Martinborough residents no longer need to boil water for drinking and food preparation. The decision to lift the boil
water notice was taken by Council, in consultation with Regional Public Health, following confirmation today that
chlorination had reached the required levels for safe drinking water. Chlorination was introduced on Monday as an
additional barrier to protecting against future risk of contamination.
It has been a challenging time for the town’s businesses, residents, visitors, Council staff and contractors working to
resolve the issue. Winemakers, in particular, have needed to take steps to ensure chlorination of the town water had no
impact on their processes and end product.
South Wairarapa Mayor Viv Napier says, “today we’re very pleased, and relieved, to share that the water is safe to
drink. It’s been quite a journey to date. We can’t thank everybody enough for their support and co-operation during this
challenging time.”
To minimise the potential for discoloured water, due the introduction of chlorine to water with manganese, Council has
cleaned the network pipes to remove as much manganese as possible. In addition, water is being supplied from the bore
with the lowest levels of manganese. This bore should have enough water to supply the town for the winter period.
There will be community consultation around what is the appropriate permanent treatment solution for Martinborough
drinking water, including continuation of chlorination.
Ms Napier says, “I’ve drunk the water, and it tastes good. Of course, we need to hear from the community on their
thoughts on the long-term solution for protecting Martinborough’s water”.
The town was issued a boil water notice on 9 April, and network-wide investigations to date have not identified the
probable source of contamination.
Any questions and feedback can be sent to martinboroughwater@swdc.govt.nz.
Further information is available at swdc.govt.nz/Martinborough-town-water-situation or call 06 306 9611.