Pahiatua residents told to boil water

Pahiatua residents told to boil water

A boil water notice has been issued for the Tararua town of Pahiatua due to possible contamination.

The Council's received two consecutive days of positive E. coli results, although no contamination has been detected in the reticulated water supply.

There have been no reports of illness.

The supply is now being chlorinated, which Mayor Roly Ellis says is working well.

"We're also going to put a tanker outside the Pahiatua Service Centre and that will have fresh water from a completely different town in it so people can come fill up a water bottle," says Mr Ellis.

Mr Ellis says the notice will be lifted once there have been three consecutive days of clear tests.

"There is a possibility it's not there, but I discussed it with the water man… [and] I said we don't want to muck around, let's just go for it and get everything as if there may be.

"We've had this sort of thing before and we have taken positive action. Obviously we've reacted very, very fast this time. So, in fact, we don't get adverse reactions because I know with the Havelock situation it could blow up all over the place and I could spend the next week trying to handle it."

Mr Ellis says the Council is door-knocking to inform residents and has also told a range of companies and organisations in the town.

The town's deep bore is one of the only ones in the district that isn't chlorinated as it's deemed to be a secure water source under Ministry of Health standard.

Last month, more than 5000 people became sick in Havelock North after its water supply was contaminated with campylobacter.

Until notified otherwise, Pahiatua residents are advised to boil water before using it for:

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