Water took 'nearly an hour' to run clear

The Tamatea resident said it took nearly one hour for the water to run clear. Photo / Getty Images.

A Tamatea woman got a nasty shock yesterday morning when she ran a bath and found the water was discoloured and had a pungent chlorine smell.

Tanisha, who did not want her last name published, has now bought a water filter, likening the smell and taste of the water supply to that of a "swimming pool".

"I woke up overnight with really bad stomach cramps, actually needing to vomit, so I thought I'd have a bath.

"I went to run a bath and went off and got my clothes but when I came back the bath was black."

She took a photo of the water after the tap had been running for 15 minutes, and said it took nearly one hour to run clear.

"When the water ran down the drain it left a black grit on the bottom of the bath, sort of like a sandy grit."

She said it wasn't the first time her water supply was discoloured but she noticed the chlorine smell was far more powerful this time.

"The last three days it has smelt like a swimming pool. It is the worst that I've smelt it.

"We have had discoloured water before on more than one occasion but I've never had the real strong chlorine smell and taste."

Tanisha said she went out and bought a filtered jug because her family was struggling to drink the chlorinated water supply and had stomach cramps.

"My 14-year-old who refuses to drink the tap water is fine so I don't know if it's too much chlorine or what the deal is."

A Napier City Council spokesperson said they received two Facebook messages about discoloured water and flushed one resident's main as a result.

"When a supply is chlorinated, the chlorine can sometimes lift harmless bio matter that has settled in the pipes.

"This is a normal by-product of a chlorinated supply, which most in New Zealand now are, and it usually clears quickly by running the taps, or if necessary, flushing the nearby main."

They said if residents experienced discoloured water they should run their cold taps on full force for 15-20 minutes or contact their 24/7 helpline number if the discolouration persisted.

Tanisha posted the photograph of the discoloured water on Facebook yesterday and said she got a huge response, with some people saying they had resorted to buying bottled water to drink.

Those with persisting discoloured water were encouraged to call 06 835 7579 with their street address so the Napier City Council could send one of their team out to assist.