Market announcement

Title

AS Tallinna Vesi Operational Performance in 2011

Message

During 2011, the operational and quality indicators of AS Tallinna Vesi have
been on the highest level ever and indicate continuous improvement. In addition
to outstanding performance in water treatment and wastewater treatment,
compliance was also achieved regarding all environmental objectives and
customer service standards. The biofilter commissioned as an additional stage
in the wastewater treatment process as well as continuous efforts in improving
the reliability of service in the network have both contributed to a cleaner
environment. 

Indicator                                                          2010     2011
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Drinking water                                                                  
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- 
Compliance of water quality at the customers                    99.59 %   99.66%
 tap, %                                                                         
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Water loss in the water distribution network, %                 21.39 %  17.73 %
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Average duration of water interruptions per      4,28 h                  3,56 h 
 property, h                                                                    
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Number of customer contacts regarding water                        1345      800
 pressure                                                                       
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Wastewater                                                                      
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- 
Number of sewer blockages                                          1152      944
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Number of customer contacts regarding blockages                    2502     1804
 and storm water                                                                
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Wastewater treatment compliance with             Nitrogen removal          100 %
 environmental standards, %                       standards were not            
                                                  met                           
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Proportion of reused sludge, %                                    100 %    100 %
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Customer Service                                                                
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Responding written customer contacts within at                    82.0%   95.9 %
 least 2 work days, %                                                           
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Number of written contacts                       9 940                   9 406  
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Number of failed promises                                          1076       60
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Notification of unplanned water interruptions    NA                        97.9%
 at least 1 h before the interruption, %                                        
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Reacting to sewer blockages within at least 2    NA                          75%
 hours, %                                                                       
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The best ever water quality

AS Tallinna Vesi has achieved the highest standard in quality the company has
ever achieved. AS Tallinna Vesi follows the drinking water quality sampling
programme approved by the Health Board- The programme determines very
specifically the sampling sites, sampling frequency and the parameters to be
analysed. Based on the programme, 2921 samples were taken from the taps of AS
Tallinna Vesi’s customers in 2011, of which only 12 were non-compliant with the
standards. Thus, 99.66% of the samples taken complied with the EU drinking
water quality requirements, continuously maintaining the quality comparable to
the Western-European level. 

Responsiveness to Customers

Due to the use of effective ways of working and improved planning, the average
duration of water interruptions has reduced by approximately 0,7 hour compared
to 2010. In order to reduce the inconvenience caused by water interruptions,
the Company has given advance notices of closing water due to emergency repairs
to over 98% of the customers. The customers of a water company expect us to
provide them with a good quality drinking water with the right pressure for 24
hours a day and 365 days a year. Compared to 2010, the number of customer
inquiries related to water pressure reduced by 42% in 2011. This means from
1338 to 800 respectively. 

We are continuously contributing to a purer environment

The level of leakages has reduced considerably compared to 2010. This has been
possible both due to the better management and monitoring of water and sewerage
network as well as quick response to leakages and bursts. When in 2001 the
level of leakages exceeded 32%, then today the level has reduced to 17.73%.
This means that compared to ten years ago more than 13 thousand cubic metres of
treated drinking water is saved on a daily basis. Considerable reduction has
been possible due to Company’s consistent efforts to use water resources more
sustainably and with smaller losses. 

The Company also pays a lot of attention to the risks of flooding and
pollution, which means continuous work in the area of preventing blockages. In
2011 customers had less problems with blocked pipes and sewerage drainages
compared to earlier. Reduction in blockages has been possible due to several
preventive actions like jet washing the network and long-term investments for
developing the sewerage network. In addition to preventing blockages, the
Company is also eliminating blockages quicker than previously. In 2011, 75% of
blockages were responded to within 2 hours after registering a respective
notice. Purposed preventive activity enables the Company to respond quicker and
prevent the emergence of more serious problems. 

Paljassaare Wastewater Treatment Plant is each year removing more and more
pollution from the wastewater in order to comply with the environmental
requirements and to ensure a clean Baltic Sea and Bay of Tallinn. In order to
achieve the required performance, one of the biggest environmental investments
of the decade was carried out when the Company built an additional treatment
stage – biofilter - at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Due to the new treatment
stage, the volume of nitrogen discharged to the Baltic Sea reduces by 350 tons
per annum. Out of the sludge – a side product to the wastewater treatment
process – the Company produces soil, which can be used in landscaping. All of
the sludge produced is reused and no sludge has been taken to the landfill
during the last years. Contributing to a cleaner environment will remain as a
priority for the Company also in further years. 

Customers and Community

Compared to 2010, the number of customer complaints related to our networks has
decreased and we have responded to more than 95% of the customer letters within
less than 2 work days. In 2011, the company reviewed and improved its promises
to customers. The number of contacts related to failures to keep a promise has
reduced by 94% compared to the same period last year. Preventive actions and
focussing the management’s attention to the subject have contributed to this.
The promises of AS Tallinna Vesi are a part of the Company’s continuous
devotion to provide services of even better quality to its customers. With
those promises, the Company undertakes to achieve even higher levels of
services than stipulated in the Services Agreement signed with the City of
Tallinn and is one of the only company of all utility companies in the Baltics
with a customer service programme of that kind. 

The company deems it important to promote environmental awareness. In 2011,
similar to previous years, tours were organised in both water and wastewater
treatment plants and through a public awareness campaign the attention was
drawn to sustainable consumer habits. In cooperation with kindergartens the
company launched the project “Water Day in Kindergarten” with the aim of
explaining the importance and possibilities to save pure drinking water to 4-7
year olds. In 2011, 3012 toddlers participated in the project. 


         Mariliis Topp
         Head of Communication
         AS Tallinna Vesi
         62 62 275
         [email protected]