Water Supply Quality and Monitoring
Water supply is a core service of the Council and a sound water supply is a prerequisite to public health and safety and economic well being. When the quality of any of our water supplies is compromised the communities affected will be publicly notified by a number of methods. One of which will be on this website.
View information about water supply quality and monitoring
Smart Water Use
Fresh water is precious. We can all do our part to conserve it. For information and quick tips on saving water and using it wisely - in the house, in the garden and on the farm - read about Smart Water Use.
**See the latest news item about the odour and taste of Waihi and Paeroa water
The Water Supply activity of the Hauraki District Council involves the provision of domestic and agricultural water to the Hauraki Communities. Water supply is a core service of the Council and a sound water supply is a prerequisite to public health and safety and economic well being. The Council also aims to maintain sufficient supply in urban areas to meet fire fighting requirements.
To achieve this the Council owns and operates eight reticulated water supply networks that service the main urban communities of Paeroa, Waihi and Ngatea, the smaller communities of Karangahake, Mackaytown, Waikino, Kerepehi, Waitakaruru and Turua, and the rural areas of the Hauraki Plains, Kaimanawa (rural area servicing Hikutaia/Maratoto area), and Ohinemuri (Paeroa rural).
Fresh water is essential for people and animals. The Council provides sufficient quantities of treated fresh water for public health amenity, to reduce the risk of water borne diseases and to provide an adequate water supply for livestock farming. The Council undertakes this activity to meet the community expectation that safe water will be provided, as well as to meet statutory obligations.
The water supply service is provided on a user pays basis which is normally achieved through user charges, general rates and targeted rates.
The Council has resource consents from the Waikato Regional Council to collect water from twelve streams and rivers. The major abstraction points and consented volumes are:
Waitawheta River (7,000 m³/day)
Waihou River (15,000 m³/day)
Waitakaruru River (6,000 m³/day)
Walmsley Stream (3,500 m³/day)
Water is treated in ten water treatment plants and reticulated to eight public water supply systems throughout the Hauraki District.
Water Storage and Distribution
The eight water supply systems in the Hauraki District provide a treated supply of water to 7,500 properties. Approximately 587 kilometres of main pipelines transport water to these connections across the network. More than 8,000 consumer water meters are installed across all the water supply systems.
In Waihi, Waikino, Paeroa, Karangahake and Mackaytown water supply is ‘on-demand’, meaning that users can expect water to be continuously available at a reasonable pressure.
In the Plains, Ohinemuri and Kaimanawa areas water supply is not ‘on demand’. The Council undertakes to provide for water requirements over 24 hours, and users are required to provide on-site storage to cover daily periods of high demand.
Extraordinary Water Use
The Extraordinary Water Use rate is set at two times the current urban treated water rate for purposes other than permanent metered connections such as tankered water for commercial users (sometimes outside of the District) and contractor use of hydrants.
View the rates for Water Supply.
Resource Consents for Water
Drinking water for Hauraki District comes from a number of raw water sources. Each of these raw water sources has specific requirements that must be observed in order to protect our natural environment. For instance river levels drop over summer just when people want to use more water for gardening, but we cannot pump rivers dry. Minimum river flows must be maintained at all times to protect the life of the river. This is regulated through Resource Consents which set the levels or volumes of water that can be pumped from rivers and springs.
Water & Sanitary Services Assessment
This Assessment of Water and Sanitary Services in the Hauraki District comprises of an assessment on water treatment and supply, wastewater treatment and disposal, stormwater management, cemeteries and public toilets.
To determine whether public health will be adequately protected, the Assessment draws on inputs from a variety of statutory sources as well as measures that have been developed at the District level, such as through the Triennial Residents’ Satisfaction Survey. The Assessment is part of the group of documents which form part of the supporting information to the 2015-25 Hauraki Long Term Plan.
- Assessment of Water and Sanitary Services 2014 [PDF, 1.2 MB]