliant).
We ensure the excellent quality of drinking water in our water network by the consistently efficient management of our water treatment processes, frequent sampling, cleaning the pipes and proactive maintenance of the wider water network.
The service reliability indicators of water supply service also remained excellent. The average water disruption time for the first 9 months of 2020 was 2 hours and 59 minutes. The number of unplanned interruptions to water supply (279) decreased by 7% year-on-year. As much as 90.32% of all interruptions to customers lasted less than 5 hours, which again marks an improved performance over last year. These results are a reflection of our continued efforts to manage the network as effectively as possible, in order to minimise the inconvenience and disruption caused to the citizens of Tallinn.
The level of leakages in our water network remained low during the nine months of 2020 (12.3%).
In the 3rd quarter, we started one of our key investments in the networks this year – reconstruction of the water main on Punase Street. The completion of these works will enhance the reliability of water supply service provided to more than 100,000 residents in Lasnamäe and Maardu areas. In 2017, we re-built the water mains of similar strategic importance in respect of security of water supply in Mustamäe and Haabersti districts of Tallinn.
Improved reliability of wastewater disposal service
In the 3rd quarter of 2020, the final treated effluent at Paljassaare Wastewater Treatment Plant was compliant with all quality requirements. With the purpose of assessing the treatment efficiency and the quality of wastewater, we continuously monitor for pollutants, in both the incoming wastewater and final treated effluent. The information received thereby allows us to further improve the treatment plant efficiency and ensure the continued quality of the final effluent. In comparison with the same period previous year, the average treatment efficiency of the wastewater treatment plant has further improved. For example, the concentration of total phosphorus was 8% lower and the concentration of total nitrogen was 10% lower in the treated effluent than in the same period last year. Higher efficiency therefore benefits the local environment.
In comparison with the nine months of 2019, the number of sewer blockages dropped by approximately 15% and the number of sewer collapses decreased by a quarter.
Tallinna Vesi continues with the reconstruction of the mechanical treatment stage at Paljassaare wastewater treatment plant. It is one of the largest investments made by the Company in the last decade, and will enhance the current treatment process to ensure continued compliance with stringent environmental standards applicable both now and in the future.
Reduced number of customer contacts
Besides outstanding operational performance, the Company has continued to deliver high standards of service to its customers. We have set clear and challenging targets, and give promises to our customers in terms of the speed of our response and problem-solving. To date, no promises have been broken in 2020.
The number of customer contacts generally serves as an indicator of the quality of customer service provided by a water company, as the smoothly running service leads to reduced need to make contact with the Company. The fact that the customers have contacted us 17% less in connection with the most frequent subjects such as water quality, pressure and sewer blockages during the nine months of 2020 year-on-year, is a positive trend. Customer complaints have also significantly reduced and in particular those linked to the taste or odour of chlorine for example.
We also think it is fundamental to provide our customers with important information, or respond to their questions as quickly as possible. Therefore, we measure the speed of our responses, and have set a target to respond to non-complex written requests within two working days. In 99.2% of all occasions, we managed to notify our customers at least an hour before the water interruptions which were caused by an unexpected need to repair the pipes.
OPERATIONAL INDICATORS FOR THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 2020
| OPERATIONAL INDICATORS FOR THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 2020 | |||||
| Indicator | Unit | 9 months 2020 | 9 months 2019 | 2020 Q3 | 2019 Q3 |
| Drinking water | |||||
| Compliance of water quality at the customers’ tap | % | 99.8% | 99.1% | 99.3% | 98.0% |
| Water loss in the water distribution network | % | 12.3% | 12.5% | 9.6% | 13.1% |
| Average duration of water interruptions per property in hours | h | 2.99 | 2,83 | 2,83 | 3,07 |
| Wastewater | |||||
| Number of sewer blockages | No | 338 | 397 | 111 | 95 |
| Number of sewer collapses | No | 61 | 82 | 19 | 23 |
| Wastewater treatment compliance with environmental standards | % | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Customer Service | |||||
| Number of complaints | No | 36 | 123 | 8 | 42 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding water quality | No | 270 | 360 | 106 | 188 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding water pressure | No | 245 | 343 | 96 | 189 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding blockages and leading off stormwater | No | 687 | 749 | 214 | 207 |
| Responding to written customer contacts within at least 2 working days | % | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Number of cases of failed promises | No | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Notification of unplanned water interruptions at least 1h before the interruption | % | 99.2% | 96.9% | 99.3% | 95.7% |
Tuuli Sokmann
Head of Communication
Tallinna Vesi
(+372) 626 2275
tuuli.sokmann@tvesi.ee