Do Not Drink Water Notice - Tokomaru Water Supply

Horowhenua District Council is issuing a Do Not Drink Water Notice for the Tokomaru water supply as of today Wednesday 7 August 2024, due to out of cycle water testing showing elevated levels of lead in the Tokomaru water supply.

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, residents 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.

Residents with other houses or tenants on their properties should advise them of the contents of this notice.

Food businesses are advised to:

• Use water from the tanker or bottled water for preparing food, cooking and drinking. This includes washing fruits and vegetables, making ice, and beverage making.
• Ice making machines – you'll need to discard existing ice. Use commercially manufactured ice from an unaffected water supply or use commercially bottled water in the ice machine.
• Post-mix soft drink dispensing machines - use water from the tanker or commercially bottled water.
• Coffee machines - use water from the tanker or commercially bottled water.
• Follow Council’s website and social media pages to keep updated.

For businesses with a food control plan, there is a section in your food plan about “when something goes wrong” (red section). Remember you’ll need to modify your systems that require clean potable water to switch from using the town supply to using a safe alternative supply (eg bottled water; or water from the water tanker). You’ll also need to keep records of what you have done, so that you can share this with your verifier at your next verification.

Health Advice:

• If you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor or Healthline on 0800 611 116.
• People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, pregnant women, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.
• If you’re a home dialysis patient, you should seek advice from the Home Haemodialysis Service at Palmerston North Hospital on (06) 350 8055.

For any enquiries or specific welfare concerns, please contact Horowhenua District Council on (06) 366 0999 or enquiries@horowhenua.govt.nz

Monique Davidson
Chief Executive