The boil water notice in Carterton is still in effect until further notice while the Council works with an independent drinking water assessor on an audit which is expected to be completed by the end of this week.

This means Carterton residents and businesses connected to the town water supply are advised to continue boiling 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.

An audit of the Council’s water treatment plant data will be completed by an independent drinking water assessor and is expected to be completed by end of the week. The audit is looking at the data to assess whether the water coming out of the Council’s water treatment plants meets the New Zealand Drinking Water Standards. The audit is being undertaken due to the Council’s unusual situation with previous intermittent low-level E. coli readings within a chlorinated water reticulation system. Assuming a positive outcome from the audit, the results will give the Council, Regional Public Health and the community confidence ahead of lifting the boil water notice.

The Council is confident in its treatment process to ensure safe drinking water will continue to be delivered to urban residents.

At this stage, the Council has had 12 consecutive days of clear readings in the samples taken from the urban water supply and has had no official reports of illness associated with this event.

The Council will provide another update by 6pm Friday 16 April 2021.

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.

For more information and to stay up to date, visit www.cdc.govt.nz/boilwaternotice

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