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More water needed for Napier city

Published: 12 October 2020

Last Updated: 13 October 2020

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Napier’s water demand has increased to summertime levels so to ensure the city doesn’t run out of drinking water we will be turning on an existing water supply.

Low rainfall so far this spring has contributed to the demand.

The increased water flow from  from restarting an existing bore could result in dirty water issues in some Napier suburbs and streets.

Should this happen in your home or business, please run an outside tap for 15 minutes to clear it. If there is no outdoor tap, then an indoor cold water tap can be used to flush the pipes.

If it continues after this time, call us on 835 7579 and we’ll get a team out to flush the mains in your street.

For more information about dirty water click here

Water FAQs

What is causing Napier's dirty water?

One of the main causes of Napier’s dirty water is the manganese levels.

Our water source, the Heretaunga Aquifer, has naturally occurring manganese. When water combines with manganese water and oxygen or chlorine, the manganese oxidises to manganese dioxide, a black solid that can be deposited in our pipes.

Manganese has always been present in our water network. Dirty water is now more of an issue due to the manganese reacting with the chlorine we've been adding to our water since 2017.

What do I do if my water is dirty?

Run your outside tap until the water colour becomes clear. If it doesn’t clear after 15 minutes, phone our Customer Service Centre on (06) 835 7579. If you don’t have an outside tap, then use a kitchen or laundry tap.

If you do resolve the problem yourself, we'd really appreciate a heads up that you've had problems. Please complete the 'Report It' form.

Is dirty water safe?

Our source water has a normal level manganese, less than 0.07 mg/L, well below the manganese Maximum Acceptable Value of 0.40 mg/L. This is safe to drink.

However the dirty tap water some households have been experiencing has higher levels of manganese and should not be drunk. Run your outside tap for 15 minutes and once it is clear, then the water is safe to drink.

Dirty laundry. Any tips on how to avoid this?

If you've experienced dirty water issues in the past, we'd recommend you run your laundry tub taps first before you do your washing. If your water isn't running clear, then run your outside tap hard for up to 15 minutes. If things still look murky, call our Customer Service team on 06 835 7579 and we'll send our team out ASAP. To help with water conservation, don't let the taps run for more than 15 minutes. Please call us if the water hasn't run clear after this time.

You are asking us to conserve water but telling us to run our taps for 15 minutes to clear the dirty water. Isn’t this wasting lots of water?

Yes but the first and most important priority is to flush the dirty water from your pipes so it’s ok for drinking and other household uses. Conserving water is important too but is secondary to having clear water.

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