‘Disgusting’ bathroom photo shows dark brown water from Waverley faucet

Residents of Waverley in South Taranaki are upset after a local shared online a photo of a bathroom filled with dark brown water, which they say came directly from their tap.

But the local council said the discoloration is caused by a chemical reaction with chlorine and that the water is actually safe to drink.

Other residents have also said they have had dark or cloudy water in recent months and an almost overwhelming chlorine smell.

“You almost passed out when you took a shower,” one woman told the Herald.

The photo of the dark brown bath water was posted on Waverley’s notice board on Facebook, and the resident said they had run the cold water tap for 60 minutes straight but it still wouldn’t come out clear.

“Anyone who gets shitty water like this,” they asked.

Others commented that it was “disgusting”, and some said that they too had experienced water of that color coming out of their taps.

One woman, who just wanted to be called Kylie, shared a photo of a bucket of water the same color as instant coffee.

“[The] the water smells awful, you almost passed out showering and all of our new faucets stain after less than a year installed. “

The water only came out this brown once in the last few months, but it has been “cloudy” ever since and still smells strong.

He stopped drinking the water “months ago” due to the smell.

Another local said that he had also recently drank water that looked like “a weak cup of tea” and is concerned that the chlorine could harm his son’s health.

“The strong chlorine smell was so bad it made my eyes water,” said Jane Crowther.

She was concerned that her asthmatic son might have trouble breathing in the shower.

“It is not as brown as it used to be, but the chlorine is at such strong levels that I am really concerned about what it is doing to our health.”

Local ward councilman Brian Rook said he had visited several homes in Waverley and “enjoyed a glass of water to try it out for myself.”

He said the water he had was cloudy when it was first poured, but cleared up after about 10 seconds.

“There was a slight smell of chlorine, but it was not unpleasant.”

South Taranaki District Council Communications Manager Gerard Langford said late last year that routine testing detected possible E. coli contamination in the water, so the Council built a new water treatment plant. water for the city, which was completed a few months ago.

“Following a request from the Health Ministry that all public water supplies be permanently chlorinated, chlorination was part of the treatment process, to ensure that all bacteria are killed and the water is safe.”

The government’s recommendation stemmed from Havelock North’s investigation of E. coli contamination and a campylobacter outbreak that caused the illness of thousands of people.

“Since the new water treatment plant was put into operation, the chlorine appears to be reacting with the material accumulated inside some of the pipes, which was left when the supply was not treated,” Langford said.

“We have been working hard to address this issue by implementing a city-wide pipe cleaning program throughout the city and targeting problem areas through intensive pipe cleaning known as swabbing.”

The procedure involves forcing a foam swab through the pipes to clean them. Water pressure pushes the swab forward, and then the tubing is cleaned and tested for wholesomeness.

“This rinse and smear job has and will result in some discoloration of the water.

“We have been asking residents to turn on the outside cold water tap for some time to clean the house’s pipes from discolored water.”

If the water has not been rinsed after 15 minutes, residents should call 0800 111 323, which is a toll-free number available throughout the hours, and the city council will send someone to perform the localized flush.

“We believe we are overcoming the problem and the work that has been done to date has seen significant improvements in most areas of the city. Unfortunately, there are still some problem areas which is where we are doing the most intensive smear program.

“We understand people’s frustrations, we apologize for the inconvenience that many residents have experienced, and we want to assure them that the water is safe to drink and that we are dedicating resources to fixing problem areas as quickly as possible.”

The City Council will also consider some form of reimbursement of water charges for customers with a metered supply who have to turn on the taps to clean the water.