8 May 2023
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Breakdown of main Mamaku water bore pump
Enquiry
Saw the comms about the Mamaku bore and wondered if there were any update this morning on the [situation]?
What is the risk of the reservoir being emptied and what happens if that eventuates?
What is the fault and is it related at all to the repair made in 2016? If yes, how so? (LINK re 2016)
How long is the request for water conservation in place for?
Is there an estimate for when the issue will be resolved?
The 2016 info says: Average daily water use in Mamaku is about 240,000 litres a day - what is current usage?
Any other info or comment?
Subsequent further questions from the reporter:
Just spoke to a resident who said she has been without water for 24 hours and she had asked the council to send a tanker up so people can get some drinking water but nothing had happened yet.
She said: "I think it's disgusting"
She said the kids went to school without being bathed and had to buy bottled water just to wash their faces. She said there were people in the village who were struggling financially and would not afford to buy water at the moment.
She said she could not get half a glass of water from the tap.
Will a tanker be sent to the village so residents can have drinking water?
How many people have requested this?
Is the council aware people have been without water?
Response
From Infrastructure Networks Performance Manager Eric Cawte:
What is the risk of the reservoir being emptied and what happens if that eventuates?
Residents have done a great job at conserving water, reducing the risk of emptying the reservoir. The reservoir is getting low [please note that this is as at time of writing] and we anticipate the repair to be complete before it empties.
We have had several calls from residents with low water pressure and have a water tanker located at Karamu Street, outside the playground, for the collection of safe drinking water if needed. The tanker will be there until the repairs are complete.
What is the fault and is it related at all to the repair made in 2016? If yes, how so?
No, it is not related.
An electrical component that makes the pump run has failed. It is the same bore but a different component.
How long is the request for water conservation in place for?
Until the problem is repaired.
Parts are on the way and we expect to have the issue fixed by late afternoon.
Is there an estimate for when the issue will be resolved?
As above. If any residents are experiencing low water pressure or no water, please visit the water tanker located at Karamu Street, outside the playground for the collection of safe drinking water. Bring clean, empty containers.
The 2016 info says: Average daily water use in Mamaku is about 240,000 litres a day - what is current usage?
Average daily water usage in Mamaku is variable but current average daily use is 380,000 litres.
Any other info or comment?
Tips to conserve water:
Have a short shower rather than a bath
Don’t leave taps running
Leave the laundry for another day
Minimise toilet flushing – if it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down
Keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates, or call the Council Customer Centre on 07 348 4199
We would like to thank Mamaku residents for their patience while we work to fix the problem.
Re subsequent further questions:
We pointed the reporter to our initial response which noted that a water tanker had been sent to Mamaku and would remain there until the problem was fixed. We also provided the following:
We have received a number of calls today from Mamaku residents experiencing low water pressure as a result of the electrical fault on a component that controls the main bore pump. While the main pump is out of action, the secondary pump is still operating but reservoir supply is getting low. There is water being supplied to the reservoir but at a reduced rate as the secondary pump that has been working since the issue with the main pump occurred cannot pump as fast as the main pump. This is why we have asked people to reduce their water use, to avoid the reservoir running dry while we work to fix the main pump - we appreciate the community’s cooperation.
Contractors are on site repairing the fault and anticipate the problem to be fixed by late afternoon with water supply returning to normal shortly after repair.
We were notified of one property without water yesterday before the secondary bore was up and running which rectified the issue. Once the secondary bore was working, two tanker loads of water were dropped into the reservoirs to maintain the system for all residents which continued through the night.
Today, as a result of the reservoir running low, we have had one report of a resident without water. In response, we arranged a water tanker to be stationed in the township to dispense water to anyone requiring it.
Unfortunately we don’t know where the resident you have quoted is located, but once the network is fully operating again we will check directly with each of the property owners who have notified us of no water supply to ensure that they have had their service restored. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused by this loss of service and will be thoroughly investigating what can be done to improve our operating and backup systems to minimise the impact from unforeseen breakdowns which, in a complex supply system do occur from time to time.
We are grateful to the community contacts helping us to update locals on the situation and get the word out about the water tanker.
We urge anyone who is experiencing a complete water outage to get in touch with us asap via our Customer Solutions Centre – 07 348 4199.
While we endeavour to provide safe and reliable water services to our communities on a 24/7 basis, this is also a timely reminder for all households and businesses to be prepared for temporary loss of any critical services whether they result from mechanical breakdown or natural disasters. Information regarding this can be found on Civil Defence website, here
Subsequently we informed the reporter that: the problem was now fixed (effective about 3pm), that the reservoir was filling again at a good rate and services were getting back to normal.