AS Tallinna Vesi Sums up Operations Performance in H1 2010

OREANDA-NEWS. July 21, 2010. AS Tallinna Vesi’s overall operating performance in the first half of 2010 was good. The company is pleased to report that the key indicator of water quality is at its highest ever level. Other indicators in the first half of 2010 were impacted by the extreme weather conditions, which greatly affected leakage levels and the number of service interruptions. The company is however pleased to report that the action plans it put in place during April have delivered significant benefits and the performance in Q2 2010 showed a significant improvement from the first quarter. AS Tallinna Vesi is on target to achieve its required levels of service and quality standards agreed with the City of Tallinn in the Services Agreement by the end of 2010.

Water

99,86 per cent of water samples taken from the taps of the customers of AS Tallinna Vesi were compliant with the requirements in the first half of 2010, making this the best water quality result ever. This was achieved through the refurbishing of the company’s ozone generators, which are among the largest in the world and have greatly improved the quality of drinking in water in Tallinn.

Water quality remains on a very similar level to last year and there have not been any signs of residue from the accident that occurred on March 18th.

Water quality in Lake Ьlemiste is affected by rising water temperatures, but remains on a similar level as in last year. The Company monitors the situation in the lake closely in order to be able to take prompt actions to ensure the best water quality.

Network

The company’s objective has always been to repair the leakages as quickly as possible, but this year special attention was paid to notifying the customers of repair works prior to commencing. thus greatly reducing the number of unplanned interruptions to 269, despite the increased number of pipe bursts.

The level of leakages has increased in the water and wastewater network due to pipe bursts in the winter, but an action plan has been devised and implemented to reduce leakages even further. The quality regulation in Tallinn requires AS Tallinna Vesi to reduce water loss in the network to 26%, but despite the severe winter the Company’s level of leakages in the first half of the year was 21,1%.

Wastewater Treatment Plant

Excessive snowmelt in the beginning of the second quarter had minimal impact on the environment, as the wastewater treatment plant in Paljassaare treated more load than ever before. The quality of effluent after treatment in Paljassaare is of high standard and complies with stringent environmental requirements. However, due to risk of failing to meet the parameters for nitrogen removal in the future, the Company will be building an additional treatment stage at the wastewater treatment plant. The construction of the biofilter will commence in July this year and will be completed by July 2011.

Network Extension Program

The company is committed to delivering the network extension program by the year 2011 as agreed with the City of Tallinn and as required by the European Union directive for wastewater collection. The start of the construction season was delayed by the winter lasting well into April, but nearly a half of the planned network for 2010 has been built already. AS Tallinna Vesi will be constructing 5,1 kilometres of water pipes, 39,4 kilometres of wastewater pipes and 12,5 kilometres of stormwater pipes in 2010. This construction programme will give over 1,100 homes the opportunity to connect to the wastewater network.

Maardu

July 1st marked the anniversary of the beginning of cooperation between the City of Maardu and AS Tallinna Vesi, whereby AS Tallinna Vesi is now operating the assets of AS Maardu Vesi..

AS Maardu Vesi has now received the designs for connection pipes between Maardu and Tallinn for the delivery of quality surface water from Lake Ьlemiste to Maardu and to remove Maardu’s wastewater for treatment at the Paljassaare wastewater treatment plant. Designs have also been completed for giving more than 3,000 properties in Muuga access to the public water and wastewater system, for reconstructing sewerage pipes in Vana-Narva road area and for rebuilding the pipes network in Kallavere. The connection pipes between Maardu and Tallinn will be built by the second half of 2011 and the Muuga network will be completed by the end of 2012.

Customers and Community

The company held its annual open door day at the Paljassaare wastewater treatment plant in May, attracting over 240 people and more than 30 children. The visitors were treated to a tour of the facilities

The company has sold over 10 000 tons of soil reconditioner, which is a by-product created in the wastewater treatment process and is used for reforestation and landscaping. The company also distributed nearly 1200 tons of soil reconditioner as part of a community project in the districts of Mustamдe and Northern Tallinn in cooperation with local municipalities to restore the regions’ greenness after the winter.

A major contributing factor to sewer blockages is the low awareness of consumers about what is disposable in the sewerage system and what isn’t. For this purpose the company launched an awareness campaign in June, informing the public of the correct maintenance of the sewerage system.

AS Tallinna Vesi will be holding its annual open door days at the Ьlemiste water treatment plant on August 28th, inviting everyone to see the process of water treatment and enjoy a fun family day that coincides with the running competition around Lake Ьlemiste. Last year more than 700 people participated in the tours and over 2,000 runners took part in the race.