Tallinna Vesi has demonstrated excellent operational performance throughout
2019. The company maintained consistent and high-quality drinking water,
together with effective wastewater disposal.
Continuous supply of high-quality drinking water
The quality of drinking water in Tallinn remains high, and water samples taken
from customers' taps in 2019 were 99% compliant, with all requirements. Even
though compliance remains very high, the result was somewhat lower in comparison
with the result of 2018, as a result of a new analytical method, with higher
sensitivity. As a consequence of these tests, Tallinna Vesi has made further
developments in the water network, and further enhanced the effectiveness of
ongoing maintenance regimes, to ensure a consistent supply of high-quality
drinking water.
Residual chlorine, added to the water after the very last stage in treatment, is
the only way to maintain the quality of drinking water in the network. According
to the renewed drinking water regulation, the concentration of residual chlorine
in the drinking water leaving the treatment plant can be up to 1 mg/l, which is
dispersed throughout the water network. Use of chlorine in drinking water
networks is common practice throughout the world, and helps to ensure the
continued quality of drinking water throughout the year. Tallinna Vesi has
measured levels of residual chlorine throughout the network, and slightly
increased the dosage at the main treatment plant, to ensure effective
chlorination throughout the 1,000km of water network. This slight increase in
chlorine levels has generated some localised concerns, but chlorine levels
remain very low, and tap water is perfectly safe to drink. Despite the concerns
mentioned above, our customer survey results reveal that the number of people
drinking tap water, also shows a growing trend in comparison with previous
years, and tap water provides an environmentally friendly and much cheaper
alternative to bottled water.
Reliable service
Low water losses and reduced time of average interruptions to water supply, are
a testament to a stable and continuous service provided to our customers. In
2019, the average water disruption time per property was only 2 hours and 59
minutes. Incurring interruptions, often caused by 3rd parties, within our
extensive water network are inevitable, we are committed to do our utmost for
customers, and minimise the inconvenience caused by the repair works. We value
water as one of the most important natural resources, which must not be wasted.
The level of leakages in our water network was at a record low level in 2019 -
12.97% (2018 - 13.7%).
Last year Tallinna Vesi had a few instances where the company was unable to
restore the water supply after repairs by the exact time promised to customers.
Unfortunately, some of those interruptions affected quite a large number of
customers, causing the number of failed promises to be higher than in 2018. Such
instances have not become more frequent, nevertheless we are committed to
analyse those and recognise the consequent effect on our customers. Having
failed a promise, we always pay the relevant compensation to the affected
customers, on our own initiative.
We continue to make targeted capital investments, renovating or replacing assets
on the basis of previous condition surveys and performance data, to ensure the
continued reliability of the network.
We care for the environment
The issues with the sewerage network have also reduced. In comparison with
2018, the number of sewer blockages dropped from 603 to 532. At the same time,
the number of sewer collapses increased slightly in comparison with the last two
years. Some of those collapses, may have been caused by domestic waste that has
been thrown to the wastewater network. As waste in sewers can cause serious and
unpleasant consequences, Tallinna Vesi continues to make continuous efforts to
raise public awareness about wastewater, by organising open days at the
wastewater treatment plant and raising the topic constantly in the media.
In 2019, 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.
Wastewater laboratory analyses the samples taken from different stages of the
wastewater treatment process, and the information received thereby allows us to
further improve the treatment efficiency, and ensure continued final effluent
quality.
In the fourth quarter of 2019, Tallinna Vesi signed a very important contract
for the partial reconstruction of the mechanical treatment equipment at
Paljassaare Wastewater Treatment Plant. This is the largest investment of the
past decade for the company, with the total cost of EUR7.6 million. The objective
of the investment is to replace aged assets, and further ensure the continued
effectiveness of the treatment process.
OPERATIONAL INDICATORS OF 2019
Indicator Unit 2019 12 months 2018 12 months 2019 Q4 2018 Q4
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Drinking water
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Compliance of water quality
at the customers' tap % 99.04% 99.9% 99.0% 100.0%
Water loss in the water
distribution network % 12.97% 13.7% 14.3% 13.1%
Average duration of water
interruptions per property
in hours h 2.99 3.27 3.24 3.45
Wastewater
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Number of sewer blockages No 532 603 135 160
Number of sewer collapses No 103 88 21 23
Wastewater treatment
compliance with
environmental standards % 100% 100% 100% 100%
Customer Service
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Number of complaints No 167| 158 44| 43
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Number of customer contacts
regarding water quality No 508 258 148 53
Number of customer contacts
regarding water pressure No 478 439 135 91
Number of customer contacts
regarding blockages and
discharge of storm water No 1,047 1,043 298 284
Responding written customer
contacts within at least 2
working days % 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Number of failed promises No 141 33 7 0
Notification of unplanned
water interruptions at
least 1 h before the
interruption % 96.2% 95.2% 94.6% 91.3%
Eliis Randver
Head of Customer Relations and Communication
Tallinna Vesi
(+372) 626 2275
Eliis.randver@tvesi.ee
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