Emergency drinking water for Rāwene-Ōmanaia today

**UPDATE 4pm Thursday 16 February**

The reservoir at Rāwene is now refilling after the scheme’s water treatment plant was restarted overnight.

Ōmanaia and Rāwene residents were without treated water yesterday after the water treatment plant stopped operating due to widespread power cuts caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. 

Services have now been restored and customers at both Ōmanaia and Rāwene should be receiving treated water to their properties. Until the reservoir can be completely refilled, customers are asked to continue conserving water for the next 24 hours by flushing less, taking shorter showers and delaying clothes washing.

Meanwhile, the Ōpononi-Ōmāpere water treatment will be restarted by the end of today after also being hit by power cuts. Unlike, the Ōmanaia-Rāwene scheme, reservoirs for the Ōpononi and Ōmāpere communities still have adequate reserves of treated water. However, residents are being asked to conserve supplies for the next 24 hours.

As precaution, a water tanker will remain outside the Ōpononi store until it is confirmed that the Ōpononi-Ōmāpere water treatment plant has successfully been restarted and treated water is again being produced.  

**UPDATE 6pm Weds 15 February**

Ōmanaia residents are being asked not to use water from their taps except for flushing toilets until the Ōmanaia-Rāwene water treatment plant is back to full operation.

Ōmanaia residents will now be receiving untreated water from the plant, but this will not be safe to drink until lines are fully flushed. They are advised not to drink the water even if boiled.

Treated drinking water is being made available to Ōmanaia residents from tankers at Rāwene. Te Piiti Marae is also making its water supply available to Ōmanaia residents.

At Rāwene alternative drinking water supplies have been arranged for the town’s residents. This will be provided until the town’s reservoir can be refilled. A tanker providing free drinking water for both Rāwene and Ōmanaia residents will remain at Russell Esplanade tonight until 9pm. It will return again at 6.30am tomorrow (Thursday).

The council is also delivering 10 portable toilets to Rāwene tonight, two of which will be wheelchair accessible. Half of the portable toilets will be located at Russell Esplanade next to the existing public toilets, while the others will be at Clendon Esplanade next to public toilets there.  

We will provide an update as soon as possible tomorrow (Thursday). 

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Two tanker trucks will be dispensing drinking water to Rāwene and Ōmanaia communities today (Weds 15 Feb) after council water reservoirs ran dry overnight.

The council’s Ōmania-Rāwene treatment plant stopped operating due to widespread power cuts that have hit the Far North in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle. Far North Waters staff have been unable to access and restart the plant safely. They are now onsite and are restarting operations. However, returning to full production and refilling the reservoir will take at least a day.  

In response, the council will be providing free treated drinking water from a tanker truck at Duddy’s Road Ōmanaia. That will be onsite from 2pm today. The second tanker will be at Russell Esplanade in Rāwene next to the Hokianga vehicle ferry parking area from 3pm.

Residents will need to bring their own water containers to be filled. Please ensure these are clean to avoid contaminating the water.

The council will provide updates on when water supplies return to normal via its website and social media channels. All other council water supplies around the district are now at safe levels.