Localised heavy rainfall over the last three days and resulting high raw water turbidity in Ohakune's water source has led to Council needing to issue a precautionary water safety notice which is advising people to either use bottled water or to boil water for drinking.

Environmental Manager Anne-Marie Westcott said that Council’s water contractor Veoila has been running the Water Treatment Plant at full capacity to maintain reservoir levels and meet the peak school holiday demand.

“The tap water people are receiving has still been treated but due to the poor raw water quality as a result of the high rainfall it has higher levels of turbidity than we would like,” she said.

“Although the risk of people getting sick from unintentionally drinking the water is low we are not prepared to take any chances with public health.

While the water safety notice is in effect people need to ensure that they boil all tap water for at least two minutes and let it cool before use or choose to use bottled water.

Ms Westcott said that we require three consecutive days of negative test results before the boil water advisory can be lifted.

With more bad weather forecast we may not be in a position to lift the notice until next week.

In the interim anyone holidaying in Ohakune or planning to do so should continue with their holiday plans but please follow the instructions to either use bottled water or to boil water for drinking.

Council staff have been out talking with accommodation providers and restaurants in Ohakune today explaining the situation.

More information including a list of frequently asked questions on boil water notices can be found on Council’s website (see A-Z, Boil Water Notice FAQ’s).”

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