Discoloured water in Napier safe to drink, residents told

Residents on Titoki Crescent raised concerns about the colour of their water. Photo / Supplied.

Napier residents shunning tap water in favour of bottled water have been told their drinking water is safe to drink, even though it might not look like it.

After residents on Titoki Cres raised concerns about the colour of their water, a Napier City Council spokeswoman said the city supply had several issues with water discolouration, which happens when the silty substances inside the pipes are lifted by the chlorine.

"The chlorine acts as a sort of scrubbing brush, and because our network has never been chlorinated in the past there is bio matter in the pipes that flakes off with the presence of chlorine.

"The bio matter is harmless and the water has been tested on the request of residents in the past, and has been found to be safe.

"The pipes are not being 'eaten away' by chlorine, it's the bio matter that is coming through into the tap water. Running the taps at full capacity for 15 minutes often clears the matter out quickly."

She confirmed the council had this month received service requests from three residents on the street.

"We really want to urge people to give us a call if they are concerned about discoloured water. Aside from flushing the pipes, there are a number of other fixes we can try, depending on where the property is.

"Our team is always keen to hear from any resident experiencing water discolouration - our phones are staffed 24/7 on 835 7579 and we can send a ' team with a truck' out to respond as quickly as we can to water inquiries."

However, one resident said some people were having to source water elsewhere either out of choice because they don't like the chlorine or because they thought it was dirty.

"I have been either buying water or filling containers in Taradale for drinking. I still have to use the murky tap water to shower in and bath the kids in."