Foxton Beach water supply gains top marks

Horowhenua District Council's water supply to Foxton Beach has just received an Aa grade under Ministry of Health drinking water grading.

The grade means the water quality is "completely satisfactory" with an "extremely low level of risk for source, treatment and distribution". Prior to the upgrade of the Foxton Beach water supply in 2012, the water grade had been Ed.

Council applied for a re-grade earlier this month and Water Services Manager Sarah Stephen says the Aa result is a "really great outcome".

This follows the September release of a report by MidCentral Health's Public Health Services Drinking Water Assessor Peter Wood, showing that the Foxton Beach, Foxton and Shannon water supplies had received their best-ever results for compliance with the Drinking Water Standards.

For the first time ever, the Foxton Beach supply was compliant with all aspects of the Drinking Water Standards for the full 12 months, while the Foxton and Shannon supplies were compliant for half of that period. This follows upgrades to all three water supplies between 2012 and 2014.

Council will apply for re-grades of the Foxton and Shannon supplies next year.

Ms Stephen says while most Foxton residents are happy with their water, some are unfortunately experiencing times when there water is discoloured, although it is still completely safe to drink.

Foxton's water mains are being flushed twice a week in efforts to completely clear the pipes of biological build-up that has occurred over the years.

"Council understands these residents' concerns about the aesthetics of the water being supplied. If running their taps for 10 to 15 minutes does not clear the water, we ask them to contact our Customer Services team," Ms Stephen said.

Meanwhile, upgrades to the Tokomaru water supply within the next year and to the Levin supply between now and 2017 should ensure these two supplies also gain full compliance with Drinking Water Standards.

ENDS

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