Lack of parasitic protection in water supply for small Ruapehu village expected to be rectified in coming months

The national water regulator has told 27 councils to comply with drinking water regulations. Photo / 123rf

A Ruapehu District Council water plant found to be operating without protection from protozoa parasites is expected to have those protections installed in the coming months.

Protozoa are a group of microorganisms, including parasites such as cryptosporidium, which can travel through drinking water.

The Water Services Act (2021) and Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules dictate water suppliers must use a multi-barrier approach to protect water from contamination.

However, since last month Queenstown residents have had to boil drinking water due to an outbreak of cryptosporidium caused by the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s water supply having no protection from protozoan parasites.

Last week, water services regulator Taumata Arowai wrote to council, government and private water suppliers that share similar characteristics to the Queenstown water supply to ask if their supplies included protozoan barriers.

“Now that we have assessed the information provided, we have identified 27 council suppliers across Aotearoa that have drinking water treatment plants that should have a protozoa barrier in place but have told us that they don’t,” head of regulatory Steve Taylor said.

“[This week] we have written to those 27 councils telling them we expect them to have a confirmed and funded plan agreed by June 30 next year”.

The Ruapehu District Council-controlled surface water supply in the village of Ōwhango was among those found to not have a barrier.

Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton said the council had budgeted for the installation of the barrier to happen this financial year.

“That could happen within the next month or two as I understand it,” Kirton said.

“We’re now almost halfway through the year, they’ve got funding, they’ve got the go-ahead.”

Council executive manager of infrastructure Vini Dutra said the council was currently working through technical details for sizing the plant.

“When the Three Waters reform was announced, council implemented an accelerated capital works programme with the goal of upgrading all our water treatment plants to the required standards within five years,” Dutra said.

The Ōwhango plant was the only one of the council’s water supplies left without the barrier and had been last to receive the added protection due to its unique origins.

It was initially a privately owned water supply used for the farms in the area but, as the population of the village grew, it was used to supply water to urban and rural residents.

“So it’s not the typical urban, traditional water plant and also reticulation, it developed from the countryside but into a proper plant,” Kirton said.

The plant was now under council control but had always had a mix of investment from council and private firms, which led to it being the last facility in the district to receive the necessary upgrades.

Ōwhango has a population of about 200 people, so the risk of a widespread parasitic outbreak was low.

However, Kirton said people in the area had reported issues with water quality, such as water becoming cloudy after periods of heavy rain.

“That’s because they haven’t got the scale of processes or treatment, so that’s why it’s limited to what quality it pumps out.

“Nevertheless, if we own it, we’ve got to get it up to specification.”

Dutra said until the barriers were installed, the water safety plan for Ōwhango included an enhanced testing regime, especially covering periods of high-water cloudiness such as periods of high rainfall.

Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.