The water main being repaired by Watercare’s contractor. Photo: WATERCARE / SUPPLIED
Water has been restored to some residents in several Auckland suburbs, who have been without it since Thursday, WaterCare says.
A broken water main caused up to 3000 people to be without water in Henderson, Henderson Valley, Glen Eden, Oratia, Kauriland, and McLaren Park.
Watercare chief operations officer Mark Bourne said contractors made good progress fixing the fault overnight.
"Our contractor did an excellent job of repairing this large-diameter pipe, completing the welding work by 1.30am.
"This meant our crew were able to start the essential process of recharging and flushing the water main earlier than expected."
Bourne said the water was deemed safe to return to supply by 6.30am on Friday after rigourous water quality testing.
Water would return progressively to households throughout Friday morning.
"Some customers' water supply will have returned to normal already, in time for their morning routine.
"For others, it may take a little longer - up until late morning - as we remove all the air from the network."
Bourne assured people any discolouration in the water was due to air in the pipes, which he said crews were working to flush out.
"We encourage them not to be alarmed as it's not harmful to a person's health - the water was tested this morning and meets drinking water standards.
"The pipes were filled with air when the water stopped running.
"As we push water into the pipe that air gets compressed.
"People might see milky coloured water in their glass. But if you leave the glass to settle for five or 10 minutes, it will disappear."
If the water did not clear, people should try again in an hour before getting in touch with WaterCare, he said.
Bourne said they sent the damaged pipe off for testing to determine the cause of the burst.
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