Restaurant blues as chlorine stings Napier hospitality businesses

Indigo manager Shuan Bates says many Napier businesses are effected by chlorinated water. Photo / Duncan Brown

Shaun Bates doesn't ask his customers if they want tap water anymore, only filtered or sparkling.

The manager of Indigo Restaurant in Napier has installed a tap with a filtration system attached, so customers can skip the taste of chlorinated water.

Indigo is home to New Zealand's largest whisky collection and Bates says they now buy boxed water specifically for drinks.

"The last thing you want to be doing is pouring chlorinated water into a $25 glass of whisky which will just completely ruin it. If someone wants a pure drink from a collection like that, you don't want contaminated water ruining it."

Bates said installing a filter was something that was of extra cost to the business and although it wasn't large, many other hospitality businesses were doing the same thing.

"It's not just me, there are lots of other restaurants and cafes have to think about their plumbing-ware and put in filters so their customers are happy.

"A few years ago Napier promoted itself for its water. It was one of the last places you could turn on the tap and the water quality was better than the filtered water, now that's completely gone. It's not the best water in the country anymore."

Bates acknowledged that the council had budgeted for water and sewerage infrastructure over the next 10 years but said more could be done.

"The ratepayers need these core services resolved over the next 10 months - not years."

Napier City Council said it had received 11 customer complaints on taste and/or odour to date this year. However, none of these have come from a commercial property.

In most cases, businesses that rely on chlorine-free water have installed their own inline dechlorination filters.

A spokesperson said as a water supplier council is obligated to supply safe drinking water, compliant with Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand 2005 (revised 2008).

"Following the Havelock North event and inquiry, the HBDHB have both stated the risk to the public is too great to leave drinking water untreated, which is why we have been chlorinating the town supply since last year".

Council said all working bores in Napier were equipped with automatic chlorine dosing systems, which were regularly monitored and tested on a daily basis at 27 locations across Napier and Bay View.

"Our chlorine dosing values at the bores range between 0.55–0.75 ppm.

Our main concern is to comply with Drinking-water Standards for New Zealand 2005 (Revised 2008) (DWSNZ), where a Maximum Acceptable Value for chlorine is set at 5.00 ppm."

The council had considered other options other than chlorine in the Long Term Plan, including UV filters.

"Although UV treatment is excellent and removes (kills) all harmful bacteria that might be present in the water, it does not provide a residual disinfectant that Ministry of Health / DHBs would like us to have in our reticulation network.

UV only guarantees that the water at the point of treatment is safe, however chlorine is proven to be the most effective treatment for water supply networks, as it provides an additional level of protection within the reticulation network."

The council noted that there were multiple risks along the way before the water reached customers' taps such as contamination of the aquifer through other private bores, illegal connections, vermin and birds entering storage reservoirs, backflow (reverse flow) from houses or industry, and contractors hitting water pipes during excavation work.