Central Hawke's Bay towns won't run dry today, but water conservation urged

A broken water pipe that played havoc on the water supply of two Central Hawke's Bay towns has been fixed, but the council is still urging residents to conserve water.

The water line, which supplies Waipawa and Otane, was broken by a private contractor at 9.30am on Friday and fixed by 6pm. Mayor Alex Walker said although the line was fixed, it remained vulnerable and asked residents to conserve water.

Central Hawke's Bay District Council said on Friday afternoon it was "critical" for the public to curb their water usage after a private contractor hit the main water line that feeds the reservoir for Waipawa and the main line to Otane.

"What we know is that there has been major damage to the network pipe that supplies Otane and Waipawa," a spokesperson said.

Central Hawke's Bay District Council said it's "critical" for public to decrease their water usage in Waipawa and Otane. Photo / Supplied

At one point the council said the towns may run out of water by 2.30pm, although this did not come to pass.

Mayor Alex Walker said the council was managing to maintain the Waipawa water reservoir's level.

"We're making good progress on getting the network back up and running.

"But we're not out of the woods and we don't yet know when the water supply will be back to normal, so we still need everyone to pitch in and save water."

She said tankers and bottled water is on stand-by, and the council will let people know how to access this if need be.

"In the meantime, we ask everyone to please use their own emergency water supplies, or if they have friends and family elsewhere in the district, visit them to fill up containers."

She said residents of Waipawa and Otane should do everything they could to limit their water use, and wanted to thank the community for everyone's help so far.

"We've got a total outdoor water use ban in place, but there's plenty we can all do to limit our indoor water use – don't use your washing machine or dishwasher, put off having a shower and taking a bath, and remember the old adage: "if it's yellow let it mellow" – don't flush your toilet if you can get away with it," she said.

Businesses in the two towns are closing as the water runs low. Photo / Rachel Wise

"If you have very high needs and need water delivered to your home due to mobility issues, please contact 06 857 8060."

Waipukurau and Waipawa Volunteer Fire Brigades are driving through Waipawa broadcasting an announcement. Photo / Rachel Wise

The council has also been in touch with Fire and Emergency services so they are aware of the situation and can put a contingency plan in place.

"Our welfare team has contacted vulnerable members of our community and those with high water needs, including healthcare centres."

Waipukurau and Waipawa Volunteer Fire Brigades on Friday drove through Waipawa broadcasting an announcement that the town was without water and urging residents to check the council website for further information.

The town's businesses were also forced to close because of the issue.

Gloria "Mumma G" from Mumma G's Cafe Waipawa said they would be making coffee with the last of their water and then closing for the day.

"We can't run our business without water."

Krystal Boenders said they were cancelling cuts and colours for hygiene reasons. Photo / Rachel Wise

Manager of Claire Wynn Hair and Mrs Chadwick's Beauty Shoppe, Krystal Boenders, said they were cancelling colours and cuts.

"[We] had to cancel every colour and couldn't do cuts because of hygiene issues - we need to be able to wash our hands and equipment."

Nola Cafe chef Doug Hales said they also closed.

"It's a safety issue. We'd hate anybody to get sick. Council's doing all they can. They have contacted us twice already, so they're doing a good job."

Meanwhile, bottled water flew off the shelves of the Waipawa 4 Square.

Owner Graham Williams said he had been in contact with Foodstuffs and they were sending a special order immediately.

"It should arrive Friday evening. We may stay open later than usual to get it to our customers, once we hear when it's arriving."

Level four water restrictions are in place until further notice, meaning a total ban on outdoor water use, except in the event of an emergency.

Doug Hales from Nola Cafe said they were closing due to the lack of water. Photo / Rachel Wise

Additionally a leak has been detected in the network which caused levels to drop.

If you are experiencing any water issues please contact the district council on 06 857 8060.