Council has issued a Do Not Drink Water Notice for Tokomaru

Published on August 07, 2024

Horowhenua District Council has issued a Do Not Drink Water Notice for the Tokomaru water supply as of today Wednesday 7 August, due to out of cycle water testing showing elevated levels of lead in the Tokomaru water supply. 

Further testing onsite this morning has eliminated the Tokomaru River as the source of contamination.  Our reticulation network which was the source of our original concerns has come back as clear and within compliant levels. The following results have been returned showing the tap at the Water Treatment Plant is still showing non-compliant levels of lead.  This tap is used solely for testing the water, and is not a part of the network that supplies the settlement. 

Monique Davidson – Chief Executive says “We of course need to do further work to confirm this, however this is positive news and can provide some reassurance to community on the safety of their drinking water.  To be clear the tests today have confirmed the water supplies to the network are within compliant levels of lead.” 

A do not drink water notice is issued when the water supply is, or could be, contaminated with harmful chemicals and toxins.  In this case boiling water will not make it safe. 

Until further notice, customers connected to the Tokomaru water supply are advised to not drink the water from the town supply.

Residents are advised to: 

• Use water from the tanker or bottled water for drinking (including the making of sachet juice/drinks), cooking, brushing teeth, washing fruits and vegetables, preparing food, mixing infant / toddler formula, making ice, giving water to pets. 
• You should be cautious when bathing babies and young children as they might swallow water. 
• Do not drink or use water from any appliance connected to your water supply lines. This includes the water and ice dispensers in your refrigerator, freezer and dishwasher. 
• Advice from the Ministry of Health and Taumata Arowai say that water can still be used for bathing and washing. 
• Follow Council’s website and social media pages to keep updated. 

The Do Not Drink water notice issued this morning, will be in place until a full investigation is carried out and Council can with 100% confidence say that the source of the contamination has been eliminated and the water is again safe for consumption.

What we know so far:

In April 2024 we tested all drinking water in Horowhenua as part of our routine metal testing regime. These results came back compliant (safe for drinking) which was consistent with our expectations.

On 16 July Council tested drinking water at the Tokomaru Fire Station as part of an out of routine test, given the recent completion of some much-needed upgrades at the Tokomaru Water Treatment Plant (WTP).  That test indicated the presence of lead in the network - this was thought to be a sampling error, however as a precaution we have followed through with additional and more regular testing. 

Following advice from Taumata Arawai (NZ Water Regulator) through this process, Council proactively implemented an enhanced testing regime so that we could be assured of any doubt.  Results in late July confirmed the reservoir was compliant.

On Sunday 4 August a further result that indicated the presence of lead in the reticulation network was thought to be impacted by a corroding brass tap at the sampling point.

Yesterday afternoon (6 August) test results have indicated non-compliant lead levels in both the reticulation network and the reservoir at the Tokomaru Water Treatment Plant. These results are due to the enhanced testing in place, and Council with immediacy again contacted Taumata Arawai and the Ministry of Health for advice. 

Further testing onsite this morning has eliminated the Tokomaru River as the source of contamination.  Our reticulation network which was the source of our original concerns has come back as clear and within compliant levels.

The following results have been returned showing the tap at the Water Treatment Plant is still showing non-compliant levels of lead.  This tap is used solely for testing the water, and is not a part of the network that supplies the settlement. 

While results at the tap's location have reduced from 0.165 to 0.102, the latest results coupled with high zinc readings, leads us to believe this is an indication of plumbosolvency (the ability of a solvent (like water) to dissolve certain materials (heavy metals) from plumbing fittings over a period of time).

We are retaining the Do Not Drink Water Notice in place on a continued basis while we continue with the enhanced testing regime so that we can be assured and give our community further assurance that the matter is resolved.

Around 160 houses and 220 connections are serviced by the Tokomaru Water Supply.

What we’re doing:

• Dispatched a tanker from the Tokomaru RSA to the Tokomaru Community Hall as an interim alternative water supply.  This will be available for as long as is necessary.
• At 1.30pm today we began flushing the Tokomaru Water Supply network, to remove any contaminants in the water. 
• Contacted the Tokomaru Early Childhood Centre and Primary School and met at 8am this morning onsite to facilitate logistics for the school supply.
• Dispatched 150 water bottles to the school and Early Childhood Centre
• Tonight we will dispatch additional bottled water to Tokomaru properties along with the Do Not Drink Water Notice.
• Conducted further testing onsite from 7.30am on 7 August to ensure accuracy of sampling methodology with a ‘dip’ sample to also be taken directly from the reservoir, other control sites and from river source.  These samples were taken in triplicate to allow testing in the Wellington Lab (Wednesday 7 August, priority), Palmerston North Lab (Thursday) and Massey Lab (if required).
• Council is in continued contact with the Ministry of Health, Taumata Arowai and Te Whatu Ora
• Collating communications to support the community, including FAQs, flyers, social media updates and media releases. We will keep you regularly updated as we know more.
• We will hold a drop in session for the Tokomaru community tomorrow between 10am and 12pm to share the information we have on hand.  This will likely be at the Community Hall, but we are just confirming the location.
• A public meeting will be held on Monday at 6pm.  At this meeting we will have additional information resulting from the ongoing testing regime and action plan.

What we need you to do:

• Please use bottled water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, washing fruits and vegetables, preparing food, mixing baby formula, making ice, giving water to pets. Advice from the Ministry of Health and Taumata Arowai say that water can still be used for bathing and washing.
• Follow Council’s website and social media pages to keep updated.

Please watch out for further updates or information. Council has released this information within 90 minutes of notification of the latest test results so are working with you in real time.