The majority of Waihola residents will no longer need to boil their water before consumption.
Following completion of the new Milton to Waihola pipeline, completed under the $6.27 million budget, Clutha District Council staff have undergone a full commissioning plan, intensive flushing of pipes and reservoirs and rigorous testing of the Waihola township to ensure Council is now in a position to confidently lift the boil water notice and the aluminium advisory.
229 households will no longer need to boil their water however, 25 will continue to have their water fed from pipes to the North Bruce Rural Water Scheme which remains on a boil water notice and an aluminium advisory.
The map here shows the properties in Waihola either being fed from the Milton or the North Bruce line.
All water supply to the Waihola township had previously come from the North Bruce Rural Water Scheme which also supplied the North Bruce area.
This water scheme was at capacity and under the current resource consent, no additional water could be taken from its source.
Council recognised that Waihola needed an upgraded water supply to meet the demand for further development in the area, as well as making supply available for development in the Milburn area.
18.5km pipeline from the Milton Water Treatment Plant to the Waihola reservoir was installed to double capacity to 500 units of water for the town.
As part of this project a new pump station was constructed at Milburn including upgrades to pumps, electrical equipment, and the filtration system at the Milton Water Treatment Plant to allow it to produce enough water to meet the needs of both Milton and Waihola.
Meanwhile, work is continuing to look at the recommendations received by the independent process engineer to improve processes at the North Bruce Water Treatment Plant to allow Council to potentially lift the boil water notice still in place for North Bruce consumers.
While water from Milton had been flowing to Waihola for some time, it is advised that Waihola residents, especially those that do not live there full time, have their own water tanks cleaned if they have not already done this.
The tanker behind the Waihola Community Hall will be removed now that the boil notice has been lifted. The carpark is scheduled for remediation following this.
North Bruce residents can fill up clean containers from the public tap at the Waihola Domain.
It is also noted that Waihola is still a restricted water supply, and all households were required to have a tank with at least two days’ storage (2000L).
Residents with any questions or concerns can contact Council on 0800 801 350.
About the boil water notice
Council advices anyone using water from their tap for consumption (including teeth cleaning and food preparation such as washing fruit and vegetables) to boil it for 1 minute before it is used.
You can read our boil water FAQs at www.cluthadc.govt.nz/boil-water-faqs
About the aluminium advisory
An advisory is in place after a drinking water sample has returned results with an aluminium level exceeding the drinking water standard of 1mg/L.
This advisory will remain in place while treatment plant improvements are implemented. The most recent exceedances had readings of 1.13 mg/L at North Bruce Lake Road on 30 October 2024, 1.43 mg/L at North Bruce Treatment Plant on 11 November 2024, and 3.0 mg/L at North Bruce Toko Mouth Road (Tokoiti School) on 15 November 2024.
We recommend that you flush a mugful or two of water from your drinking water tap each morning prior to boiling your water for consumption.
Advice received is that no health effects would be expected at these levels of aluminium exposure, even if water was consumed over extended periods of time. This includes effects for people with kidney disease, infants, and children.
You can read more about the water advisory by visiting Council's frequently asked questions page
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Water Notices
