Whakatu residents seek more information on drinking water

Des Ratima stands beside the new water well head in Whakatu. Photo / Warren Buckland

A community meeting will be held in Whakatu this week for residents to seek answers over the Hastings District Council's drinking water chlorination programme.

Whakatu community leader Des Ratima said he would chair the meeting, to which councillors and council staff had been invited, to clarify confusion about the matter.

"The idea is for the community to be better informed - my understanding is there will be a good turnout from council and that they will explain things so people are not so alarmed."

This includes clarifying that the water will be treated with chlorine, not fluoride, and that only council bores will be treated with chlorine, not people's private bores.

The council conducted a series of pop-up community information events across the district over four days this month to explain the need for chlorination and its ongoing water strategy.

The introduction of chlorination across all the district's public water drinking supplies arose from the government inquiry into the Havelock North water contamination in August 2016.

One of the outcomes of the inquiry was the recommendation to immediately treat all water supplies, including residual treatment with chlorine, which would sanitise any contamination that may occur when water is travelling through the pipe network.

Already introduced in Hastings and Havelock North, this month that treatment has extended to Whakatu, Clive, Haumoana, Waipatu and Te Awanga.

A council spokeswoman stressed that the water treatment was being introduced because health and safety were paramount.

"Delivering safe drinking water is our number one priority," she said.

A new bore is being drilled in Whakatu to replace the existing one because of potential damage from tree roots.

She said this would simply replace the old one supplying Whakatu, it would not be supplying Havelock North or anywhere else.

She also said it had nothing to do with water-bottling plants, and that these were the domain of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council.

At a pop-up held at Whakatu this month, concerns were raised about the smell and taste of the chlorine.

This will also be discussed at this week's meeting, with ways to improve these issues, such as installing a carbon filter or putting a jug of water in the fridge overnight, which helps the chlorine to dissipate.

The meeting for Whakatu residents will be at the Whakatu Community Hall tomorrow night.