What are we doing?
We are bringing back into service a pump station to boost your water supply. Its purpose is to push water from our treatment plants to your area at a faster rate. This means we can keep your local water storage reservoirs topped up throughout the day more easily – including in summer when people use more water than normal.
While we are carrying out this essential work, water will flow through the pipes to your area at a faster rate which may stir up sediment in the pipes and discolour the water temporarily. In response, we will be flushing water through the pipes in the early hours of Friday 11 November to remove the discoloured water. While we hope to have removed the discoloured water by sunrise, there may still be some in the network when you get up for the day. Please open the map to see the area that may be affected.
I am in the area that may experience discoloured water – what do I need to do before the work begins?
While discoloured water is not harmful to people’s health, we recommend you have bottled water available for drinking purposes for the morning of Friday 11 November.
I am in the area that may experience discoloured water – what do I do if I experience discoloured water during this work?
If you have discoloured water on the morning of Friday 11 November, please run your tap for 10 minutes. If it does not clear, please let us know your address by emailing
[email protected]. We will send a crew to your area to carry out further work.
Can I do a load of washing if my water is discoloured?
Discoloured water may stain garments, so we recommend that you check the colour of the water during this period before you do a load of washing. If you experience discoloured water, delay doing any washing until it clears.
Can I bathe or shower in discoloured water?
Yes, though you may prefer to shower on Thursday evening rather than Friday morning.
What should I do after the work has finished?
We expect any instances of discoloured water to be brief because our crews will be flushing the water pipes to push any discolouration that occurs out of the network.
If your household did experience discoloured water, once the water runs clear from the taps, it is safe to drink as normal.
If your household did not experience discoloured water, you can use water from the taps as usual.
Why would this work cause discoloured water?
Over time, harmless mineral deposits, such as iron and manganese, can build-up inside water pipes. These deposits tend to settle at the bottom of the pipes and remain there, undisturbed by the constant flow of water. When maintenance work is carried out that changes the direction or speed of water flow in the pipes, such as the commissioning of this pump station, the deposits can become disturbed. This sometimes results in discoloured water.
Is discoloured water harmful to your health?
Discoloured water due to maintenance work on the water network does not contain any bacterial pathogens that could harm public health. The discolouration in such cases is caused by naturally occurring minerals.
We carry out frequent water quality tests at various locations across the Auckland region as required by the Ministry of Health to ensure that drinking water continues to meet health standards and remains safe to drink.