By JO-MARIE BROWN
An East Tamaki water bottling plant is considering leaving town because water flowing down the Waikato pipeline may have increased its filtration costs.
Membranes used by Pure Dew Ultra Distilled Water to filter dissolved solids from its water supply began clogging shortly after Waikato River water was introduced
in July.
Pure Dew manager Tony Gillion paid $10,000 to have new membranes imported but he said they might also need early replacement because of the increased amount of dissolved solids (fine particles) being collected.
"If they fail within one or two years, which is quite likely I think, then it's too expensive to stay where we are," he said.
Mr Gillion stressed that he did not know whether the Waikato River water was responsible and the company was working closely with their suppliers, Manukau Water, to establish the cause of the problem.
Pure Dew could still guarantee the quality of its distilled water but Mr Gillion said the additional cost of filtering it meant he was considering relocating or installing extra membranes to ease the pressure on existing ones.
But Watercare Services said yesterday that there was very little difference in the amount of dissolved solids Pure Dew would have received before and after the Waikato pipeline came on stream.
Spokesman Owen Cook said water sourced from the Hunua dams contained 69mg per litre of dissolved solids and the Waikato water after treatment had 120mg per litre.
However, the $155 million Waikato pipeline accounted for only 6 per cent of the city's water supply and when mixed with the Hunua water, a total of 73mg per litre was present.
"It's a minuscule change. Four parts per million is not going to have any effect on his filters."
The dissolved solids levels were well within acceptable drinking water standards and did not pose any health risk, Mr Cook said.
Manukau Water's quality inspectors were now monitoring Pure Dew's situation.
General manager Paul Utting said no other Auckland beverage companies had experienced any problems and factors other than the Waikato River's water quality could be to blame.
"There are other things that happen within a distribution system that will change the [dissolved solids'] numbers from time to time including things that stir the system up," Mr Utting said.
"While perhaps it's having an impact on him, in the global scheme of things it's not significant in terms of the whole supply."
