New bores, a direct feed from the Taradale Reservoir to Tamatea and separating Napier's water network into two are now options being considered to stop the problem.
Council asset strategy manager Catherine Bayly told the meeting she was aware that Tamatea, Onekawa and Pirimai in particular had "really, really struggled" and "it's unfair they are putting up with this ongoing issue".
Bayly said the issue was that those suburbs sit in the middle of the city's water piping network, where two sections meet.
The dirty water is caused by a combination of biofilm built up in the network, which gets shaken loose and comes out through the pipes, and Napier drawing its water from a source high in manganese, which when oxidised, turns black.
Tamatea is the worst affected area, Bayly said.
As a result council was now looking at feeding water directly from the Taradale Reservoir to stop reliance on two bores, which pull water with a high enough concentration of manganese to turn the water black.
The council is also investigating two new bore sites, meaning the problem two could be taken offline, Bayly said.
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A third solution would be to separate the city's network into two zones, a Taradale zone and a Napier City zone, she said.
While Bayly said this is a long-term goal, the council was looking at interim options as well.
Tamatea resident Tania Arnold said she was pleased to hear there were finally plans in place that moved beyond "run your taps for 20 minutes".
Just days ago her water ran black and did not clear for more than a day, she said.
"I had to go to my friend's house to have a shower, so that I could go to work."
It took council staff members flushing the line twice to get the water to run clear, she said.
"To hear that there was a discussion which is more than just, run your water, and that they are trying to do something and they are investigating it, I get a bit of hope with that."
Napier's Deputy Mayor and Onekawa-Tamatea Ward councillor Annette Brosnan said she was happy with any project that fast-tracked solutions for dirty water.
"I am frustrated that it's not a quick solution. I think what is happening now is completely unacceptable."
She said she was hearing from people about the issue weekly, and encouraged people to report issues, which can be done through the council website.
Something that will not be done in the short-term however, is the removal of chlorine, something Brosnan said she personally would like to see, and was frustrated there was no short-term solution.
Bayly said if the council turned chlorine off now, the community would be at risk and council would be unable to show the Ministry of Health it was managing risks identified in the water safety plan.
"We would also be in breach of the Health Act."
She said the Ministry of Health is currently proposing permanent chlorination, with an out clause if a municipality can provide an acceptable alternative to permanent chlorination.
The chlorine-free review the council is planning could provide New Zealand a blue-print for chlorine-free network, Bayly said.
The review will establish two, fully costed options, one for a chlorine-free network (which Bayly estimated as a $100-$150 million capital project), another for a chlorinated network, to go back to the community with, completed by an independent origination with council oversight.
At the meeting, council adopted the procurement strategy to engage the consultant, as well as various other recommendations, including adopting a communications strategy to keep residents informed, and seeking Ministry of Health funding for the review.
Council hopes to see the review completed by August 2020. It is expected to cost $200,000.
