Water advisory FAQ

In early 2023 water samples showed elevated levels of aluminium in water supplies for North Bruce, Moa Flat and Richardson South water schemes, including Waihola, Heriot, Kaka Point and Waitahuna.

In August an advisory was also put in place for South Bruce, including Stirling, Benhar and Cherry Lane in Balclutha after three samples showed aluminium levels exceeding the drinking water standard.

In September an advisory was issued for Tapanui after a single exceedance, with a reading of 1.33mg/l, taken from the Tapanui Water Treatment Plant on 18 August 2023.

We understand this news will be concerning but residents should be aware that there is no immediate risk to people’s health. The heightened aluminium levels in the water samples do exceed current New Zealand water standards, but the risk of consuming water from the affected supplies is negligible; no health effects would be expected at the measured levels of Aluminium exposure, even if water was consumed for a period of weeks to months, including for people with kidney disease, infants and children.

Aluminium compounds are used in water-treatment to bind suspended particles and help remove them from the water. It’s too soon to say for sure why the Aluminium levels are high in the water supplies. We are investigating all possible causes. Investigations are still ongoing.

Aluminium is the most common metal in the earth’s crust. All humans are exposed to Aluminium. Most adults have around 30-50mg of Aluminium present in their bodies. It occurs naturally in the soil, water and air. The primary source of exposure is through food, for example baked goods and tea. Aluminium is also found in commonly used products such as antacids, food additives, cookware, anti-perspirants and cosmetics.

Aluminium testing is a requirement of new drinking water standards, introduced in November 2022. We started to see higher than allowed levels of aluminium in laboratory results from sampling sites for the North Bruce, Moa Flat and Richardson South water schemes, taken in January and received in February. Taumata Arowai was informed and since then we have been working to find and address the cause.

In August an advisory was put in place for South Bruce, including Stirling, Benhar and Cherry Lane in Balclutha after three samples from June and July showed aluminium levels exceeding the drinking water standard.

In September an advisory was issued for Tapanui after a single exceedance, with a reading of 1.33mg/l, taken from the Tapanui Water Treatment Plant on 18 August 2023.

Taumata Arowai was informed and we have been working to find and address the cause.

Sampling has been ongoing, and we have made changes at water treatment plants to try and address the issue.

Routine laboratory sampling happens for all of our water supplies and there have been no other exceedances.

Aluminium testing is a requirement of new drinking water standards, introduced in November 2022 by Taumata Arowai. Testing aluminium was previously done periodically but as it was not a requirement, we did not formally report on it. However, we will be reviewing our historic records.

Water supply in Waihola, Heriot, Kaka Point and Waitahuna comes from rural water schemes and is different to larger places like Balclutha or Milton where water is ‘on demand’ and people don’t need storage tanks at home.

The water supply to Waihola township is included in the North Bruce Rural water scheme, Kaka Point is Richardson South, Heriot is Moa Flat and the treatment plant at Waitahuna also supplies the Tuapeka East, Balmoral 1 and 2 rural water schemes.

All households on rural schemes are required to have a tank with at least two days’ storage (2000L), but council recommends 4000L, or larger if there’s space on the property. This is helpful for larger families and anyone wanting to provide additional security for their own water supply.

There’s only so much water available so properties connected to these supplies have a restrictor to allow a set flow of water each day. Restrictors are important because they allow everyone on the water supply to gets water.

We also recommend you ensure your water level indicator is installed 200-200 metres off the base of the tank.

You can view a map of all the rural water schemes in the Clutha District here.

No, this will not remove aluminium.

This would be a question for your filtration supplier as each filtration system is different.

Fruit and vegetables can still be washed, prepared and cooked using tap water. Your tap water supply is drinkable.

Yes, you can wash your dishes as you normally would including using your dishwasher.

Yes.

No, continue doing your laundry the way you usually do.

Tap water is still safe to be drunk by animals. Tanker water won’t be supplied for animals.

Yes, you can.

The water from your taps can still be drunk so yes, you can brush your teeth with tap water. You can also shave as usual using tap water.

Yes, you can use tap water for handwashing, bathing, and washing clothes.

No need to drain. You can continue to drink the scheme supply water as you normally would.

Please don't clean now – this could stir up the sediment in the bottom of the tank.

However, it is recommended that you clean your tank every 2-3 years to reduce the amount of sediment and anything that might be in your tank but shouldn’t be.

You can continue to use the scheme supply as you normally would. If you have an existing rainwater collection system that you already use, you can continue to use that as well. If you have an old rainwater collection system that you have not been using, it is best to not start using it now. The system may be contaminated with debris and things that could put your health at risk.

We have tested for aluminium in the past, but it wasn’t a water standard that we needed to record and report on until November 2022. We know that aluminium has been present periodically in the water supplies in 2022, but at what level we can’t say.

We are not aware of any studies that measure the impacts on pregnancy in humans, however birth defects have not been seen in animal studies.

If breastfeeding, continue as usual. If you are using baby formula you can still use tap or prepare using tanker or bottled water.

Infants and children are not thought to be at increased risk compared to adults, from exposure to aluminium.

At the levels of aluminium detected in the water supplies, there are not expected to be any health effects. As always, anyone concerned about their health should contact their GP or Healthline on 0800 611 116.

There are no patients receiving home haemodialysis in the affected water supplies. If there were, the filtration process of home haemodialysis would remove excess aluminium if present. The detected levels of aluminium in the water supply would not be expected to cause any health effects for people with kidney disease if the water was consumed for a period of up to weeks to months.

It is still safe to water your garden. Tanker water won’t be supplied for gardening.

Clutha District’s rural water scheme customers can subscribe for future updates.

• Downloading the Antenno app from the App Store or Google Play
• Subscribing for text and email alerts updates.
  If you don’t have a cell phone ask a close family member, friend or neighbor to join on your behalf and they can keep you updated.

You’re welcome to sign up on behalf of a friend or family member who may not cell phone or email access to help keep them informed.