Water

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Water

Leaks, Maintenance and Upgrades | Water Supply | Water Usage and Saving Water

Water is one of our most widely used natural resources. Each household in New Plymouth District uses an average 200,000 litres of water per year – that’s about 600 litres per day! This section contains information about our water supply, how we treat our water and what you need to do to get connected.

We own and run the water network in New Plymouth District to ensure a quality water supply is provided at a low cost. Our water supply is also designed to provide a high level of reliability in emergency situations.

Water is supplied from the Waiwhakaiho and Waiongana rivers, Lake Mangamahoe, the Ngatoro, Wairau and Mangatete streams and two Oakura ground water bores via 18 reservoirs and through more than 700km of pipes. Taranaki is fortunate in that it has a relatively high rainfall and many waterways running through the region. We have four water treatment plants. The main plant serves New Plymouth and Waitara with smaller plants in Inglewood, Oakura and Okato.

Residents pay for water as a separate uniform charge as a targeted rate. Businesses are metered and pay on a cubic metre basis.

Water and Wastes Video

See our introduction to Water and Wastes video on YouTube.

Fluoridation of water

In 1969 the Council agreed to use hydrofluorosilicic acid to fluoridate the water supply. In 1993, after a formal poll was undertaken with Okato, Inglewood and Urenui residents, the Council agreed not to fluoridate these particular water supplies.
 
We treat the water with fluoride to assist in improving dental health for our residents. This practice is endorsed by the New Zealand Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation and we meet their maximum allowable rates for fluoride in drinking water.

Fluoride FAQs

 

1.  What is the level of fluoride naturally in New Plymouth’s water?
The level of fluoride naturally occurring in New Plymouth’s water is <0.05g/m3.

2.  What is the level of fluoride in New Plymouth’s water after fluoride has been added?
The targeted level of fluoride in New Plymouth’s water after treatment is 0.7g/m3, as recommended by the Ministry of Health.

3.  What monitoring is undertaken to verify the level of fluoride actually added?
The New Plymouth Water Treatment includes continuous online monitoring equipment which is used to stop fluoride going into supply if the dose exceeds 1.5g/m3.
 
New Plymouth Water Treatment Plant technicians take water samples weekly which are analysed by an independent laboratory to verify the online analyser. The Taranaki District Health Board audit our records on a quarterly basis to verify compliance with the Drinking Water Standard.

4. What is the maximum level of fluoride allowable under the Ministry of Health Drinking Water Standard?
The maximum allowable level of fluoride under the Drinking Water Standard is 1.5g/m3. The maximum allowable value under the World Heath Organisation guideline is 1.5g/m3. The Ministry of Health recommends fluoride to be dosed at between 0.7g/m3 and 1.0g/m3..

5. What type of fluoride is added to New Plymouth’s water supply?
The chemical added for fluoridation is hydro-fluorosilicic acid.

6.  Where does the council buy the fluoride from?
The chemical is supplied by ORICA Chemnet NZ Ltd.

7.  What country does the fluoride originated from?
The hydro fluorosilicic acid supplied to the council is manufactured in New Zealand.

8.  How much does the council spend annually on buying fluoride products?
In 2009/10 New Plymouth District Council spent $18,000 on hydro fluorsilicic acid.

• Maintenance and upgrades
• Get connected / disconnected
• Water supply
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Water leaks

We are responsible for the maintenance of the mains and pipes leading up to your boundary and including your toby or manifold. This also applies to right-of-ways. Leaks in pipes from your toby to your house are your responsibility to fix.

• Find out how to tell where the leak is

Did you know …

New Plymouth water is mildly corrosive to plumbing fittings and may accumulate metals (e.g. lead, nickel, cadmium or antimony) if it lies for too long in piping.

Although the health risk is small, the Ministry of Health recommends that you flush a mug of water from your drinking-water tap each morning before use to remove any metals that may have dissolved from the plumbing fittings.

But instead of letting that water run down the plug hole, get into the habit of water conservation and use that first mug to water the pot plants.

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Fascinating facts about water use

• The 08/09 water meter volumetric charge is $1.05 per cubic metre (m³).
• It costs each New Plymouth District ratepayer less than $1 per day to maintain a clean, safe water supply. This is significantly less expensive than other regions in New Zealand.
• A household of two or three people on average uses about 225m3 of water per year, or 616L per day.
• There are 120km of trunk mains, 560km of service mains and three pump stations in New Plymouth.
• The replacement value of all the water supply assets in New Plymouth District is in excess of $135 million.
• A typical dishwasher uses 125L of water per load.
• Summer gardens can drink 1,000L of water per hour.
• Washing your car with a running hose can use up to 400L.
• A deep bath can use more than 200L of water but a three minute shower uses only 80L.
• More than 70 per cent of indoor water use occurs in the bathroom and more than 20 per cent occurs in the kitchen and laundry.
• When water is aerated it sometimes appears cloudy. If this occurs, run water through your taps until it settles.
• “Dirty” or gritty water sometimes occurs during times of high flow (sometimes as a result of refreshing or fire fighting) - run water through your taps until it is clear.
• Warm weather can cause algae to grow in the water which sometimes causes water to have an earthy, swampy or musty odour - try chilling the water as this reduces the volatility of the compounds that cause this smell.
• Internal domestic plumbing can cause water to smell or taste a certain way (e.g. brass and copper pipes can cause a metallic taste and plastic pipes a plastic taste).  
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Definitions

Toby - The toby, or stop cock, is a valve that turns the water supply to your property on and off. It is usually situated at or close to the street boundary of the property.

Potable water - Better known as drinking water. Potable water is water that does not contain objectionable pollution, contamination, minerals, or infective agents and is considered safe for drinking.

Reticulation - Reticulation is a network which delivers a service or commodity. This means, water reticulation is the network of pipes that convey potable water to your home. Wastewater reticulation is the network of sewerage pipes that convey waste to the treatment plants.

Related links

• Bylaws
• New Zealand Water and Wastes Association website
• Oakura sewerage project
• Water supply

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