​Waimate West results clear but boil water notice remains

Water test samples taken from the Waimate West Water supply on Sunday have all come back negative (clear) for E-coli, says South Taranaki District Council Works Delivery Manager Herbert Denton.

Despite the negative results, the rules mean the boil water notice must remain in place until we have received at least three days consecutive negative test results.

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

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

Mr Denton says the supply is fully chlorinated, so the boil water notice is a precautionary measure while the remaining 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.

Bottled water has been provided to local schools and preschools, and residents in the Waimate West area can pick up free bottled water from the Manaia and Kaponga LibraryPlus facilities during usual open hours.

Further information and updates will be provided on Council’s website, www.southtaranaki.com  and facebook page.