Tallinna Vesi
Company Announcement
AS Tallinna Vesi's operational performance in the 3(rd) 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 3(rd) 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 3(rd) 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 | | |
+---------------------------------------+----+--------+--------+-------+-------+
| | |9 months|9 months| | |
|Indicator |Unit|2020 |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
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