Tararua District Council would like to advise that the Boil Water Notice in Pongaroa has been lifted as of today, Friday 21 June 2024.

Testing Results at the Pongaroa Water Treatment Plant currently meet NZ Drinking Water Standard compliance.

The Boil Water Notice in Pongaroa was issued on 17 June 2024 due to high turbidity levels following heavy rainfall where the filters of the treatment plant were not able to treat water according to NZ Drinking Water Standards.

Council would like to extend a sincere thank you to all residents in Pongaroa for their cooperation and patience.

Council would also like to thank the NZ’s water services regulator Taumata Arowai, for their support during this time.

What to do once the Boil Water Notice is lifted?

• It is recommended that you run all your cold taps for 5 minutes before using the water and flush any appliances (e.g coffee machines, water dispensers, ice makers) that are connected to the water supply. Hot water cylinders and water header tanks may need to be drained and refilled.
• If you have been away while a boil water notice has been in place, run your taps for 15 minutes to clear old water from your lateral.
• If you have water filters installed the filter must be maintained and replaced according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• Cleaning Water Tanks
• If you switched your tank supply off at the water toby on Thursday 23rd May 2024, the supply can be switched back on at the water toby.
• If there is a lot of sediment at the bottom of the tank it can be siphoned off using a swimming pool vacuum cleaner. Tank cleaning contractors can be contacted to help.
• Water tanks should ideally be inspected annually and cleaned if necessary. Tank cleaning should ideally be carried out by tank-cleaning contractors.
• Cleaning should generally be limited to removing accumulated sediments, leaf litter, or other objects such as insects and animals that may have gained access to the tank.

Disinfection with Chlorine

You may wish to chlorinate the water in your tank. For a 20,000-litre tank, 660 ml of plain household bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite) with no perfume or surfactants will give you a chlorine residual of 1mg/l, which will provide good disinfection. Leave the water for at least 30 minutes for the chlorine to work and to mix around the tank.

For further information please contact Tararua District Council.