Carterton District Council is taking every action possible to investigate the cause and prevent reoccurrences of last week’s low-level E. coli reading in one of its water samples connected to the urban supply. The boil water notice will remain in effect until the Council is confident that this has been done.

This means Carterton residents and businesses connected to the town water supply were advised to boil all water before being used for drinking, making baby formula, juice, ice, washing fruit and vegetables, other food preparation/cooking needs, or brushing teeth until further notice. While the risk to the community is extremely low, the Council asks that people remain vigilant with boiling water until they are advised otherwise.

The council has commissioned water experts Lutra to produce a high-level model of the town water supply to identify water movement across the reticulation supply. This will assist with trying to identify the cause of last week’s low-level E. coli reading. The Council has also taken the following actions since the first boil water notice was issued on 17 March:

• Checked back flow preventers and known industrial connections.
• Replaced any valving that has a potential for a fault.
• Undertaken additional daily testing to try and isolate where the potential sources may be coming from.
• Had external engineers check the water treatment plants.
• Checked procedures for sampling by a laboratory expert.
• Walked the Kaipaitangata main trunk line to visually identify any potential sources.
• Had Leak Detection Services to check if there are any unknown leaks in the network.

A further update will be provided to the community by 5pm Friday 9 April. Please continue to boil water before use until the Council has advised otherwise.

At this stage, the Council has not received any official reports of illness associated with this event.

Boiling water before use is the best way to make water safe. The risk of getting sick from drinking the water is low but possible, especially for vulnerable people. 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 contact Healthline (0800 611 116).

How to boil water for drinking:

Boiling will kill all disease-causing organisms.

Bring water to a rolling boil (where bubbles appear in the centre and do not disappear when the water is stirred) for one minute or boil a full electric jug until it switches off

Cool water (do not use ice cubes to do this) and pour into clean container with a lid

Refrigerate until needed.

If you experience diarrhoea, vomiting and/or a fever, contact your doctor or Healthline (0800 611 116). For more information and to stay up to date, visit www.cdc.govt.nz/boilwaternotice

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