Huntly brown water problem continues, council says ‘still safe to drink’

The brown water in Huntly has been a reoccurring issue since 2015. Photos / Aimee Sayers, Jennifer Carr, Nick Greene

Residents of a north Waikato town have been waiting for clear water since 2015. Ten years on, their tap water still regularly runs brown.

Apart from the unappealing colour, Huntly residents say their tap water also frequently discolours washing, which makes them worried about bathing in it, let alone drinking it.

But the local council says the water is safe to drink.

Waikato Herald last talked to residents about the issues two years ago. However, a recent post on Huntly’s Community Page on Facebook shows brown water is still top of people’s minds.

Paul Anderson and his family moved to Huntly from Hamilton in 2021.

“This [brown water] has occurred over the last three and a half years, and the brown water comes frequently at home ... sometimes it goes unnoticed until we take our light-coloured clothing out [of] the laundry.”

Huntly resident Paul Anderson said clean water is a basic human right. Photo / Malisha Kumar

He said the family bought bottled drinking water every week and boiled water at home before using it because “water quality in Huntly is completely unacceptable”.

Anderson said he felt “disgusted and ripped off” for having to pay rates for “crappy water”.

“Clean water is a basic human right.”

Waikato District Council said the discolouration was caused by iron and manganese deposits in old pipes, but the water was “safe to drink”.

The council said it was waiting for a No-des unit (Neutral Output Discharge Elimination System) which would flush the pipes and remove the deposits.

Brown water has been running frequently at Paul Andersons home in the past three years. Photo / Paul Anderson

The council requested the unit in 2022. It is yet to arrive in town.

Huntly resident Joanne Kelly, who also spoke to the Herald in 2023, said she felt “disheartened” the brown water issue persisted.

She, too, continues to see brown water when washing her hands, showering and on her family’s clothing.

Kelly said she drove 83km to Tīrau every fortnight to fill up six 15-litre containers of water for her family.

She said all she wanted to know from the council was ”where is that part you were bringing here?”

Where is the No-des unit?

When asked by the Waikato Herald, the Waikato District Council said the No-des unit was owned by a private company called Detection Services, not by the council.

“Watercare [the council’s three waters services operator] will contract the services from Detection Services,” a council spokesperson said.

In 2023, the council said it requested the unit in 2022, but there were “supply chain issues” as it had to be brought in from Australia.

Huntly resident Joanne Kelly drives to Tīrau to get water for drinking and cooking. She fills up six of the pictured containers which last about four weeks. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

The unit, New Zealand’s only one, arrived in the country in October 2024, but it had been “fully booked to date”, the council said.

“We are currently investigating availability for the next financial year.”

According to the council, the unit was currently in Whangārei.

Waikato District Council water manager Keith Martin said he couldn’t comment on why Huntly wasn’t prioritised once the unit arrived last year, given the council requested the unit three years ago.

He referred questions to Detection Services.

When the Waikato Herald approached Detection Services for comment, the company’s Auckland general manager Charles Chapman apologised for “no ongoing communication” regarding the unit and its operation in Huntly.

“I am aware of unforeseen manufacturing delays, but fortunately, the unit is now completing proving trials.”

Chapman then referred the Herald to Detection Services’ New Zealand service delivery general manager Vaughn Healey, who Chapman said looked after the unit.

Healey said: “Please refer to Waikato District Council for comment.”

Is the water safe to drink?

Martin said the most recent social media complaints had been because the council was experiencing issues with “water demand outstripping water supply” in the Hakannoa St and Russell Rd area on March 6.

As the river levels were low, Watercare had to redirect water from the Kimihia Rd reservoir to ensure there was enough water to meet demand, he said.

He said the discoloured water was caused by sediment disturbance, and although the appearance changed, it was “safe”.

“Whilst the discoloured water may be off-putting for people, we would like to reassure them that it still meets the drinking water standard and is safe to drink.”

Huntly ward councillor David Whyte said there were “no bad bugs” in the system.

Huntly's tap water has been running brown since 2015. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

“The filtration at the plant is working, chlorine is still working.”

The council encouraged residents experiencing brown water to run the cold water tap for 10 minutes, and to call the council on 0800 492 452 to report the issue.

What is the council doing about complaints?

In the past 10 years, the council recorded 603 official complaints about Huntly’s water quality. Of those, 51 were recorded in 2023, 13 in 2024, and 15 this year.

The council said the “steady decline” in water quality complaints was because of a “revised preventative flushing programme” and an “ongoing renewal of the aged pipework”.

As part of the flushing programme, the council was increasingly “flushing in the known areas of the water network where brown water is an issue”.

“Given the success of this programme, it will continue into the foreseeable future,” Martin said.

“There is also a planned water plant upgrade project that will focus solely on the iron manganese problem due to commence in the near future.”

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.