Martinborough Community Board

Water, water everywhere but to drink it boil it first’…. The second water contamination incident in Martinborough this year has been a major cause of concern and frustration for residents, businesses and South Wairarapa District Council. This is a public health issue that has the potential to impact our most vulnerable residents the most, with the possibility of serious consequences.

I attended, and spoke at, Council’s emergency meeting on 24 April to discuss temporary chlorination of the Martinborough water supply.  The complexity of the issues and the difficulty in identifying the source of an intermittent contamination of the supply were clear. There will be some more disruption ahead as Council flushes the system to remove the build up of manganese in the pipes prior to temporary chlorination.

 In the short term it is clear that chlorination is the only option for lifting the boil water notice whilst a permanent solution is found. The independent report into the first boil water notice makes it very apparent that there is no quick fix for the problem, we should all expect chlorination of the supply for 6 months or more and it may be that permanent chlorination of the supply will be the only acceptable way forward for the safety of our water. 

In the meantime the boil water notice remains in place, please do not become complacent.  The Council website (swdc.govt.nz) is the place to find the most up to date information, whilst Council will be using a range of methods to share important information with all residents, please share updates with friends or neighbours who may not have access to the internet. We can all play a part in ensuring that no illnesses result from this event. 

Lisa Cornelissen

Lisa.Cornelissen@swdc.govt.nz, (028) 2553 4857 (calls only, no text messages).