Pāpāmoa water: Top health official says no cases linked to drinking supply

'Dirty' tasting water in Pāpāmoa has sparked concerns from some residents but the council says it is safe to drink and a top health official says there have been no notifiable disease cases reported. Photo / 123rf

A top health official says no notifiable disease cases have been reported that could be linked to drinking water in Pāpāmoa and the council says the water is safe to drink.

The health official’s comments come after a mother and her son experienced stomach upsets, headaches, fever, and fatigue she believes were linked to the “dirty” tasting water.

The Tauranga City Council confirmed this week that an “issue” with the water supply in the area was being traced back to the $197 million Waiāri Water Treatment Plant that feeds the beachside suburb.

An estimated 20,000 people – or 8000 households – in Pāpāmoa east of Domain Rd were believed to be affected.

The council says testing found water from the Waiāri Stream, which feeds the plant, had an earthy odour. Sample testing had shown there was nothing to suggest the water supply was the cause of any health issues. The water is being tested daily and the council said the water was safe to drink.

Toi Te Ora medical officer of health Phil Shoemack said, in a statement provided by the council today, that he had not received any relevant reports or queries, either from members of the public or from health professionals, raising health concerns.

“In particular we have not received any notifiable disease cases where the cause was in any way suspected to be related to drinking water in Papamoa.”

Pāpāmoa Sarah Grant told the Bay of Plenty Times she began feeling ill late last week. In the days following, family members also became unwell, including her daughter, who began vomiting, and her 8-year-old son.

“I took my boy to [the doctor] to get checked because we have been really unwell - high fevers, fatigued, a sore tummy.

In her opinion: ‘‘I’m putting this down to the water.”

She said the doctor tested her and her son for Covid-19 and said their symptoms indicated it was a virus. However, she believed the water was responsible “because we haven’t really been around anyone that’s been sick and for the water to be tasting like that”.

“I can’t really put it down to anything else,” Grant said, expressing her view.

“I’m just hoping we get better before Christmas.”

The council has been testing and flushing the water system after it was made aware of taste and odour issues on December 4.

“I’ve had my property flushed twice now. It’s made no difference,” Grant said.

“I’ve been born and bred in Pāpāmoa. This is the first time I’ve encountered this. It just tastes like dirty water, like there’s something in it.

“I’ve gone to The Warehouse and bought one of those water filter jugs.”

Grant said she was “shocked” to see so many others online expressing similar concerns.

“I was wondering if it was just myself, then I saw so many posts where people were complaining of the same thing,” Grant said.

The council said at least six people had contacted them reporting concerns about their health.

Fellow Pāpāmoa resident Melissa Grace said she also experienced “tummy issues” but these stopped after she began using a water filter jug.

Council general manager Nic Johansson said it treated all health-related claims “very seriously”.

“We have been in contact with the drinking water regulator Taumata Arowai, who are in turn in direct contact with the district health board.”

Johansson said the council was testing the water daily to ensure it met New Zealand’s drinking water standards. There were also “multiple barriers in place” to ensure the water supply was safe to drink and did not contain anything harmful.

The Waiāri Water Treatment Plant was formally opened on March 22 and supplies water to the Pāpāmoa east area. Photo / Andrew Warner

Water samples were also laboratory tested at least 12 times in the past two weeks.

“No samples have shown anything to suggest that the water supply is the cause of any health issues,” he said.

Johansson said the council had worked to reduce the taste and odour and had completed flushing the system.

“We understand that the timing of these health issues and the observations about the water taste might lead to certain conclusions. However, it’s important to remember that many factors can contribute to the symptoms described, including various viruses and bacteria, which are common at certain times of the year.”

Johansson said while the taste and odour could be unpleasant, it was not harmful to health.

“It may take several more days for the water in the network to be sufficiently turned over and for any of the lingering taste issues to be fully resolved. We will continue with our testing regime and should something come to light that would indicate harmful effects, we will take immediate action to keep our communities safe and aware.”

Johansson encouraged anyone still experiencing taste issues with the water, now the flushing had been completed, to let the council know. He also encouraged anyone with health concerns or experiencing illness to contact their health professional.

The treatment plant was expected to supply water to roughly up to about 35,000 households in Pāpāmoa East and meet growing demand for the next 30 years.

It was reported at the time the city’s average water demand was about 44 million litres a day, which could increase to 58 million litres in summer. The Waiāri scheme supplied up to 10 million litres of water a day.

Kiri Gillespie is an assistant news director and a senior journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, specialising in local politics and city issues. She was a finalist for the Voyager Media Awards Regional Journalist of the Year in 2021.