Reporting on urban water utilities' performance
The National Performance Report 2014–15 for urban water utilities showed that the median annual volume of residential water supplied fell by three per cent to 179 kL per property despite drier than usual conditions. This breaks a series of increases over the past three years and may be linked to 2014–15 temperatures not being as extreme as previous years, although they were above average.
Surface water remains the dominant source of water in Australia, but there was a 13 per cent increase in recycled water supplied by medium-to-large utilities, including many large regional utilities and councils. This increase reflects the reduced availability of surface water and the need to diversify supply sources in the face of growing demand.
Other highlights in the 2014–15 report include:
- An increase in median typical residential bill for water and sewerage of four per cent, increasing to $1,299 per property from $1,255 in 2013–14.
- Australian urban water utilities spent $3.02 billion on water supply and sewerage services, a four per cent ($126 million) decrease from the previous year.
- The median combined operating expenditure fell five per cent to $850 per property, down from $892 in 2013–14.
- Water quality compliance remained strong across Australia. Microbiological compliance was achieved for 100 per cent of the population (median for all utility groups).
The National Performance Report 2014–15: urban water utilities contains information about water resources, finance, pricing, assets, health, environment and customer numbers collected from 80 water utilities and councils and seven bulk water suppliers.
Now in their tenth year, the reports are published on behalf of the regulators and lead water agencies in each State and Territory. The independent and public report helps consumers and government determine whether water sector operations are efficient and cost effective. Benchmarking provides a catalyst for industry innovation, improved service delivery, and efficiency gains.
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