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Kapiti Water
Quality Reliable Sustainable
24 Hour Emergency Number: 0800 486 486
General Enquiries: (04) 296-4700 |
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Water in Paekakariki |
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The Paekakariki water plant taking water from Smith's Creek has been operating since 1922. This followed a local poll conducted in the Paraparaumu-Paekakariki areas on the communities' views on whether to establish a mains water supply. Paekakariki voted Yes and Paraparaumu voted No. The plant has been upgraded several times since 1922 to improve the quality and security of the supply system.
During the World War II another supply was set up in 1942 by US Marines stationed near MacKay's Crossing. That supply fell into disuse though vestiges of the tank and pipework can still be seen.
Smiths Creek is the primary water source for the community, with a bore sunk in 2003 providing a supplementary supply when the river is low or weather events such as flooding damage the intake point from the river. The water is filtered and disinfected to ensure clean safe water is abailable for distrubition to Paekakariki and the surrounding area.
New UV technology has recently been installed to disinfect the water. This treatment will ensure the water supply meets new legislative requirements without considerable costs to the community.
Current Water Use Level for Paekakariki
You can use a hose anytime but unattended sprinklers
or irrigation systems are not permitted.
Shut downs in Paekakariki
None at present
The Water Treatment Process
1. Filtration
The water is collected from the stream or the bore and fed into one of three rapid sand filters. The water pases through the small gaps between the pumice and sand in the filters. The large suspended solids in the water that are unable to fit through gaps are removed.
The water then passes through two cartridge micro filters, the first removes solids bigger than 10 microns, and the second removes solids as small as 1 micron. This step removes the large parasites, bacteria and other harmful organisms in the water and increases the effectiveness of disinfection.
The sand filters are routinely back washed to remove the accumulated solids and the cartridge filters are replaced as required.
2. UV Disinfection
The water is disinfected by passing UV light through the water. The light breaks down the genetic information of the microbe preventing them from functioning and reproducing. This method of disinfection provides outstanding protection against microbes that have developed resistance to other treatments.
3. Chlorination
Chlorine is added to prevent contamination in the pipes and reservoirs during distribution.
Water Quality
The water is constantly monitored to ensure it meets the compliance limits set out in the 2005 New Zealand Drinking Water Standards (NZDWS) at all times. To find out what's in your water click here for a copy of the 2005 Water Quality Report.
Grading
The Ministry of Health publishes a yearly grade for each public water supply in New Zealand. The grade reflects how well the plant complies with the NZDWS and consists of two parts.
The first part gives an indication of how well the water source and treatment process comply by assigning a grade between A1 and E. The second part evaluates the distribution system, which delivers the water from treatment plant to homes and businesses, and assigns a grade between A and E.
Our current gradings (1995) are:
The Paekakariki water treatment plant and source: B
Distribution System: A
Note: All water treatment plants in the district are currently under assessment by drinking water assessors of the Ministry of Health as defined under the NZ drinking water standards 2005 which became effective on January 2006.
Taste
Changes in the taste of the water are often caused by issues in the household. If you are concerned about the taste of your water, click here to find out about ssome of the common causes for changes in the taste of your water before contacting the council.
Water use and conservation
Paekakariki has some of the lowest water use in the district due to the voluntary all year round hand held hose anytime water use level. Check out the Green Gardener and Green Plumber pages for ideas on how you can create the lifestlye you want with the water available.
