Ohakune water supply returning to normal

Ruapehu District Council advises that the Ohakune water supply is returning to normal, and every property connected to Council’s network should now have water.

Civil Defence Controller Vini Dutra said it was a great relief to have the water back on.

“I would like to thank Council staff, our water contractor Veolia, Ngāti Rangi and the volunteers for their tremendous efforts over the last few days, ” Mr Dutra said.

"I also want to thank the wider community for their patience and understanding as we worked through this incredibly complex issue.”

Mr Dutra said that while the restoration was progressing well, Council was continuing to monitor the network closely.

“Repressurising a large and complicated reticulated network, some of which is quite old, is a complex process.

The decision on Monday to take an additional 24 hours to restore the supply safely was based on an abundance of caution.

We needed to avoid the risk of creating even bigger problems that could have delayed restoration further," he said.

"So far, repressurising the network has caused a few leaks as the water supply has come back on.

Repairing some leaks may require isolated shutdowns affecting parts of the network.

If any shutdowns are needed, we will provide advance notice through Council’s Facebook page, website and Antenno app,” Mr Dutra said.

“If people are experiencing any issues with pipes or plumbing on their own property they should contact their plumber or landlord.”

The precautionary boil water notice remains in place until testing confirms it can be lifted.

“Regular water quality testing is being carried out, and we are working to lift the notice as soon as it is safe to do so,” Mr Dutra said.

“We have also been liaising with schools and businesses about the boil water notice and how they can reopen safely.”

Food businesses needing advice can contact Council’s Environmental Health Officer on 027 275 4758.

Emergency port-a-loos are being removed, and public toilets are progressively being brought back into service.

“We encourage people to keep the plastic water containers provided during the outage so they can be used to store emergency water during any future disruption,” Mr Dutra said.

He also reminded households to have an Emergency Response Plan and enough essential supplies, including water, to last for at least three days.

“Advice on preparing your household for an emergency is available at getready.govt.nz.”

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