Ocean salt enters residents' water

Ocean salt has apparently entered the tap water of Whirinaki residents.

Residents in Whirinaki, north of Napier, are relying on a freshwater reservoir after their bore supply was affected by seawater.

Huge swells last week were the cause, said Hastings District Council acting planning and regulatory manager Brett Chapman.

Residents had not experienced such waves before.

Council staff are monitoring the regular supply and as soon as salt levels drop back to normal the supply can be reconnected.

If the levels do not drop by today, residents will be asked to conserve water to extend the length of time the reservoir supply will last.

"Elevated salt levels are not an immediate health issue, however, we are taking a precautionary approach to ensure that any impacts are minimised," Mr Chapman said.

Council is investigating options, including refilling the reservoir with fresh water or connecting to an alternative supply, should the salt levels not drop as quickly as expected.

The first report of a salty taste in the water was received on Sunday.

The swells that caused the problem were reported to have run very high up into the Esk River estuary and caused a gravel build-up at the mouth of the river, trapping sea water upstream.

That gravel had since been cleared by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, and Hastings council staff said that clearing work and forecast rain should remedy the problem.

"This is the first time that this supply has been affected in this way and we will be reviewing our operational monitoring so the bores can be switched off should sea swells of this size occur again," Mr Chapman said.