Nearly 300 residents in the Hautere/Te Horo community on the Kāpiti Coast are being advised to boil their tap water before use as a precautionary measure following the recent heavy rainfall.
Infrastructure Services Group Manager Sean Mallon says that the poor weather conditions have made the water turbidity higher than normal.
“High turbidity makes it harder for the treatment process to kill all the micro-organisms that might be in the water and this can make the water unsafe to drink.
“Because of this, we are advising residents who access the Hautere/Te Horo public water supply to boil all water used for drinking, making up infant formula or ice, preparing food and cleaning teeth as a precautionary measure.
“If affected residents are unable to boil their water, they can treat it by adding 5 drops of plain, unscented household bleach to 1 litre of water and leaving it to stand for 30 minutes before drinking.
“Water should be boiled even if it already smells of chlorine when it comes out of the tap.”
“Employers should ensure that they provide their staff with drink boiled or bottled water while the precautionary boil water notice is in place,” Mr Mallon said.
The boil water notice for the Hautere/Te Horo public water supply is likely to be in place for about a week. The Council is advising anyone showing signs of illness to seek advice from their doctor or to call Healthline on 0800 611 116.
Mr Mallon said Council staff are delivering boil water notices to affected households in the Hautere/Te Horo area today.
“If people have any concerns or questions about the boil water notice for Hautere/Te Horo they are advised to call the Council on 04 296 4700 or email [email protected].”
The Council has plans, as part of its drinking water safety and resilience programme, to improve water treatment plant processes to remove turbidity. Work on the Hautere/Te Horo scheme improvements commenced in June 2021 and are due for completion prior to July 2022.
