​Waimate West residents asked to boil water as precaution

South Taranaki residents on the Waimate West water supply, which includes the townships of Manaia and Kaponga, were advised to boil all water used for drinking, brushing teeth and food preparation last night (Sunday) after routine tests detected the bacteria Escherichia coli (known as E.coli) in the supply.

South Taranaki District Council (STDC) Works Delivery Manager, Herbert Denton, says Council was notified of the test result late on Sunday afternoon and by early evening staff had door knocked the entire Manaia and Kaponga townships and contacted rural residents where possible through rural networks.

Mr Denton says the supply is fully chlorinated so the boil water notice is a precautionary measure while further tests are being carried out.

“Bringing water to the boil is enough to kill all bugs however, we recommend boiling water for more than a 1 minute,” says Denton.

Mr Denton says the boil water notice has to remain in place until the Council receives three clear consecutive test results.

“The test samples need to incubate for up to 72 hours at the lab before we receive the results. So, assuming we get clear results, the earliest we would be able to lift the notice will be Thursday,” says Denton.

The next test result, which was taken on Sunday night as soon as Council was notified of the positive result, is due first thing tomorrow morning.

Bottled water has been provided to local schools and preschools today, and residents in the Waimate West area can pick up free bottled water from the Manaia and Kaponga LibraryPlus from 1pm tomorrow (Tuesday).

Further information and updates will be provided on Council’s website, www.southtaranaki.com  and facebook page. Alternatively residents can contact the Council on 0800 111 323.