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Boil Water Notices

What this means to you: YOUR TAP WATER IS NOT SAFE TO DRINK

Immediate actions for you to take:
  • To make the tap water safe to drink, boil all tap water at a rolling boil for at least two minutes.  If using for a hot drink it may be used immediately, otherwise allow it to cool.
  • Be especially careful with infants, the elderly, and people with immunocompromised conditions.
  • Share this information with all of the people you came into contact with who live or work in the affected area e.g. schools, hospitals, businesses.
What caused the situation?

Heavy rain in the Central Hawke’s Bay area has resulted in more very dirty water reaching the treatment plant. For that reason, the treatment plant has been running at reduced capacity.  To continue supplying sufficient water to town it has been necessary to supply non-compliant water to the community.  The District Health Board has been notified.

How will you know if you have been made ill from tap water?

If you swallow tap water without boiling it first, you may experience diarrhoea, stomach cramps, fever, or nausea. See your doctor as soon as possible and take this notice with you if you experience any of these symptoms.

Action for industry and institutions

Any industry or institution involved in using tap water for consumption or a food process must stop immediately. Contact Council to obtain specific clearance before starting operations again.

What action is being taken?

Council in conjunction with Veolia is working to fix the problem. A Boil Water Cancellation Notice will be issued when the tap water is safe to drink. Keep boiling the tap water until you receive a Boil Water Cancellation Notice.

Who to contact for more information?

Please listen to Central FM, check our website and facebook page @CHBDistrictCouncil for updates.

If you have water supply questions, phone Central Hawkes Bay District Council on 06 857 8060
If you have health related questions, phone the Healthline on 0800 611 116

A boil water notice or advisory is an instruction from the council that all water for drinking, preparing food, brushing teeth and preparing infant formula must be boiled (or have some other treatment e.g. bleach) before use.  Water for showering and laundry and other uses does not need to be boiled. The reason for the instruction is due to concerns about the bugs contaminating the water and you should follow the instruction until you hear the water is safe to drink from the council that the boil water advisory or notice has been lifted.

Council may issue a Boil Water, Do Not Drink Water or Do Not Use Water notice when there’s a problem with the water to reduce the likelihood that anyone will get sick.  The notice should remain in place until the water supply is once again safe to drink or use normally.

Adults and older children may shower or bathe with untreated water as long as no water is swallowed (avoid the face). Young children should be sponge-bathed instead of bathing in a tub because they are likely to swallow the bath water. If you have recent surgical wounds or a chronic illness, you may want to use bottled or boiled water for bathing until the advisory is lifted.  You can use water from the hot water cylinder, header tank and toilet cistern (if no chemical toilet cleanser is present) to wash yourself.

Keeping hands clean during a boil water notice helps prevent the spread of bugs that can make people sick.  The Central Hawke's Bay tap water is safe to use for handwashing when used with soap and then drying your hands well.

 Wash your hands well. If water is in very short supply, keep some in a bowl with disinfectant added, but change frequently.

Only use commercially bottled water, water that has been boiled or water that has been treated by adding plain unscented bleach for brushing your teeth. 

You can shave as usual using the tap water.

It is recommended that you continue to boil your water until the water in the tank has turned over.  You will need to know the size of your tank and have an understanding of how much water you use on average, to estimate how much extra time to boil your water.  Alternatively you can add additional chlorine (unscented plain bleach) to your tank as per the instructions in www.healthed.govt.nz/resource/household-water-supplies (page 17).  It is recommended that private tanks are inspected annually and cleaned if necessary with a focus on removing any accumulated sediment.  Page 17 in the Household Water Supplies resource has further information on this.  

E. coli is a subgroup of the faecal coliform group. Most E. coli bacteria are harmless and exist in the intestines of people and warm-blooded animals. However, some strains can cause illness. The presence of E. coli in a drinking water sample usually indicates recent faecal contamination. That means there is a greater risk there are bugs that can cause illness being present in the water.

Note: E. coli outbreaks receive a lot of media coverage. A specific strain of E. coli bacteria known as E. coli O157:H7 (also known as VTEC) causes most of those outbreaks. When a drinking water sample is reported as “E. coli present,” it does not mean that O157:H7 is present. However, it does indicate recent faecal contamination. Boiling or disinfecting contaminated drinking water destroys all forms of E. coli, whether or not they can cause illness in humans.

You should regularly check for any official information via our website or our facebook page which will be updated with new information.

Run all your cold taps for 5 minutes before using the water. Flush any appliances, e.g. coffee machines, water dispensers, ice makers  that are connected to the water supply. Hot water cylinders and header tanks may need to be drained and refilled – the council will provide some specific instructions at the time the notice is lifted.  

It is recommended that you continue to boil your water until the water in the tank has turned over.  You will need to know the size of your tank and have an understanding of how much water you use on average, to estimate how much extra time to boil your water.  Alternatively you can add additional chlorine (unscented plain bleach) to your tank as per the instructions in www.healthed.govt.nz/resource/household-water-supplies (page 17).  It is recommended that private tanks are inspected annually and cleaned if necessary with a focus on removing any accumulated sediment.  Page 17 in the Household Water Supplies resource has further information on this. 

Water filters should be maintained and replaced according to the manufacturers instructions. You will also need to follow the advice of the water supplier for any specific instructions.

You can add plain unscented bleach to your water (do not use Janola as it contains cleaning chemicals which make it unsuitable for treating drinking water).  To disinfect the water add 5 drops of bleach to 1 litre of water or 1/2 teaspoon to 10 litres of water. Stir and leave the water to stand for 30 minutes before drinking.

Boiling water is the most effective way to disinfect water, as it will kill all disease-causing bugs.  If it is not possible to boil water e.g. in a power outage, disinfecting the water by adding bleach, is effective for killing most bugs.

Dishes can be washed using boiled water and detergent. If you are unable to boil your water, dishes washed with contaminated tap water and detergent should be rinsed in bleach solution. (1/4 cup of plain unscented household bleach per 10 litres of water). Allow dishes to completely air dry.

Household dishwashers are generally safe to use if the water reaches a final rinse temperature of at least 65°c or if the dishwasher has a sanitising cycle. 

There is a risk you could get sick from bugs in the water.  Babies, young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people who have weakened immune systems are more at risk of illness. If you get diarrhoea, vomiting and/or a fever get advice from your doctor or Healthline (0800 611 116).

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