What to do when a Do Not Drink Water notice is in place:
A Do Not Drink Notice is put in place when the water supply may be contaminated with harmful chemicals or toxins. In these situations, boiling the water will not make it safe and could make the risk worse.
How you can protect yourself
Do not use tap water for:
- Drinking
- Cooking
- Preparing food
- Brushing teeth
- Making infant formula
- Making ice
Use bottled water or water from a tanker for all the above.
Boiling water will not make it safe.
What you can still do
- You can shower and bathe as normal, but avoid swallowing the water
- Take extra care when bathing babies and young children, as they may swallow water
- Pets must also be given bottled water or tanker water
You will need to follow this notice until you are told it has been lifted. This will happen once testing confirms the water supply is safe again.
Selwyn Water will continue to monitor the situation and keep residents informed of any updates.
Sign up to receive notices by text and email.
For more information visit Taumata Arowai, or watch the video below.
What to do after a Do Not Drink notice has been lifted
After a Do Not Drink water notice has been lifted there are a few things you will need to do.
- Run all cold taps for five minutes to flush out any contaminated water.
- Run clean water through appliances like coffee machines, water dispensers, and ice machines.
- Empty and refill any header and hot water tanks used for drinking water.
- Maintain any water filters following the manufacturer’s advice.
Guidance on how to clean and disinfect your water tank is available on Health Ed and PHF Science.
For more information visit Taumata Arowai, or watch the video below.