Fire hydrant flow testing taking place this week in Hahei

We will be measuring the flow from some fire hydrants in Hahei this Wednesday (15 July).

Our Council has engaged a consultant to develop a hydraulic model of the water supply network in Hahei (this only includes our Council’s water supply, not the private schemes).

There will be five flow tests, each test will take approximately 10 minutes per site. Each hydrant will be opened for a maximum of six minutes to allow the data loggers to record five data points.

The model will be used to help inform decisions on things such as:

• Expanding the network to cater for population growth in Hahei
• Capacity of the network to supply some or all of the private schemes, should they wish to connect
• Design of the proposed water treatment plant upgrade currently scheduled for 2022.

We're doing this testing in the off-peak period while there are no water restrictions in place and the system is fully operational. If anything changes, we will postpone the testing until another day when it can be carried out safely. Sign-up to our e-newsletter here or follow us on Facebook for updates.

The testing may cause sediment in the pipes to be stirred up and its possible customers may experience some "dirty water" because of this.

The experience of “dirty water” is due to the presence of very minute amounts of soluble compounds of iron and manganese that gradually build up as a coating on the pipe wall. When the normal flow of water is disrupted for any reason – such as when flow testing fire hydrants - the iron and manganese is re-suspended in the water, causing a discoloration.

The water is still completely safe even though it's appearance might suggest otherwise.

This should gradually clear of its own accord, but if you have concerns please contact our Customer Services team on 07 868 0200.

See our website here for further information.

As part of scheduled work in Thames this week, our Veolia contractors will be shutting down the water supply between 10am and 3pm on Wednesday 15 July to the following properties:

• 112 to 118 Pleasant Wood Place
• 700 to 822 Mount Pleasant Road
• 107 to 109 Danby Street

And also the same duration the following day, Thursday 16 July to 706-712 Units A & B, Mount Pleasant Road (this is for the small group of retirement units to be connected to the new water main as a separate shutdown).

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

For common water supply problems and simple remedies following these shutdowns see tcdc.govt.nz/watershutdowns.

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