By CATHY ARONSON
COROMANDEL - Coromandel township has received an interim Aa water grade just in time to stop businesses from taking the council to court over low-quality water.
Eight businesses refused to pay their water bills for six months, after water doubled in cost, claiming the quality was low.
They were forced to pay two weeks ago when the Thames Coromandel District Council began to restrict their supply to a trickle.
But the businesses still planned to challenge the council in the disputes tribunal, claiming it had breached the Consumer Act by providing low-quality Ee-grade water with high levels of chlorine.
The council has now released a new interim Aa water-quality grade, based on the past 12 months of testing, but the Institute of Environmental Science and Research has yet to confirm the result.
Chief executive Steve Ruru said the council released the interim grading to reassure the community that the water was not contaminated.
He said the Ee grade was based on the old water supply, before a $3 million upgrade in 1997.
Business association vice-chairwoman Robyn Stewart said the water quality was still poor after the upgrade. Although it had improved in the past 12 months, it now tasted of chlorine and businesses had to supply bottled water.
Mrs Stewart said more than 250 Coromandel residents attended a public meeting on Tuesday night and most did not like the taste of the water.
Public health manager Gary Deadman said the treatment plant water was not poor but the reticulated water supply did have an Ee grade until 12 months ago.
Mr Deadman said the council had installed temporary liquid chlorination systems which had combated the contaminated water supply, but they were not ideal.
He said the council would install a $40,000 permanent gas chlorination system before Christmas which automatically doses and monitors the level of chlorine in the water and should improve taste.
Mrs Stewart said the residents no longer had a legal reason to fight the council in the courts and would wait to see how the permanent system operated before taking further action.
She said the businesses had been suspicious of the grading until they saw confirmed results but were happy they could take down public health warnings of the Ee grade now the water was officially Aa.
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