The boil water notice issued for parts of Hillsborough, Mt Roskill, Royal Oak and Three Kings remains in place today while we continue to investigate an E. coli result detected in a routine water sample.

The notice applies only to the properties shown in the two affected zones on the maps on our website. Not all streets are affected. Water outside of the mapped area remains safe to drink.

We have been working hard in the area and have carried out 8 new samples in the zone and 13 samples in adjacent zones. All of these samples showed no E. coli. Our investigations show that the most likely cause of the one E. coli test result was an issue with one sample tap. We have replaced the tap and are retesting and will have the results in the morning (8 April). If the next sample is normal, we will lift the notice.

The precautionary notice remains in place as a standard public health measure, taken in consultation with Taumata Arowai, our water regulator.

“We understand that keeping this boil water notice in place is disruptive for people and businesses and we appreciate everyone’s patience while we do this extra testing. People can rest assured that only the zones marked on the maps are affected,” says Chief Operations Officer Mark Bourne.

“Our bulk water infrastructure – water treatment plants and transmission watermains – supply water to bulk supply points around Auckland, which then supply water to the different network distribution zones. These zones allow us to control network operation like water pressure and, importantly, to contain any potential water quality issues to a small area. This means there is no risk to the wider Auckland network. Water samples are taken at least once a day from sample taps across all the distribution zones.”

What residents in the affected zone need to do

Until further notice, residents and businesses in the mapped area should continue to:

• Use boiled tap water or storebought bottled water for drinking, cleaning teeth, making ice, washing dishes, and preparing food.
• Boiling water in an electric kettle is sufficient to kill bacteria and other organisms. The water only needs to be boiled once and can be cooled before use.

Support available

Watercare continues to provide alternative water supplies for those who are unable to boil water:

• 113 Duke Street, Big King Reserve
• Hillsborough Park carpark, Carlton Street

These tankers are available 24/7 and will remain in place until the issue is resolved. A third tanker remains in place to support a local retirement village. Residents should bring clean water containers to the tankers to fill up.

We will provide another update in the morning.

All the latest information is available at watercare.co.nz, including maps showing the affected areas.

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