Boil Water Notices - Current
Click here for current boil water notices
Boil Water Notices
On some the Council’s 23 piped water supplies, it’s necessary for customers to boil any water they require for drinking, brushing their teeth or preparing their food.
This may be required either for short periods of time, or on a long-term basis. The reasons for this vary from supply to supply.
In the case of long-term boil water notices, these will be required on some supplies until they are upgraded to meet the Government’s Drinking Water Standards (see the Water Supply Upgrades on this website).
Temporary boil water notices may be needed due to contamination of the water supply during a one-off event, such as heavy rainfall or flooding.
Temporary boil water notices
Ongoing boil water notices
The following supplies are currently untreated and are on an ongoing boil water notice:
• Lake Ohau
• Otematata
• Dunrobin
• Otekaieke
Why do I need to boil water from these water supplies?
To help keep people healthy, the Government has recently introduced tough new standards for drinking water supplies throughout New Zealand. To meet the new standards, the Council will need to upgrade most of Waitaki’s water supplies over the next few years; including these ones (see Water Supply Upgrades for information on when this will happen). Until that happens, we’re still required under the law to make sure the water you drink meets those standards. We also want to make sure you keep healthy!
These particular supplies are older and can’t treat the water to meet the standards. And from time to time, there has been bacteria found in these supplies that can make people sick. The only way to be sure you don’t get sick through drinking water from any of these supplies is to boil it. Boiling is a very effective and easy way of making water safe to drink.
It’s as easy as...
Boiling the jug! As long as water has been boiled fully in your jug - any protozoa (e.g. Giardia), nasty bacteria, and viruses will be eliminated.
If you boil your water in a pot, then leave it to boil for at least 2 minutes for the same effect.
As long as the water is protected from further contamination – that is, kept covered in a fridge - then it should be safe for weeks. To keep it tasting fresh, it’s best stored in glass or stainless steel. And don’t forget to watch out for burns!
“But I’ve been drinking this water for years, and I haven’t been sick!”
Yes – this is probably true in most cases. And it’s also true to say that the water hasn’t changed, the standards have.
But there is still a risk that you will get sick if you don’t boil the water on this supply, and we don’t want that to happen (we’re sure you don’t either!). We know boiling water can be a bit of a hassle at times, but it’s worth it to protect your health. And when the supply is upgraded, you won’t need to do it anymore.
How can I find out more about this and the water supply upgrades?
This website will have information about how the Council is working towards providing quality drinking water for all customers in the District.
The Government has recently changed the deadlines for the water supply upgrades and the subsidies it will provide, so we’re working with them to make sure we can get the best deal for ratepayers and customers.
If you own a property on this supply, we’ll be sending you updates on this as they come to hand. We’ll also be providing this information on the website. If you’re a business which supplies water to customers (e.g. a food premises or camping ground), you may wish to contact the Council’s environmental health officers on (03) 433 0300 to discuss your legal obligations.
Our aim is to make sure all of the water supplies are upgraded as soon as possible. We’re looking forward to providing you with healthy, high quality water you won’t need to boil.
Until then, we really appreciate your co-operation.