Reducing Water Pressure

The model assists in prioritizing the infrastructure renewals and ensures that any new pipes will be sized to take account of planned pressure strategies so that flows will remain sufficient to meet customer and fire flow requirements.

Some customers in Nelson receive water with a head in excess of 90m (295 feet) and NCC aims to reduce values in these parts of its network without dropping the pressure too low elsewhere. One of the prime reasons is water conservation, as people generally use less when pressures are lower. Reduced pressure also cuts leakage and leads to fewer pipe failures, as there is less stress on the pipes. There are also energy savings in pumping and treatment.