Dunedin City Council boil water notice update
6.20pm, Tuesday, 15 August 2017

Dunedin City Council’s focus will remain on informing and supporting affected residents and businesses, as a boil water notice for parts of the city continues.

DCC Chief Executive Sue Bidrose says the boil water notice for around 1720 residential properties and 825 commercial properties in the central and north Dunedin areas will remain in place until at least 4pm Friday.

Dr Bidrose says that tankers with clean drinking water are available at eight locations within the affected area. Seven of the tankers will be available until 10pm tonight and then return at 6am tomorrow, while a tanker in The Octagon will remain available throughout the night.

“Our focus tomorrow will be on continuing to contact residents and businesses in the affected area and putting out public safety messages. There will be a leaflet drop in affected area and Economic Development staff and business advisors will be available to provide advice and support to affected businesses,” she says.

Dr Bidrose says untreated water began entering the treated water supply yesterday afternoon.

Staff had needed to lower the level of the Ross Creek reservoir to assist with the dam refurbishment project there. The staff had checked DCC plans and maps which didn’t show any connection from these valves into the reticulated water supply. It was understood any such connections had been decommissioned some 30 years ago. However, this has been proven to be incorrect. This resulted in the untreated water entering the treated supply.

“As soon as the DCC became aware of the issue, we shut down the valve and immediately issued a boil water notice,” Dr Bidrose says.

The DCC issued the boil water notice at 10am today. Information was distributed to the public via news media, social media, phone calls and emails to businesses, organisations and education providers, and through stakeholder networks.

Dr Bidrose says that the valve was turned off at 10am today to ensure to no new untreated water entered the system. Contractors have opened hydrants throughout the affected area to discharge untreated water.

If you’re in an affected area please flush run your taps for 10-15 minutes. This will flush the water and will help with the cleaning process.

“We now need to ensure at least three clear days of testing, plus 24 hours, before the boil water notice can be lifted,” she says.

The Dunedin Civil Defence Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activated this morning to co-ordinate the response to the situation. The EOC is standing down for the night, but anyone with urgent issues can call 03 477 4000.

Boil water notice
All residents and businesses in the following areas are advised to boil all drinking water until further notice. This is due to an issue with water quality and is isolated to the north end of the city. The notice applies to the CBD, North Dunedin, Leith Valley, Woodhaugh and the Warehouse Precinct. A map of the affected area is available at www.dunedin.govt.nz/boil-water-notice.

• Tap water in affected areas must not be used for drinking, making up baby formula and juices, making ice, washing fruits and vegetables, or brushing teeth.
• Please boil ALL drinking water before use. Zips do not boil water sufficiently. Water needs to be through a rolling boil for at least one minute and filtered water should also be boiled for at least one minute.
• If you’re in an affected area please flush run your taps for 10-15 minutes. This will flush the water and will help with the cleaning process.
• If you have a water tank, please empty it so it can be refilled with clean water.
• If you are in an affected area and have water that you have drawn from the tap since yesterday, please tip it out and do not drink it.
• As a precaution, please use hand sanitiser after washing your hands. Care should be taken with bathing and showering so that water is not swallowed.

Water tankers
Water tankers have water available at the following locations. People wanting to collect water should bring their own containers. These should not be rinsed with tap water before being used to store clean water. (This is limited to 40L per person and the maximum container size is 20L).
The Octagon (available throughout the night)
Corner Dundas Street and Montgomery Avenue (available until 10pm tonight, returns 6am tomorrow)
Outside Otago Museum (main entrance) (available until 10pm tonight, returns 6am tomorrow)
Outside George Street Normal School (available until 10pm tonight, returns 6am tomorrow)
Outside the Oval BP forecourt (available until 10pm tonight, returns 6am tomorrow)
Outside Hunters Furniture, Cumberland Street (available until 10pm tonight, returns 6am tomorrow)
Outside Emerson’s Brewery, Anzac Ave (available until 10pm tonight, returns 6am tomorrow)
Logan Park High School car park, Butts Road (available until 10pm tonight, returns 6am tomorrow)

More information, including a map of the affected area, is available at www.dunedin.govt.nz/boil-water-notice

Updates and information is also available at www.facebook.com/DunedinCityCouncil

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