THE Boil Water Notice was lifted for all residents using the Kawerau District water supply yesterday on Tuesday, January 7, 2020.
The Kawerau water supply has been confirmed safe, following samples clear of contamination, analysed over the past three days.
Council staff in conjunction with the Drinking Water Assessors and the Bay of Plenty District Health Board have investigated the event and have ruled out the most obvious causes of the contamination.
The investigations have included checking the water intake and surroundings; checking the treatment plant and its performance; reviewing all reservoirs and networks around sample points; and reviewing the location of the sample points and sampling procedures.
The remedial actions that the Council and the Bay of Plenty District Health Board have agreed upon include increasing the target of Free Available Chlorine Equivalent (FACE) from 0.35mg/l to a new limit of 0.5mg/l in order to allow for changes in pH and flow rate variations.
In addition, daily water samples would continue to be taken from the Upper Valley sampling point that returned the E.Coli contaminated result until at least Friday, 10 January 2020 for E.Coli and coliforms. Another random sampling point within the Kawerau water system would also be tested daily. Both these water samples would be analysed by an independent laboratory.
Kawerau District Council staff will present a formal report to the Bay of Plenty District Health Board on Friday.
The Council would like to thank the residents for adhering to the Boil Water Notice and reiterate the importance of taking these notices seriously.
Kawerau District Council Chief Executive Russell George said he was thankful for the many residents who had taken the time to check on friends, whānau and neighbours during this difficult time.
For more information please phone 07 306 9009.
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