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Hook Waituna Community Water Supply Notice

Drinking water is supplied by drinking water treatment plants that require multiple barriers to ensure the safety of your water. Barriers remove contaminants and pathogens that can be harmful to human health. These barriers are monitored to ensure they are working correctly.

The Hook Waituna Community Water Supply does not have a current protozoa barrier at its water treatment plant, which protects against microorganisms like giardia and cryptosporidium.

Proposed Water treatment plant upgrades

Water supplies are required to have multiple protections in place to keep people safe from contaminants in drinking water. One of these required barriers is a protozoa barrier, which protects against microbial contamination in the water. While some water treatment plants in the Waimate District already have protozoa treatment, the Hook Waituna Community Water Supply does not.

Waimate District Council has made significant progress in upgrading its drinking water supplies across the district.

Upgrade plans are underway for the Hook Waituna Community Supply including a new bore water source, new treatment plant and extensive pipework to carry the water to the community. It is anticipated that this work will be commissioned in December 2026.

In line with drinking water safety and expectations from the government’s Water Services Authority - Taumata Arowai, the Hook Waituna Community Water Supply is on a Boil Water Advisory until barriers are installed.

The affected areas are those in the northern portion of the Hook Waituna Community Supply. This area is shown as Hook Waituna NORTH Water Scheme in the map below and is primarily north of the Waimate township. There are a number of connections in the southern portion of the Hook Waituna water supply that receive water from the Urban treatment plants and are not affected by this advisory.

You can click HERE for the map to check your location.

(Please search using your address or valuation number)

Monitoring and safety

We will continue to monitor your water and maintain the highest standard possible. As part of the upgrade project, we have already established monitoring capability at the existing treatment plant. This provides additional information to manage risk and allows us to ensure a timelier response to changes in water quality before the new water treatment plant is commissioned.

Waimate District Council has a sampling and monitoring regime to help understand when the risk may be heightened due to high turbidity (dirty water) levels. However, before protozoa barriers are installed, the only guaranteed safety mechanism is to boil your tap water before drinking.

This advisory is part of our commitment to communication to our community. Your health and safety continue to be our top priorities and we encourage you to be aware of this information and provide it to anyone in your household, including visitors and accommodation bookings you manage or properties you rent. Boiling water is effective in treating protozoa.

People at greater risk of illness within the area should take extra care by boiling their drinking water. People who may be more at risk include those that are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a compromised immune system, or infants and young children.

Stay notified

We would also encourage you to sign up to our notification service Notifyme to ensure you are kept up to date with any important announcements regarding the water supply such as boil water notices or conserve water notices.

Click HERE to sign-up.

Frequently asked questions

Answers to commonly asked questions about this water supply advisory are available below. If you have any other questions or require further information, please contact us on 03 689 0000 or email threewaterscompliance@waimatedc.govt.nz

Nothing has changed but we have an obligation to let you know if there is a potential risk to your health. We will continue to monitor the water and let you know if there is any significant change or risk. Surface water can be susceptible to protozoa contamination in the absence of a protozoa barrier.

This advisory is only applicable to those on the northern part of the Hook Waituna water supply which is primarily north of the Waimate township. There are a number of connections in the southern portion of the Hook Waituna water supply that receive water from the Urban treatment plants and are not affected by this advisory.

You can use the below map to check your location using your address or valuation number.

https://gis4.waimatedc.govt.nz/WaiMapsviewer/?map=28ad57351886499aba30219c1a529712

Protozoa are a group of microscopic organisms that live in the environment and often come from animal waste. Some types, like giardia and cryptosporidium, can cause stomach illness if they get into drinking water, especially in people with weakened immune systems.

A protozoa barrier is a treatment step that specifically targets microscopic organisms like cryptosporidium and giardia. While the risk they pose is low, adding this barrier provides an extra level of protection.

There has been no change to your water supply. We have ongoing and effective treatment for bacteria and will continue to monitor and test to ensure we meet standards. During significant rainfall, the risk of contamination increases with these events and is partially managed by turning the supply off and providing communication to consumers. However, we will not be compliant with water quality legislation and be able to demonstrate your water is 100% safe until comprehensive protozoa treatment is in place.

The Water Services Authority - Taumata Arowai, our national water regulator, has recently updated their expectations for public communication. We are now required to inform consumers if a protozoa barrier is not in place, even if the residual risk has not changed.

Council advises consumers to boil water for drinking, food preparation, or brushing teeth as a precaution.

We recommend heating water to boiling point - the easiest way to do this is to boil water in an electric jug until it turns off automatically.

No treatment is required for other uses such as washing clothes or taking a bath or shower, provided the water is not ingested.

For more detailed information on boiling water, go to the Taumata Arowai website
https://www.taumataarowai.govt.nz/for-the-public/drinking-water-in-an-emergency/boil-water-notice

The Water Services Authority, Taumata Arowai is our national drinking water regulator. Their role is to regulate drinking water suppliers like Waimate District Council so that they meet the requirements and standards for delivering safe drinking water.

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