Management status of Water Works Bureau

※The figures used on this page are for 2018 unless otherwise stated.

To deliver tap water to the faucet, many facilities are required, and maintenance costs a lot of money.

Water Works Bureau is engaged in a variety of tasks such as "maintenance of water sources," "operation of water purification plants and pumping stations," "renewal of water distribution pipes," "disaster measures," "management of water quality," and "repair of leaks."
While general administrative services are covered by taxes, most of Water Works Bureau's expenses related to these operations are covered by water charges you pay.
This system is called the "independent profit system" and is defined as the basic principle of the management of "local public enterprises" such as water supply business, and the economy of companies in "improvement of public welfare", which is the role that local governments should play. It is a system established to demonstrate.

The use of water rates, which are the main source of water supply business, is as follows.

Approximately half of the water charge is used to replace old water pipes and to repay money borrowed to improve water supply facilities.

In order to continue delivering tap water stably, it is necessary to replace old water pipes with earthquake-resistant pipes (seismic pipes). Water Works Bureau has a target of 110 km per year (about 9,200 km of water pipes in the city can be replaced in 80 years), which requires about 20 billion yen each year.

Water rate revenues are also decreasing due to the spread of water-saving equipment. This trend is expected to continue in the future.

On the other hand, a large number of facilities developed during the period of high economic growth are aging and will gradually be renewed. As a result, a lot of money will be required for facility maintenance in the future, and management will become increasingly severe.

Water Works Bureau is improving the efficiency of management as follows.

Until now, we have been working to significantly reduce the number of staff and improve management efficiency, but as Yokohama City enters the phase of population decline, it is expected that the business situation will continue even more severe. In view of these changes in the business environment, Water Works Bureau established the Yokohama City Water Charges Council in April 2018, following eight deliberations up to August 2019, and received a report in September 2019.

Based on this report, I will summarize Water Works Bureau's thinking and explain it to Yokohama City Council, a representative of citizens.

Please see here for the status of the deliberations and the contents of the report.

Please see here for information on how to operate the Water Bureau, budget and settlement of accounts.

Click here for the public relations Yokohama Water Works Bureau special issue.