Muriwai water issues
As communicated last week, some Muriwai residents have been experiencing either very low water pressure or no water at certain parts of the day.
Watercare have investigated the issue and last week repaired nine leaks.
It is believed these leaks significantly contributed to the high network demand, and as further mitigation they will begin water tanker filling operations at 4am instead of 6am starting Wednesday 20 September.
To ensure everyone has access to water in the morning, we ask for residents to remain mindful of their water use.
Watercare is working to have the Muriwai Water Treatment Plant in service by the end of September
Muriwai: Watercare update 14 September
As some Muriwai residents start to move back home, some residents have been experiencing very low water pressure, due to increase in demand.
The Muriwai community remains a top priority for Watercare and they are working hard to restore a permanent water supply.
In the meantime, please remember:
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Don’t water your garden
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Keep showers to four minutes
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Only use your washing machines and dishwashers when they’re full
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Turn the tap off when you’re brushing your teeth or soaping your hands
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Be mindful when using large quantities of water for cleaning your house.
Watercare’s works on the Muriwai Water Treatment Plant and reservoir are well underway. Coming up this week is leak testing of the reservoir and testing of the plant. Following this, further cleaning of the reservoir will be required, working with our water quality team to ensure that water supply will be compliant with Taumata Arowai standards.
As the return to service of the water treatment plant and reservoir is dependent on successful commissioning tests, and access to site needs to be reassessed for safety after each rain event, we are unable to commit to a firm re-opening date at this time. The best-case scenario is estimated to be late September to early October. In the meantime, the temporary tanker set-up will remain in place to ensure that there is a continual water supply to our Muriwai customers.
When the water treatment plant and reservoir do return to service, there will be no noticeable change for most customers. The golf club, surf club and a few other outliers will need to have their pipes flushed and tested and we will be in touch when this is planned to happen.
Watercare is currently investigating additional water supply options in addition to the current aquifer. We are yet to determine what supply will be available from the current aquifer long term, so to ensure resilient supply we hope to add an additional source.
As water is a precious resource, and there may be limits on the aquifer supply, it is essential for all water users to be water wise, and make efforts to conserve water, particularly as we head into the summer.
Similarly, while we are still using the temporary water tanker supply for the next month or two, it is important to conserve water to ensure supply for all as more people return home.
