Council has received results showing that the water in Putaruru is now safe to drink and has lifted the Boil Water Notice with support from the Ministry of Health.  You are no longer required to boil your water.  Residents are advised to flush taps for 30 seconds if they have not been in use during the notice. Council is currently chlorinating the Pinedale Reservoirs where the E.coli was found and will continue to closely monitor the Putāruru water supply. Thanks to everyone for their patience and understanding over the past 10 days, especially for the assistance with spreading the message to family, friends and neighbours. We acknowledge that this has been a difficult time for everyone and would like to invite the community to a public meeting to provide us with commentary and feedback. ​   [Info directly from the SWDC Website]

Full coverage of the ANZAC Day Civic Ceremony is on the PiP TV Channel now. This video can be directly accessed by clicking on the picture above or any of the still frames below. Like most YouTube videos the quality of playback can be set to suit the connection speed you have or the quality you want to view the video at.  

The May edition of The Prattler is now available for download and/or opening as a page turning edition. Click the cover image above to open the page turning edition directly – it requires Flash. The print version of the Prattler will be delivered this Wednesday. You can open the May from the righthand side bar of this website or from this link. We hope you enjoy our latest edition.

Putaruru Theatre Players have just started their season of Groovy! – a musical tribute to the 1960s. Karen Goodacre is the Director with Tina Ward Musical Director. Written by the prolific Tim Kelly with music and lyrics by Bill Francoer, Groovy! revolves around some of the peace, flowers, love and happiness of the 60s. Crumb’s Apple Farm is the location of a music festival that is to star the Lemon Bugs. But it’s not all love because a local lady wants the festival to be shut down. The local Sheriff however is caught between duty and family. Will he allow the show to go on? If the squishy fallen apples are anything to go by, making a decision will be hippy shake inducing and harm his crush-puppies. Another lemon twist is the luring of the Lemon Bugs to a neighbouring rock concert. The surf scene is also featured, despite the absence of a sandy shore – just let your mind float as you catch the wave. The American War/Vietnam War was part of a nation’s consciousness during these times, and it also is referenced in the show. Attend the show to find out how things turn out – will the Apple Farm festival be the pick of the crop or simply slip cider away? In this Woodstock like atmosphere there is a general health warning on Apples, especially if carried in food baskets. You’ll have to make your own mind up on this forbidden fruit. Maybe Mary Quaint, the English Fashion Designer in the show took this seed of an idea back to London. What ever did happen to Apple Corps? The show continues tonight and Sunday afternoon, then again from May 3 to May 5. Book a ticket at Van Dyks or from the Kensington Street theatre on the night. Be there or be square.  

Louise Upston, MP for Taupo paid a surprise visit to Mrs Myrtle Coster at Rangiura on Tuesday. Louise gave Myrtle a birthday gift bag for the occasion. Myrtle has recently celebrated her 95th birthday and the pair shared stories from their own lives during an informal chat. They were later joined by Emily Willan, Clinical Nurse Administrator at Rangiura. We won’t pass on any of the shared stories!  

The Dawn Parade in Putaruru this morning saw a very large turn out of those coming to remember and pay their respects to those who lost their lives in world wars and global conflict. Below is audio of the ceremony, followed by pictures, (taken without any flash), in order to respect the nature of this occasion. Full video of the Civic Ceremony held at the Plaza later in the morning will be posted on PiP TV after editing.  

Water tankers are outside the Library for people to get free supplies – just bring your containers with you. Please continue to boil water from the tap.   ANZAC DAY A reminder about the services in Putaruru and Tirau tomorrow…

This is a detailed update of the water situation as supplied by the SWDC CEO Craig Hobbs to the on-line Prattler. The background to the event is that: We take water samples every four days from our reticulation. These sample as tested in a certified laboratory (ISO certified) by a third party organisation for a range of parameters including E.coli. The E.coli tests take about 24 hours to be completed because of the need to transport samples to the laboratory and the requirement to grow a “culture” from the sample within the laboratory environment and to then count the E.coli growing on the sample. Preventing E.coli occurring within a reticulated water supply is best managed by – chlorinating the water supply and retaining a suitable residual chlorine within the water supply. The Te Waihou/Blue Springs water take is the only water supply in the South Waikato District Council that is not chlorinated. Council has plans to Chlorinate the blue springs take in the 2018/19 financial year. Putāruru receives water from two sources, namely Glenshea Bore and the Te Waihou intake. Fortunately we chlorinate the Glenshea bore. This means that people in the immediate vicinity of the Glenshea bore will get water with adequate residual chlorine to kill E.coli, but as you move further from the bore the chances increase that you might receive Glenshea water (chlorinated), Te Waihou water (un-chlorinated) or a mixture of the two sources. For chlorine to be effective and to kill any E.coli it comes into contact with we require two things; namely a minimum chlorine concentration level and sufficient contact period. Consequently the blended water between the Te Waihou and Glenshea probably does not have sufficient chlorine concentration and may not have been in contact with any E.coli for longer enough to kill the E.coli. On Friday morning immediately after being advised by our laboratory of the failed water sample, after a test was taken on Thursday the 19th; we contacted the Ministry of Health to discuss the results. Note that under our new procedures the Ministry was also contacted directly by the laboratory to ensure open reporting on health risks. The Ministry of Health advised us to immediately to issue a boil water notice to all residents within Putaruru. We responded immediately by placing a boil-water notice on face book, Councils webpage and Antenno. We also printed off and distributed notices to some house mailboxes (we could not get to everyone and this was an issue that we need to address). We also spoke to and advised the campsite, motel owners, doctors, pharmacies, daycares and retirement homes. On Friday morning once the failed result was received we immediately isolated the Pinedale No 1 reservoir, disconnecting it from the reticulation, and emptied the water from the this reservoir. A misperception is that Council knew for some time that the water supply was contaminated. This is incorrect. As stated before the reticulation is tested every four days. The results for the test on Monday 16th April were all clear. The results for the 19th April were tested on Friday 20th and found to indicate E.coli (at a count of 7 E.coli per 100 ml of water) for the sample taken from the No1 Pinedale Reservoir. All other samples were clear. The Boil Water Notice needs to remain in place until the Council has three consecutive days of zero E.coli results. On Friday the test results had a count of 7 E.coli per 100 ml of water Sample collected on Thursday). On Saturday the count was 3 E.coli (sample taken on Friday from the No1 Reservoir just before it was isolated) and on Sunday (sample taken on Saturday) and again today (sample taken on Sunday) we received counts of zero for E.coli. Potentially therefore the Council could lift the boil water notice, which would be great news. However we have received an elevated level of total coliforms in the samples taken in the reservoirs over the last week, and within the reticulation in Domain road and at the Te Waihou intake. We do not need to collect Total Coliform samples, but do this as Total Coliforms are an indication that something might be wrong in the system. Consequently we are currently seeking advice from the Ministry of Health as to whether we should lift the boil water notice. As an added precaution we have today arranged for water tankers to supply drinking water to residents at a locations in Putāruru. We are working on how best to communicate the location of these tankers.  

Bacterial conta​mination has been found in one of the Pinedale Reservoirs which supplies Putaruru residents. The reservoir has been taken off-line until further notice. What should I do? BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING As a precautionary measure, Putaruru residents are advised to boil all drinking water, including water used for: Preparing food beverages (in particular babies bottles) Personal hygiene (brushing teeth and rinsing) ​Avoid swallowing water Use boiling water for washing dishes with detergent Please do this until testing show the​ contamination has cleared. Council also advises that all drinking water (including ice cubes) stored since Monday 16 April 2018 should be discarded. ​​ ​What is being done? Council has taken the Pinedale Reservoir offline and is carrying out testing. Once everything has been cleared the reservoir will be put back online and wi will notify the community. In the interim we will be using the Glenshea Bores to supply water to the township.​ At the time of writing, no illness has been reported to Council. If residents do feel ill, please contact your doctor. Boiling water for one minute kills all water-borne disease-causing micro-organisms.​ In general, the guidelines below should be followed while the notice to boil water is in effect: Preparing food and beverages Use boiled or bottled water for the following: Preparing beverages such as juices, hot beverages (tea, coffee, etc.); Preparing baby bottles and baby food; Washing fruits and vegetables to be eaten raw; Making ice cubes; Preparing dishes and food for cooking. Personal hygiene Use boiled or bottled water for brushing the teeth and rincing the mouth. When taking a shower or a bath, take special care to avoid swallowing water. Hand wash infants (sponge baths, face cloths) to prevent them from swallowing water or putting wet toys in their mouth. Dish washing and clothes washing Use hot water and dishwashing liquid to wash dishes by hand, then let dry. A dishwasher with a hot-water cycle for disinfecting dishes can also be used. Clothes can be washed with tapwater. Other uses Tapwater can be used in the garden. Tapwater should not be used to fill wading pools. Disinfectants (chlorine, bromine) should be added to filterequipped pools.Wait 30 minutes before swimming. More information  Under the Regulation respecting the quality of drinking water, the operator of a drinking water distribution system must regularly monitor the quality of the water to ensure that it is fit for consumption and is not a health hazard. Issuance of a notice to boil water If bacteriological analyses of the water reveal the presence of fecal coliform bacteria or Escherichia coli bacteria, the person in charge of the distribution system must, as soon as he or she is informed thereof, notify users that the water is unfit for consumption and that it must be vigorously boiled for at least one minute before drinking. Water storage Boiled water stored in sterilized, air-tight containers will usually keep for up to three days in the refrigerator or for 24 hours at room temperature. What are the health hazards of contanminated water? Drinking contaminated water can lead to health problems, the most common one being gastroenteritis. Infants and young children, elderly persons and persons who have weakened immune systems or who suffer from chronic illnesses are generally more at risk of being affected.​ Restrictions while a notice to boil water is in effect While a notice to boil water is in effect, changes must be made in the ordinary use and consumption of tapwater for food preparation, personal hygiene and domestic use. [This information has been taken from the SWDC web site.]  

South Waikato District Council ​Long Term​​​ Plan​: 2018 Public co​nsultation on the Long Term Plan opens on Friday 20 April and closes on Friday 18 May. This document is a very important part of the communication process between the Council and the South Waikato communities. The Long Term Plan can be downloaded here. The council will be holding public meetings about the LTP at the following places from 5:30pm to 7:30pm… Monday 30 April – Putaruru Plaza, Kensington Street, Putaruru Wednesday 2 May – Arapuni Hall, Arapuni Road, Arapuni Thursday 3 May – South Waikato Sport and Events Centre, Mossop Road, Tokoroa Monday 7 May – Tirau Hall, Main Road, Tirau After reading the plan and attending the public meetings, SUBMISSONS may be made on line or by the other methods listed below. The on-line submission form is here. HARD COPY – included in the Consultation Document (download here). ONLINE submission (click here). EMAIL submission – info@southwaikato.govt.nz (please include name, phone number, email and if you wish to speak in person to your submission). SOCIAL MEDIA submission – www.facebook.com/SouthWaikatoDistrictCouncil by private message (please include full name, phone number, email and indicate if you wish to speak in person to your submission).