Water Services Information

Clutha District Council looks after 22 water schemes that supply water to 15 towns and more than 2,000 rural properties, providing water for households and for livestock. Approximately a third of the water we produce is used for domestic consumption, and the rest is largely used for livestock.

To make sure water is safe for consumption, Council processes and treats all water before it is supplied, and then regularly tests the water to make sure the treatments are working. Council is required to share this information with the Otago Regional Council which issues Resource Consents that permit Clutha District Council’s water activities.

There are two pieces of legislation that control the quality of Council-supplied water, the Health Act 1956 and the Drinking Water Standards 2006 (Revised 2008). These deal with not only water quality, but with monitoring and data collection too. Council is also required to have Water Safety Plans to guide the safe management of supplies and identify any potential risks.

Rural Water Schemes

Rural Water Schemes primarily provide potable water for stock but also provide for domestic consumption.

Some rural schemes provide water in bulk to smaller communities and urban schemes within their area of supply. The urban supplies are Clinton (Pomahaka), Kaka Point (Richardson), Waihola (North Bruce), Benhar (South Bruce/Stirling Treatment Plant), Stirling (South Bruce/Stirling Treatment Plant), Cherry Lane (South Bruce), Heriot (Moa Flat), Waikaka and Pukerau (Glenkenich). Most of these communities have restricted supplies to consumers while one or two are unrestricted.

Urban water supplies include Balclutha, Kaitangata, Lawrence, Milton, Owaka and Tapanui. With the exception of Owaka, they provide an unrestricted supply of potable water for domestic, commercial and industrial use within each scheme area. 30% of the water produced is for domestic consumption with the balance being largely used for stock water. Visit our Rural Water Schemes page for more information on the schemes throughout our district.

Fault Reporting - Letting Council Know

Like any service, Council’s water supply can occasionally have a problem. It might be discoloured water, or the sudden appearance of a leak in a pipeline, or something else. If you discover a problem please contact us as soon as possible so that we can investigate, repair the problem, and get the service back to normal.

Please, contact our staff first, rather than our contractor or your local Councillor, to report any problems with Council water supply, sewerage or stormwater systems. Your call will be passed onto our contractor for action, and also logged into our database as a service request where it will be recorded and the response can be tracked.

REPORT A WATER PROBLEM TO COUNCIL

Call 03 419 0200 or 0800 801 350 (Toll Free in NZ)
After Hours or Emergency call 0800 801 350
Email: help.desk@cluthadc.govt.nz

Boil Water Notices

Occasionally an unforseen event may mean that Council needs customers to take extra measures to make sure water is safe to use. When this happens, Council issues a Boil Water Notice which will contain the steps that you need to take. A Boil Water Notice requires that all water to be consumed (including water for teeth cleaning, and washing fruit and vegetables) should be boiled for 1 minute before it is used. Visit our Water Safety page for more information on boil water notices.

Public Health Notice

Some plumbing fittings have the potential to allow minute traces of metals to accumulate in water standing in the fittings for several hours. Although the health risk is small, the Ministry of Health recommends that you flush a cup-full of water from your drinking-water tap each morning before use to remove any metals that may have dissolved from the plumbing fittings. We are recommending this simple precaution for all households, including those on public and private water supplies.

Excavation Work - How to Check Pipe Locations

Please remember that before carrying out any excavation work to check whether any underground pipes may be in the area. This can be done using our online mapping tool: how to check for pipe locations

Please note that pipes will not always be in the exact location as indicated by our mapping tool. If pipes are shown to be within 50-100m of where you are going to work, please contact Council on 0800 801 350 during office hours so our staff can locate pipes for you free of charge.

The land owner/occupier will be charged for any such damage to Council pipes, unless caused in the course of normal farming operations which would include cultivation with farm equipment but not digger work.

Sewer Blockages

Remember: baby wipes or wet wipes have been identified as the main culprits blocking up sewer pumps in the district. Even those that claim to be flushable' don't break down as easily as toilet paper.

Unfortunately, if repeated blockages occur, eventually the property owner or occupier will be billed for the costs.

Please think twice before hitting that flush button.