Our key priority is to provide high quality drinking water to our customers, along with an efficient and reliable wastewater discharge service. Very good operational performance during the first half year of 2016 provides confidence to our consumers that they can rely on the service they receive.
Together with ensuring the continued performance of the company’s infrastructure, we also remain focused on being a good partner for our customers as well as the wider community. Customer feedback to our work has been very positive. However, we continue to strive towards customers being equally satisfied with both, the quality of service and the customer service.
Tap water is drinking water
Tap water quality remains excellent, and is comparable to that of any other country in West-Europe. Strict legal requirements apply to the quality of drinking water, and this is monitored in accordance with the drinking water monitoring programs, approved by the Health Board. Water quality is characterised by the compliance with the legislative acts.
In the first half of 2016, we took a total of 1472 samples across our service area (Tallinn and Saue), from the consumers’ taps and carried out 12,120 water analyses. 99.93% of the water samples were compliant with all the requirements. Thus, only one sample exceeded the limit values. We immediately carried out maintenance works on the water network on the relevant street resulting in the new samples being fully compliant. Steadily high quality level is a result of an efficient water treatment process, preventive actions reducing the number of water bursts on the network, and a timely maintenance of the water network.
The results of all drinking water analyses, taken from the water of Lake Ülemiste, Water Treatment Plant, ground water and customers’ taps, can be found here.
A reliable service
It is important for all consumers to have a reliable and high-quality service available 24/7. We therefore strive to plan and optimize our activities to minimise disruption and inconvenience, wherever possible. The more reliable our service, the less our customers have reason to be dissatisfied with us.
Over the years, the number of customer contacts as well as complaints has decreased significantly. For example, during the first half of 2016, there were 21 complaints, in comparison with 37 complaints during the same period of 2015. We are committed to respond to written requests within 2 working days, and here too we see an improvement in comparison with previous year. In the first half of 2016, we responded to written customer contacts within at least 2 working days, in 99.1% of cases.
We believe that the feedback is the key for continuous improvements in the service. Hence, with the help of the research agency EMOR, we ask monthly feedback to our services from our customers. This enables us to adapt relevant and appropriate changes in our work processes. During the first half of 2016, the customer satisfaction index was 4.1 (5-point scale), which is a very good result.
Cleaner environment
We provide wastewater discharge service to nearly one third of the Estonia’s population located in Tallinn and some of the surrounding municipalities. The company’s wastewater treatment plant is located at Paljassaare, which is constantly being updated with new technologies, to ensure continued compliance with ever tightening environmental legislation. In the first half of 2016, effluent was again, 100% compliant with the stipulated permit requirements.
We remain focused on reducing the possible risk of flooding within our network and preventing any pollution incidents. The number of sewer blockages provides a good indication as to how we are proactively managing the network, for example jet washing. During the first half of 2016, the number of sewage blockages reduced by 14.25%, when compared to same period in 2015.
Operational indicators for the first half of 2016
| Indicator | 1st half of 2015 | 1st half of 2016 |
| Drinking water | ||
| Compliance of water quality at the customers’ tap | 99,93% | 99,93% |
| Water loss in the water distribution network | 13,95% | 16,22% |
| Average duration of water interruptions per property in hours | 3,17 | 3,54 |
| Wastewater | ||
| Number of sewer blockages | 428 | 367 |
| Number of sewer bursts | 68 | 52 |
| Wastewater treatment compliance with environmental standards | 100% | 100% |
| Customer Service | ||
| Number of written complaints | 37 | 21 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding water quality | 38 | 48 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding water pressure | 146 | 157 |
| Number of customer contacts regarding blockages and discharge of storm water | 601 | 569 |
| Responding written customer contacts within at least 2 work days | 98,7% | 99,1% |
| Number of failed promises | 6 | 2 |
| Notification of unplanned water interruptions at least 1 h before the interruption | 98,8% | 97,9% |