Water quality

If you see any discharges of liquid or rubbish to water, phone us on 03 543 8400 – someone answers 24 hours a day.

You can also report any spillage on land where it may enter water, or any drainage of wetlands.

Downpipes and drains

• Check that downpipes and outside drains on your property only drain rain and clean water, as all stormwater drains let water go unfiltered to the nearest waterway.
• If you are using any soap or chemicals and water to clean the car, house or driveway, ensure the water run-off is drained onto the garden or lawn and does not enter the roadside gutters, which also drain to the nearest waterway. Fish hate chlorine and soap.
• When cleaning the roof, disconnect the downpipes and allow the water to go onto the garden, or create a bund to divert the run-off to the lawn. 
• If using a commercial operator, ensure they have plans to collect any chemically-tainted water run-off to be pumped and disposed of safely and that it does not enter the stormwater or rainwater run-off system.

Check product containers

• Read the small print on all chemical containers. There are many ways to be environmentally-friendly but all chemical containers will state: do not use near streams or waterways, and to not allow the product to enter the stormwater or rainwater run-off system.

Other tips

• Keep paths and driveways clear of any rubbish, cigarette butts or greenwaste that could be washed with the rain down an outside drain.
• Mop up any driveway chemical or oil spills with an old cloth then dispose in a rubbish bag. Do not hose down driveway pollutants into the gutter.
• If your property borders a creek or stream, do not allow lawn clippings or garden rubbish to enter the water; composting works best on land, whereas in water it harms fish.

On the farm

• Fence off streams, rivers, swamps, wetlands and seeps to prevent stock access.
• Plant banks of waterways and lower ends of drains to help stabilise the banks and trap contaminants.
• Make sure farm dairy effluent irrigators are operating effectively and are moved frequently to prevent effluent ponding and run-off into waterways.
• Avoid break-feeding or mob-stocking close to waterways, especially in wet weather.
• Keep hazardous substances (such as oil and pesticides) out of our stormwater system and away from groundwater wells.

Work with neighbours

• Some communities set up landcare groups with neighbours to discuss and use better land management practices. This is a great way to protect your local waterways.

Subdivisions

• Install stormwater detention areas in new subdivisions to improve water quality (less silt and animal faeces reaches the rivers and streams).

Report incidents

• Report to Council if you notice any discharges of liquid or rubbish to water, or land where it may enter water, or wetlands.
• To report spills, or pollution incidents: phone 03 543 8400 – after hours service available.

Both urban and rural streams require well managed margins and protection from pollutants to protect water quality and freshwater life into the future. 

We're always keen to hear from any landowner or group interested in working on streamside (riparian) projects.

If you want to find out more, please get in touch.

Contact Tasman District Council for further information

Both urban and rural streams require well managed margins and protection from pollutants to protect water quality and freshwater life into the future. 

• Dairy Farming guidance 

Council is keen to hear from any landowner or group interested in working on streamside (riparian) projects. If you want to find out more, or want a copy of the Strategy, contact the Policy Planner - Land at Council:

Contact Tasman District Council for further information.

If emptying your swimming pool, you must contact us to book a time to drain the pool water into the waste water system.

We do this so the wastewater system does not get overloaded and to make sure the water drains down inside drains and gets treated.

Water with chlorine in it is toxic to fish and many other water-based life forms.

There is currently no New Zealand standards regarding bathing in water which has a boil water advisory, however the Australian standards state:

Under most circumstances it is not necessary to boil water used for other household purposes. As a guide, if water has less than 200 E. coli (or <200 enterococci if sea water) per 100 mL it should be safe for showering and bathing for all except the very young, who can swallow more bath or shower water than older children and adults. As a precaution toddlers and infants should be sponge bathed. Do not gargle contaminated shower water.

Washing of dishes by machine or hand is acceptable, provided dishes are air-dried. No additional precautions are required for washing clothes.

Approximately 50% of the residents in the Tasman District use their own water supply. This might be water from a stream, a well/bore or from the roof.  Unless this water is treated, it has the risk of making the residents of the house (or visitors) sick.

Download the bore and well information sheet to learn more. (pdf 678 KB)

The Ministry of Health has produced a Household Water Supplies booklet for treatment options. 

There are numerous small (not Council-operated) water schemes across the district. If you are connected to one of these, contact the operator of the scheme to see what kind of treatment is employed (if any) and what operational procedures are in place to prevent contamination. 

It is still considered safer to wash your hands in water with a boil water advisory than to not wash them at all. You get additional bacterial removal from hands if you use soap and dry them with an abrasive action e.g. paper towel (and use the 20 second wash/20 second dry rule). Note - Sanitary hand gels are not effective against norovirus.