The Tūātapere water treatment plant is dealing with a filter issue (file photo). Photo: ODT/Supplied
Compliance issues have come to light at a series of Southland water treatment plants, but the mayor says there's no cause for alarm.
An annual report prepared for a district council meeting this week showed some drinking water plants had missed the mark, due to data gaps, unvalidated filters and even snow.
The council manages 12 treatment sites across the district, servicing a population of about 30,000 people.
In the realm of protozoal compliance, four plants did not hit their targets - Mossburn, Ōtautau, Winton and Tūātapere.
Three of those plants missed their target due to UV treatment upgrades resulting in lost data, while Tūātapere failed on a filter issue.
Southland District Council asset manager Bill Witham said the filter was fully compliant when it was installed, but the manufacturer was no longer around, meaning it could not be recertified.
"Until we replace that, we're technically non-compliant."
The report said the protozoal KPI was a challenge to meet, because missing the mark for even a short period resulted in a whole year of work being deemed non-compliant.
It also noted Ohai, Te Anau and Tūātapere were not compliant in microbiological monitoring, due to snow-covered roads restricting site access.
Witham explained the technician went around in a ute, taking manual samples for the laboratory, but had been disrupted by bad weather.
Well-known issues persist at the Eastern Bush/Otahu Flat plant, due to the turbidity of its water, although a new plant is planned for 2026/27.
Southland mayor Rob Scott was positive, despite some of the results, referencing challenges such as distance, weather and snow.
He was pleased with the level of detail in the report.
"There's a few red flags in there, but they're not real red flags and there's a lot of green in there too, which is comforting as well."
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
