Water Quality & Standards

The quality of the water piped to your home, business or school is managed under the Health Act 1956 as amended by the Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Act in October 2007.

This Act aims to protect public health by improving the quality of drinking water provided to communities. The specific water quality requirements are contained in the Drinking-Water Standards for New Zealand prepared under that Act.

Water quality is monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days per year to ensure that it is consistently safe for you to drink. In addition a comprehensive analysis of raw water is undertaken every three years to identify any contaminants that would be harmful or detrimental to your health. These include algae, faecal coliforms, giardia and cryptosporidium.

To ensure Council has recognised any risks to the water supply, Council must prepare a Public Health Risk Management Plan for each supply it operates. These plans identify both the risks and what action Council has taken to address those risks. The plans are reviewed regularly in accordance with the requirements of the Drinking Water Amendment Act.