Where does our water come from and is it safe?

We all expect to turn on the taps and have cool, clear water, but do we know where it comes from?

Pleasant Point's water comes from 3 shallow (6m deep) wells in Halstead Road, it goes through an ultraviolet light treatment plant and is dosed with chlorine. Water is stored in a reservoir before entering the pipeline to your taps.

The ultraviolet treatment plant is designed to kill protozoa (giardia and cryptosporidium) and to meet the Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand and will kill bacteria and protozoa within the water.

Who looks after the water supply

The Council is responsible for the management and operation of the water supply but uses contractors to carry out the maintenance work.

There are 2 different situations for maintenance on the Pleasant Point water supply:

If a toby exists at the boundary

• The Council is responsible only to this toby
• You are responsible for all the pipework etc within the bounds of your property including the tank ballcock maintenance

No toby exists

The Council is responsible for the supply up to;

• The ballcock of the tank where the ballcock is less than 6m above the ground
• The base of the tank stand where the ballcock is more than 6m above the ground
• The foundations when the tank is inside a building

What are your responsibilities?

Conserve water

• Water is a limited and precious resource. The Council is only allowed to take so much water from the ground and rivers, so we all need to use water wisely. We constantly check our pipelines to ensure that we do not have any leaks and we ask you to fix any leaks you may find on your property.
• The Council will get in touch with you if we become aware of water wastage on your property andwill ask you to fix it. If it continues to be above acceptable levels then enforcement action may be taken.
• If youare a consumer who uses a lot of water youmay have a meter installed on your water supply connection.

Tank maintenance

• Your tank can become contaminated by birds, worms, dust etc. It is really important that this contamination does not re-enter the water supply pipe.
• Your tank must have an overflow outlet 40mm below the ballcock inlet level in the tank (please note this is a legal requirement), to prevent the water level rising above the ballcock and getting back into the watermain.
• You should check these levels to ensure your tank complies.
• Your tank should be cleaned and sterilised with a chlorine bleach annually.

Backflow Prevention

What is backflow?

Backflow means that water is flowing in reverse to the normal direction ie: it is coming from your property back into the water mains.

How does it happen?

It can come from a private well on your property, or from hoses left in ponds or pools, a home irrigation system or an incorrect air gap on a header tank. It's really important that you know of therisks as contamination of water supply due to backflow can be a potential health hazard. As a Council we can ask to have an assessment of the risk of backflow from any property and to require an appropriate backflow prevention device or system be installed at the property owner's expense.

Restrictions

Dry weather conditions may result in short supply because of low river levels and excessive use by consumers. When this happens hosing restrictions are put in place to help keep the demand for water down.

Restrictions are advertised in the newspaper and on our website www.timaru.govt.nz

Enquiries

For any enquiries relating to the District's Water Supply please contact us:

• Timaru District Council
  2 King George Place, Timaru 7910
  Phone: 03 687 7200
  Email: enquiry@timdc.govt.nz
• Temuka Service Centre
  King Street, Temuka 7920
  Phone: 03 687 7591
• Geraldine Service Centre
  Talbot Street, Geraldine 7930
  Phone: 03 693 9336

Last updated: 14 Jun 2023