Tararua District Council is aware of increasing concern around water availability in Pongaroa and staff are monitoring this issue closely.

Data collected from the Pongaroa Water Treatment Plant over the past week shows a clear and worrying pattern of unusually high, unexplained drops in water levels in the treated reservoir.

Specifically, between 19 July and 26 July, there were three significant periods where water levels in the reservoir dropped sharply, even as the treatment plant continued to operate consistently at full capacity. When the reservoir levels fall to low levels, this disrupts water supply to the town.

These types of sudden, steep drops are not consistent with normal community use. They strongly suggest one of the following things is happening:

• the presence of new leaks in the distribution pipeline,
• unauthorised access or illegal taking of water from the supply system.

These events occurred on:

• 19 July, between 12:00 pm and 8:00 pm
• 22 July, 9:30 pm to 24 July, 10:30 am
• 25 July, 9:00 am to 26 July, 6:00 am

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Image: Pongaroa Reservoir Tank Level (19-26 July)

Image: Pongaroa Water Treatment Plant Production Flow Rate (19-26 July)

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We are actively investigating these events and working to determine the cause. If found to be unlawful activity, we will work with relevant authorities to address this. Our community deserves a secure, reliable water supply - and we are determined to protect it.

We’re asking the community to remain alert. If you notice signs of leaks or suspicious activity near the treatment plant or within the town, please report it to Council immediately. Your eyes and ears can help prevent water loss, water theft and protect our shared infrastructure.

Pongaroa Water Supply - Tank Requirements Clarification

We'd like to clarify the current requirements regarding water tanks in Pongaroa and apologise for confusing matters.

Under our current bylaw, residents are not required to have water tanks. However, for those who do maintain their own tanks, this provides an additional level of water security and resilience for their properties.

Please note that we do not recommend mixing Council-supplied treated water with self-supplied untreated water sources.

Background 

For many decades before our current bylaw, water tanks were a requirement for properties connected to the Pongaroa supply. Since the completion of our water treatment plant five years ago, we've been able to provide mains pressure water supply directly to the township. During this transition period, we've experienced some service interruptions due to pre-treatment and main line issues, which have occasionally required precautionary boil water notices for the community.

Recent Improvements 

In 2024, we completed maintenance on our pre-treatment system, significantly improving the quality of water entering our town treatment plant. The plant has been operating effectively since these improvements.

Moving Forward 

Council is currently evaluating options to increase town water storage capacity, which will further enhance the overall resilience and reliability of our water supply system.

We appreciate the community's patience as we continue to improve our water infrastructure to better serve Pongaroa residents.