Boil Water Notices

A boil water advisory or notice is an instruction from Council that all water used for drinking, preparing food, brushing teeth and preparing infant formula must be boiled or have some other treatment (such as bleach added) before use. Water for showering, laundry and other uses does not need to be boiled.

We may issue boil water advisories or notices as a result of concerns over the bugs contaminating the water supply. You should follow the instruction until Council advises the boil water advisory or notice has been lifted and the water is safe to drink again.

We may issue a Boil Water, Do Not Drink Water or Do Not Use Water notice when there’s a problem with the water to reduce the likelihood that anyone will get sick. The notice will remain in place until the water supply is safe to drink or use normally again.

During a boil water notice period, young children should be sponge-bathed instead of bathing in a tub because they are likely to swallow the bath water. If you have recent surgical wounds or a chronic illness, you may want to use bottled or boiled water for bathing until the advisory is lifted. You can use water from the hot water cylinder, header tank and toilet cistern (if no chemical toilet cleanser is present) to wash yourself.

Adults and older children may shower or bathe with untreated water as long as no water is swallowed - it is important to try to avoid water splashing the face.

Keeping hands clean during a boil water notice helps prevent the spread of bugs that can make people sick. Our district's tap water is safe to use for handwashing when used with soap, followed by drying your hands well.

It is important to wash your hands well. If water is in short supply, keep some in a bowl with disinfectant added, changing it frequently.

When brushing your teeth, use only commercially bottled water, water that has been boiled or water that has been treated by adding plain unscented bleach. 

You can shave as usual using the tap water during a boil water notice period but it is important not to allow any water to enter the mouth.

E. coli is a subgroup of the faecal coliform group. Most E. coli bacteria are harmless and exist in the intestines of people and warm-blooded animals. However, some strains can cause illness. The presence of E. coli in a drinking water sample usually indicates recent faecal contamination. That means there is a greater risk there are bugs that can cause illness being present in the water.

Note: E. coli outbreaks receive a lot of media coverage. A specific strain of E. coli bacteria known as E. coli O157:H7 (also known as VTEC) causes most of those outbreaks. When a drinking water sample is reported as “E. coli present,” it does not mean that O157:H7 is present. However, it does indicate recent faecal contamination. Boiling or disinfecting contaminated drinking water destroys all forms of E. coli, whether or not they can cause illness in humans.

Run all your cold taps for five minutes before using the water. Flush any appliances (e.g. coffee machines, water dispensers, ice makers) that are connected to the water supply. Hot water cylinders and header tanks may need to be drained and refilled. We will provide some specific instructions at the time the notice is lifted.  

We recommend you continue to boil your water until the water in your tank has turned over. You will need to know the size of your tank and have an understanding of how much water you use on average, to estimate how much extra time you need to boil your water for.

Alternatively, you can add additional chlorine (unscented plain bleach) to your tank as per the instructions in www.healthed.govt.nz/resource/household-water-supplies (page 17). It is recommended that private tanks are inspected annually and cleaned if necessary, with a focus on removing any accumulated sediment. 

Water filters should be maintained and replaced according to the manufacturer's instructions. You will also need to follow the advice of the water supplier for any specific instructions.

You can add plain unscented bleach to your water BUT do not use Janola as it contains cleaning chemicals that make it unsuitable for treating drinking water. To disinfect the water, add five drops of bleach to one litre of water or half a teaspoon to ten litres of water. Stir and leave the water to stand for 30 minutes before drinking.

Boiling water is the most effective way to disinfect water as it kills all disease-causing bugs. If it is not possible to boil water, such as in the case of a power outage, then disinfecting the water by adding bleach is an effective method for killing most bugs.

Dishes can be washed using boiled water and detergent. If you are unable to boil your water, dishes washed with contaminated tap water and detergent should be rinsed in bleach solution. You can make up a bleach solution by adding a quarter of a cup of plain unscented household bleach per ten litres of water. Allow your dishes to completely air dry.

There is a risk you could get sick from bugs in the water. Babies, young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people who have weakened immune systems are more at risk of illness. If you get diarrhoea, vomiting and/or a fever, get advice from your doctor or phone Healthline (0800 611 116).