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An “issue” linked to a new $197 million water treatment plant has affected up to 20,000 Pāpāmoa residents, leaving some complaining of foul-tasting water and “tummy issues”.
Tauranga City Council has been testing and flushing the water system supplying Pāpamoa after it was made aware of taste and odour issues with drinking water – one resident claims this happened nearly three weeks ago.
Council general manager of infrastructure Nic Johansson said the matter was “not a public health issue” and testing indicated the water was “safe to drink”, even though it had an “earthy, musty or dirt” taste to some.
The council estimated up to 20,000 people – or 8000 households – in Pāpāmoa east of Domain Rd were affected.
Johansson said six people contacted the council reporting concerns about their health.
Others have shared concerns online after experiencing stomach upsets they believed were related to the water.
Pāpāmoa resident Melissa Grace posted online saying she had experienced “tummy issues” and knew of others who did too.
Grace, who declined to comment further, posted that she spoke with a council representative and was told the Waiāri Water Treatment Plant experienced an issue starting about December 4.
Johansson said the council “traced” the taste issue to the Waiāri Water Treatment Plant, which sources water from the Waiāri Stream and supplies the Pāpāmoa east area.
The Bay of Plenty Times asked if the issue was first detected about December 4.
Johansson said with the onset of summer, “taste and odour can be an issue in some water supplies due to higher concentrations of organic matter”.
“We traced the issue to the Waiāri Water Treatment Plant which feeds water to the Papamoa East area. When the issue was brought to our attention, on investigation we noted that the Wāiari Stream had an earthy odour, we undertook actions to reduce the taste and odour to minimise any tastes in the supplied water.
“To facilitate dealing with the musty taste issue, the council is undertaking additional hydrant flushing through the area that will be completed today. This flushing should return the water taste to ‘normal’,” Johansson said.
Over the past two weeks, the council carried out 12 formal laboratory tests and staff have been taste-testing daily.
Johansson said all laboratory tests had been compliant and “this confirms that the drinking water is safe to drink, and what we are dealing with is a taste issue”.
“The taste being experienced is an aesthetic issue related to small amounts of organic compounds which impart the earthy, musty taste in the water,” he said.
“People have different sensitivity to the taste in the water … hence the difference of people’s response to the taste in the water.”
The Waiāri Water Supply Scheme, pictured on opening day on March 22, 2023. Photo / Andrew Warner
Johansson said the water was safe but encouraged anyone having health concerns or experiencing illness to contact their health professional.
He also encouraged people to contact the council if the problem persisted once flushing had been completed.
“If doctors suspected there was any linkage to the water supply, they would report this to the Medical Officer of Health.
“There is a strict process around this in the interest of public health. We are routinely testing and monitoring in order to keep the community safe,” he said.
The treatment plant was expected to supply water to up to about 35,000 households in Pāpāmoa East and meet Tauranga’s growing demand for the next 30 years.
It was reported at the time the city’s average water demand was about 44 million litres per day, which could increase to 58 million litres in summer. The Waiāri scheme supplied up to 10 million litres of water a day.
The city is also served by water treatment plants in Joyce Rd and Ōropi.
Waiāri’s reach could be extended to the wider coastal strip, including Mount Maunganui and the Te Tumu growth area. It could also be used for Te Puke, in the Western Bay of Plenty, if needed.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council director of water services EJ Wentzel said none of the district’s supplies were fed from the Waiāri scheme yet.
The Western Bay supply was bore fed “and therefore not affected” by the same issue affecting Pāpāmoa, Wentzel said.
Kiri Gillespie is an assistant news director and a senior journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, specialising in local politics and city issues. She was a finalist for the Voyager Media Awards Regional Journalist of the Year in 2021.
