"Simply stating we failed to meet some 'operational performance parameters' is obscure to say the least,'' says Guy Taylor.
"Simply stating we failed to meet some 'operational performance parameters' is obscure to say the least,'' says Guy Taylor.
More than 65,000 Hawke's Bay residents are drinking water from non-compliant water supplies.
The Ministry of Health Annual Report on Drinking Water Quality 2020-2021 reports that five non-compliant water supplies are providing water to a total of 66,544 people across Hawke's Bay.
Most of those are in the Hastings district,and despite its failure to meet some water authority standards, the local council and other suppliers say their water is safe to drink.
The ministry report found that Hastings' urban water supply - which provides water to 64,764 people - failed the protozoal standards because of inadequate infrastructure.
Protozoa are single celled organisms, a number of which can cause disease.
The Waimārama and Whirinaki supplies - which provide water to 260 and 800 people respectively - also failed to met protozoal standards due to poor infrastructure.
The protozoal standards requirement is that all drinking water supplies have validated and monitored UV treatment.
Hastings will not have that until the new Frimley and Waiaroha water storage and treatment facilities are completed in mid-2022 and mid-2023 respectively.
Waimārama is now compliant following its plant being completed with a compliant system and Whirinaki is currently having its multi-stage treatment upgrade installed.
The Hastings District council said the supplies are tested constantly and are safe to drink.
"To ensure the water is safe while those facilities are being built, council uses constant on-line monitoring of the supply and back-up testing to ensure the water is safe to drink.
"That testing regime far exceeds the requirements of the Drinking Water Standards."
Council group manager of assets Craig Thew said the result was not unexpected as the supply had not been protozoa compliant since 2017 when Hastings lost its secure bore water status following the Havelock North bacterial contamination and Government inquiry.
He said protozoa have never been detected in Hastings' water, treated or untreated, but the UV treatment systems to deactivate protozoa would be installed to be sure.
He said the council was already significantly upgrading its wider drinking water treatment upgrade programme prior to the Three Waters proposal.
"On the wider Three Waters reform package, council has consistently supported the need for updated standards and a dedicated regulator.
"Regardless of whether the Three Waters service delivery proposal proceeds or not, the new infrastructure that has been put in place over the past three years and is due to be completed mid-next year is a programme of work council and the community committed to under its Drinking Water Strategy 2018."
Central Hawke's Bay District Council ran two supplies that failed to meet certain standards in the report.
The Pōrangahau water supply failed to met bacterial standards because E.coli was detected in 0.9 per cent of monitoring samples, affecting 30 of the 160 people on the supply.
The Takapau water supply - supplying 570 people - failed to meet chemical standards due to inadequate manganese sampling and failed to comply with the Health Act due to not having an implemented Water Safety Plan.
Finally, a single supply for 250 people run by Ngāti Pāhauwera Incorporated Society failed to meet the protozoal standards.
Raupunga did not meet protozoal standards because of a failure to achieve some operational performance parameters.
Ngati Pahauwera Incorporated Society spokesman Guy Taylor says they were surprised by the results showing protozoal non-compliance.
Ngati Pahauwera Incorporated Society spokesman Guy Taylor said they were surprised by the results showing protozoal non-compliance.
"We have barriers in place to treat these. We filter the water down to 1 micron and disinfect with UV and chlorine. This is regarded as an effective treatment for these protozoa."
He said they had no idea what the report was referring to with "operational performance parameters" and they had not been contacted about their non-compliance by water authorities.
"As such we cannot address the issues raised in the report as simply stating we failed to meet some 'operational performance parameters' is obscure to say the least.
"We are only too happy to take advice from Taumata Arowai as to where we can improve. In the past we had a strong working relationship with the local district water assessors, a relationship that is yet to develop with the current authority."
