Marton residents offered tanker supply amid ongoing water quality problem

Rangitīkei District Council is making a water tanker available for Marton residents as the town's water supply struggles.

A water tanker is set to serve a Rangitīkei town’s residents until further notice as water supply issues continue.

High levels of geosmin (produced by algae) in Marton’s water have been detected over the past weeks, which has raised the smell and taste to “elevated levels”.

In a statement, Rangitīkei District Council said its reticulation team was continuing to “fine-tune” the water treatment process to make improvements, but required the geosmin levels to settle.

The two clarifiers at the treatment plant were “working doubly hard” because of the quality of water coming from the region’s dams.

Clarifiers clump the dam water’s microscopic particles, such as algae, dirt and oils, before it reaches the filters.

These particles form mats or clouds and, as they get heavier, drop to the bottom of the clarifier to form a sludge.

The sludge is cleaned out once a month during summer and twice a month in winter.

“When one is out of action, it halves the amount of water that the team can produce in a day, and it takes a few days after the de-sludging process to get the clarifier back up to its optimum output,” the council said.

“Which is another reason why we try and keep the treated water reservoir levels as high as possible.”

The council has made a water tanker available for Marton residents twice a week, starting from January 13.

The tanker will operate from the Marton RSA and Citizens Memorial Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3pm to 6.30pm.

The water will come from the council’s reticulated supply in Hunterville.

Level one water restrictions have been imposed in Marton.

Residents can water their gardens with handheld hoses only, between 6pm and 8pm, cannot use hosepipes to clean driveways and cars, and cannot use sprinklers at any time of the day.

“The water restrictions and the community’s water conservation efforts have definitely helped the team, and we thank those who’ve been doing their part.”

The council’s Marton Water Strategy aims to improve the town’s water supply by changing its source, replacing surface water from dams with groundwater from bores.

In December, the council said a trial at the Tūtaenui Reservoir bore site was nearly finished, with all water testing completed.

It expected to receive final recommendations from independent engineers for full commissioning and the next steps by next month.

The early results were positive, but more information was needed before the trialled system could be introduced.

The report would help compare the long-term costs, benefits and maintenance requirements of the nanofiltration system.

“We will keep the Marton community updated as this work progresses.

“Our goal is to provide clear, reliable information as council works toward a safe and sustainable long-term water solution for Marton.”

The water tanker service will be available until further notice.

Residents will need to bring their own containers to collect water.

Residents can contact the council on 06 327 0099 or info@rangitikei.govt.nz with concerns or for more information.