Updates: Pahiatua Water Treatment Plant

Update: 2 October 2023

Thank you for conserving water Pahiatua

The Pahiatua community and Tararua District Council have successfully worked together to refill the town’s water reservoir to 50% capacity. The Total Outdoor Ban has been lifted and Council is making further improvements to the town’s water supply.
50% capacity in the reservoirs equates to 3 days of water supply for the town (based on current use).
Now this goal has been achieved, Council’s follow-up actions include the following:

• Further cleaning and maintenance of the
  membrane/filters
• Telemetry adjustments to improve measuring data
  on water flows
• A review of contingency plans for the Pahiatua water treatment plant

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Update: 26 September 2023, 11am

Total Outdoor Ban lifted for Pahiatua’s treated water supply

The Pahiatua community and Tararua District Council have successfully worked together to refill the town's water reservoir to 50% capacity.

This means Total Outdoor Ban can be lifted and it will enable Council to make further improvements to the town’s water supply. 50% capacity in the reservoirs equates to 3 days of water supply for the town (based on current use).

Now this goal has been achieved councils follow up actions include the following:

• Further cleaning of the membrane/filters
• Telemetry adjustments to improve measuring data on water flows
• A review of contingency plans for the Pahiatua water treatment plant
• Provision of additional resilience, including spare membranes/filters
• A review of the maintenance regime

We would like to thank the Pahiatua community for their efforts and patience, and for the work of Council water teams and contractor Filtec.

Despite removing the water restriction, we need to be mindful that, as we head into the summer, water conservation by all communities throughout the Tararua District will be key as it is predicted that we will experience the effects of a potentially strong El Niño.

Preparing for the summer months now and identifying ways we can all save water is something we all need to think about collectively.

For the Pahiatua community, who have been practicing water conservation over the last two weeks, please keep on using those water saving techniques you have shown to work as we move towards summer.

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Update: Monday,  25 September 2023, 1:15pm

The Pahiatua treated water supply has seen gains in both treated water capacity and storage over the weekend. Progress has been made by Council teams and the community and the reservoir, as at midday Monday 25 September, was back up to 44% capacity.

Over the last two weeks council, Filtec and the community have accomplished much working together to replenish the Pahiatua treated water reservoir, this has included the following:

• a 10% reduction in towns water consumption by the community
• pressure set point adjustments
• main valve replacement
• pressure reducing valve adjustments and cleaning of filters resulting in reduced pressures on membranes and increased treated water output
• ultraviolet lamp and ballast repairs (after an unexpected failure)
• a review and adjustment of the automation process
• backpulse flow rate adjustments to optimise the cleaning of filters

Notwithstanding the positive progress and an observable reduction in the community’s water consumption, continued water conservation is still required as we head towards the goal of 50% capacity in the reservoir.  Pahiatua now has just under three days of treated water at current treated capacity and town’s consumption.

Further improvements can be made to the filters to increase treated water output once the reservoir has reached above 50% capacity and we ask that everyone continues to be water wise; with continued effort we hope to be in a position to review the water restriction this evening.

We remind the community that the Total Outdoor Ban remains in place. This means no use of sprinklers, soak hoses, irrigation systems, garden hoses, water blasters or washing of vehicles, boats, or buildings.

As we head into the summer, water conservation by all communities throughout the Tararua District will be key as we will experience the effects of a potentially strong El Niño. Preparing for the summer months now and identifying ways we can all save water is something we all need to think about collectively.

To further help reduce water usage Council is asking all Tararua residents to report water leaks in the streets and/or public spaces to our teams.  Please also help to find and fix water leaks around the house or property including leaking taps or toilets.

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Update: Friday,  22 September 2023, 9am

• Treated water levels have gone up from 14.6% yesterday to 21.9% this morning. Several changes have been made to improve production of treated water
• Heavy rainfall is expected this weekend which may cause water to need extra treatment, slowing down production of treated water
• Please continue to save water. The current issue has little to do with rain or the river. The problem is that the water plant was not able to treat enough water to keep up with the town’s use of water. As a result, treated water levels have gone down in the reservoir. That is why we are asking Pahiatua residents to save water, so the treated water storage levels can be returned to normal.
• 50% treated water capacity in both reservoirs (this equates to 3 days of supply) is what is needed.
• The treatment plant continues to produce safe drinking water.
• Our water team and contractor Filtec will be closely monitoring water production at the water treatment plant this weekend.
• The Total Outdoor ban remains in place. This means no use of sprinklers, soak hoses, irrigation systems, garden hoses, water blasters or washing of vehicles, boats or buildings.
• Many thanks to all those who have been helping to conserve water. Small changes in the home can result in huge water savings for the whole community. Let’s work together to get out of this risk period as soon as we can.

Update: Thursday,  21 September 2023, 9am

• Treated water levels are creeping upwards from 12.3% yesterday to 14.6 this morning
• Our teams will be trying to ramp up production to reach the target of 50% water capacity in the treated water reservoir
• The treatment plant continues to produce safe drinking water
• The water treatment plant remains vulnerable and water conservation by all is still essential
• The Total Outdoor ban remains in place. This means no use of sprinklers, soak hoses, irrigation systems, garden hoses, water blasters or washing of vehicles, boats or buildings. We really need your help to refrain from doing these activities and remind others of this.

Update: Wednesday, 20 September 2023, 11am

• Treated water levels are increasing very slowly from 10% yesterday to 12.3% capacity this morning
• 50% treated water capacity in both reservoirs (this equates to 3 days of supply) is what is needed
• The treatment plant continues to produce safe drinking water
• The Pahiatua water supply remains vulnerable to plant shutdown or low production, and we need to get out of this risk period as soon as possible
• Water conservation by residents and businesses remains of the utmost importance
• We greatly appreciate the efforts of those who have saved water, however overall, water usage continues to increase
• Small changes in the home can result in huge water savings for the whole community. Please refer to the image for some simple tips on how to reduce water
• Council teams, Filtec, the contractor, are urgently working hard to produce more treated water to replenish the town’s water reservoir
• The Total Outdoor Ban remains in place. This means no use of sprinklers, soak hoses, irrigation systems, garden hoses, water blasters or washing of vehicles, boats or buildings. We really need your help to refrain from doing these activities and remind others of this

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Update: Tuesday, 19 September 2023 - 10am

The more water is conserved, the quicker the water restrictions can be taken off. Water conservation by all is key to building up resilience.

• Here are the latest updates from the Incident Management Team:
• After replacement of a main valve by our teams yesterday, water levels in the reservoir have shown a slight increase, from 3% yesterday afternoon to about 10% this morning.
• The treated water reserves are still vulnerable if a full closedown occurs for any reason.
• Although we know some people have been conserving water, overall, the town shows no reduction in water consumption compared to average. It is essential that the community rallies together to bring water usage down.
• Council contractor Filtec and Council teams are working hard to maintain and improve water production.
• The Total Outdoor Ban remains in place. This means no use of sprinklers, soak hoses, irrigation systems, garden hoses, water blasters or washing of vehicles, boats or buildings. We really need your help to refrain from doing these activities and remind others of this.
• As we head into the drier months water conservation will become increasingly important. Please refer to the image for some simple tips on how to reduce water.
• We will be providing another update this afternoon.
• Water is safe to drink and fully treated.

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Update: Monday, 18 September 2023 - 3pm

The water situation in Pahiatua remains critical. Now more than ever, water conservation by all is essential. The less water that is used, the more that can be stored to build up resilience.

Here are the latest updates from the Incident Management Team (IMT):

• The water level of the reservoir has gone down again from 7.5% this morning, to around 3.2%. It dropped quickly because we had to go offline to replace the main valve which had become blocked.
• Whilst this is critically low, the water levels are slowly increasing due to the replacement of the faulty valve this afternoon.
• If the water levels run any lower than they are now, river water will be added to the stored water to replenish the reservoir. Although this water will be still partially treated with chlorine, it will not be compliant with the NZ Drinking Water Standards and a Boil Water Notice will have to be issued.
• Until this happens, the water is safe to drink and fully treated.
• The Total Outdoor Ban remains in place. This means no use of sprinklers, soak hoses, irrigation systems, garden hoses, water blasters or washing of vehicles, boats or buildings. We really need your help to refrain from doing these activities and remind others of this.
• We will be providing another update tomorrow morning.
• Please refer to the image for some simple tips on how to reduce water.

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Update: Monday, 18 September 2023 - 11am

We're facing a critical water situation in Pahiatua, and we urgently need your help! Here’s what you need to know:

• Water levels in the Pahiatua treated water supply have gone down from 11% to 7.5%. Water conservation by all is essential.
• Let's work together to ensure that we have enough to meet our essential needs during this challenging time.
• A second issue with the water treatment plant has occurred due to a clogged valve. A replacement valve is currently being installed.
• An Incident Management Team (IMT) has been stood up. A next update with more details will released this afternoon as we review the situation.
• The water is safe to drink and fully treated. Council is currently looking into the option of getting water tankers as a means of reducing water consumption.
• We greatly appreciate the efforts of those who have saved water, now it’s time for the rest of the community to rally together to collectively improve the resilience of the reservoir.
• Please refer to the image below for some simple tips on how to reduce water.

Update: Sunday, 17 September 2023

Water levels in the Pahiatua treated water supply have gone down over the weekend and water conservation by all is essential. Currently the reservoir sits at 11% capacity on Sunday, on Friday this was 16%.

The Council water team and Council's contractor, Filtec, worked through the weekend checking production of treated water and water use.