Improving the quality of the Māhanga water supply remains a priority for the Wairoa District Council.

Council has approved a small package of work which will reduce risk and help ensure on going water safety to the coastal village.

The recent Māhanga Water Supply referendum saw 59.61 percent votes in favour of keeping the Māhanga water supply open.

The result of the referendum means Council will maintain the status quo with no further capital upgrade until the nationwide drinking water regulations are finalised by the Central Government Three Waters Reform.

Once finalised, Council will be required to gain a full options analysis report with the most up to date costs. This will be required to validate a new water source, which will include easements, property acquisition and infrastructure.

In a bid to minimise risk from the non-potable supply Council is planning a series of improvements, subject to approval from the Department of Internal Affairs.

The improvements are estimated to cost around $75,000 and can be funded from the $11 million Central Government stimulus package at no cost to the ratepayer.

The improvements will also be able to be repurposed along with any potential future Māhanga water treatment plant upgrade.

The improvements are also in line with the proposed drinking standards and rules which stipulates residual disinfections for al public water supplies through chlorination, which is likely to be mandatory from July 1, 2021.

The work includes an additional concrete water tank, upgrading the chlorination dosing system, electrical controls, new SCADA monitoring with alarming, new smart meter volumetric data collection, and reservoir level monitoring.

Providing the work is approved by the Department of Internal Affairs, the expected completion date will be around September 2021.

Wairoa District Council interim chief executive Kitea Tipuna said the proposed improvements will go towards minimising risk while the nationwide drinking water regulations are finalised by the Central Government Three Waters Reform.

Māhanga residents are reminded that while the current Māhanga water supply remains open, there is a permanent boil water notice in place, due to E. coli readings recorded in the water source during sampling.

29 March 2021

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