The Mayor of Grey District expressed frustration over the ongoing contamination issue in the town’s water network, likening the search for the source to “looking for a needle in a haystack”. The boil water notice has been in effect since last Wednesday, affecting Greymouth and surrounding areas.
Although the council was hopeful of lifting the notice over the weekend after clear test results on Friday and Saturday, low levels of coliform bacteria were discovered in Taylorville and Rapahoe on Sunday, prolonging the situation.
Mayor Tania Gibson admitted that finding the cause of the contamination has proven to be challenging, with investigations yielding no clear answers so far. The council is required to maintain the boil water notice until three consecutive days of clean test results are achieved under the Water Services Act 2021.
Initial suspicions pointed towards animal waste as a possible source of contamination, but further testing is needed to confirm this. The uncertainty surrounding the issue has raised concerns about the town’s infrastructure and the need for potential upgrades.
Taumata Arowai’s head of operations, Steve Taylor, emphasized the importance of identifying and addressing the root cause of the contamination to prevent future risks to public health.
While the community has adapted to the boil water notice, some residents, like Paroa Hotel owner Alan Monk, are feeling the strain of the situation. Monk expressed hope that the problem would be resolved soon as the readings have shown improvement.
Greymouth’s Te Nīkau Hospital and Health Centre has been managing well despite the challenges posed by the water notice. Health New Zealand’s associate director of operations for the West Coast, Philip Wheble, reassured that sufficient bottled water supplies are available to meet the needs of patients and staff.
