Photo: CHLOE RANFORD/ LDR
More than half a million people are on track to have safer drinking water by the end of the year.
In October, Taumata Arowai named 27 councils that did not have sufficient barriers to protect against protozoa for their water supplies in the wake of Queenstown's cryptosporidium outbreak.
A month later, the water services regulator named 13 councils and two government departments - the Ministry of Education and Department of Conservation - that had drinking water supplies that lacked a bacterial barrier and/or residual disinfection, potentially impacting about 128,000 people.
All councils were given until the end of this year to upgrade their supplies.
Taumata Arowai has been monitoring the councils - some of whom lacked two or three of the necessary barriers - and asked them to provide a funded plan by June this year to show how they would add the barriers.
Head of operations Steve Taylor said the majority of those councils had either put the critical barriers in place or were on track to meet the deadline.
Nine councils, which manage 23 supplies that provide drinking water to more than 85,000 people, have critical barriers already in place.
A further 11 councils, which managed 26 water supplies that provide drinking water to more than 442,000 people, were on track to meet the deadline.
"Council suppliers provide drinking water to 84 percent of people in New Zealand. Most of these supplies have multi-barrier treatment protections in place," Taylor said.
"For those that don't, getting these treatment barriers in place is critical as they form the foundation of a multi-barrier approach to prevent people getting sick from their drinking water."
Six councils had been granted extensions until December next year to install the necessary barriers.
The Marlborough District Council, Southland District Council and Taupō District Council opted for a long-term plan extension under the the Water Services Acts Repeal Act 2024, and will need to confirm their funded plan by the end of September.
The Buller District Council, Central Otago District Council and Waimate District Council chose to defer their long term plan under the Act, and have until June 2025 to provide a funded plan.
"It is pleasing to see the progress suppliers have made and continue to make to getting the foundations of safe drinking water in place," Taylor said.
"The lack of a protozoa treatment barrier was identified as a likely factor in the outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Queenstown last year. It's also why installing critical barriers is an area of focus for us."
Taumata Arowai expected the majority of drinking water suppliers will have key treatment barriers or an acceptable solution in place by 31 December, and is in contact with all suppliers about the information they have provided.
"Our vision is 'safe water every day for everyone | kia tiakina te wai, hei oranga mō te katoa'. But we know we can't achieve this alone. It takes careful planning and all of us working together across the water sector to make this a reality," he said.
"Getting the basics of drinking water treatment in place is a significant step toward a future where everyone has safe water when they turn on the tap."
